Who are all you people with washing machines that leaked from a top floor? Am 62 years old and know o of no one to whom this has happened to. Today I would not buy a home with laundry in the basement (we moved ours up many decades ago when we first bought the house we live in today)

Ours are in the basement, which is fine, but as I am getting older, I can see how it’s eventually going to be a big pain, hauling baskets of heavy clothes up and down the stairs

You should have one washer at bedroom level and another by the mudroom for throwing in dirty clothes outside that you dont want to track inside

The nicest house I’ve ever been in had both.

I moved from a condo where the laundry was right by the bedrooms to a SFH with laundry in the basement and I thought I would care a lot but in practice, I barely notice. I do carry the dry laundry upstairs to fold it. Also, using stand up bags (from ikea) instead of baskets really is better for me. I’m in my 40s with good knees.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement. If you've ever had a bad leak in your house as I have, you want to minimize the chances of that happening again.

Also - laundry makes noise.

I hate lugging the laundry up and down two flights of stairs but have reframed it in my mind as exercise. My laundry basket can carry two loads but it's easier if you just carry one load at a time.

The leak concern can be dealt with by water leak detectors and by automatic whole-house leak detection and shut-off systems. The former just notify you of a leak, the latter also shut off the water to the house if you don't react. Many homeowners insurance companies provide a substantial discount on your premiums if you install an automated system, as water damage is far and away the largest cause of claims, greatly exceedingly those for fire, burglary, hail damage and other hazards. I installed a Moen Flo system, and the premium discount will pay for the system in three years.

All those leak detectors and shut offs and what not are expensive (price including installation). Most houses with upper floor laundry rooms do not have then - builders normally omit them to save on the cost.

Most houses also do not have super-sound-insulated walls, so machinery at night wakes people up.

I commented above. My leak was on the drain line. The thing that revealed the leak was water coming through my ceiling into my foyer. A leak detector near the washer would not have detected that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basement. If you've ever had a bad leak in your house as I have, you want to minimize the chances of that happening again.

Also - laundry makes noise.

I hate lugging the laundry up and down two flights of stairs but have reframed it in my mind as exercise. My laundry basket can carry two loads but it's easier if you just carry one load at a time.

The leak concern can be dealt with by water leak detectors and by automatic whole-house leak detection and shut-off systems. The former just notify you of a leak, the latter also shut off the water to the house if you don't react. Many homeowners insurance companies provide a substantial discount on your premiums if you install an automated system, as water damage is far and away the largest cause of claims, greatly exceedingly those for fire, burglary, hail damage and other hazards. I installed a Moen Flo system, and the premium discount will pay for the system in three years.

All those leak detectors and shut offs and what not are expensive (price including installation). Most houses with upper floor laundry rooms do not have then - builders normally omit them to save on the cost.

Most houses also do not have super-sound-insulated walls, so machinery at night wakes people up.

I personally prefer laundry in the basement. My laundry room is on the top floor and we once had a leak. It caused so much damage. While I didnt relocate the laundry afterwards to this day I dont do laundry if no one is home and able to respond to a leak. Also, having a laundry room in the basement allows me to do laundry overnight and not disturb my family At my first house I would load the washer before bed, set the machine to start around 5am and would wake up and throw laundry in the dryer. It was very convenient. Laundry was also tucked away and hidden so I could fold at my convenience.

Anonymous wrote:I like it in the basement because you don’t have to listen to it running. Plus it’s healthy to go up and down the stairs, vs engineering your life so you can move as little as possible.

This is true too

Anonymous wrote:I’m pp and just finished this fascinating thread. I’m early 50s and haven’t ever thought that carrying laundry up/down two flights of stairs was a big deal. I’m def the odd woman out since it never occurred to me that it was an issue. But I like to walk.

Also a 50 something with an older house, laundry in basement. I have worried about falls so we did a basic redo to make the stairs safer and I tend to carry the clothes in one arm and fold and put in basket upstairs. I hope to bring laundry up as we age, I do think this is what most people prefer. But I also leave piles down there and probably lag more in completing laundry because it is out of site. If I had a nice laundry room on main floor I would likely be more organized about it.

I like it in the basement because you don’t have to listen to it running. Plus it’s healthy to go up and down the stairs, vs engineering your life so you can move as little as possible.

Anonymous wrote:We want to move washer/dryer to basement. Currently, they are on the first floor. Kitchen designer had one of those "are you sure?" expression. We can also move them up to main bathroom but that sounds weird too. Thoughts?

Do you mean the main hall bath or the master bath? No to the master bath and I'd explore decreasing the size of a large hall bath to get a small laundry room accessible to the hall. Side by side appliances. On the main level I would keep a laundry site for stuff generated on that level and outside.

Short on main floor space? Do a stacked unit with a door [even a pocket] so there is floor space for stuff. If you're thinking about getting rid of an actual laundry room on the main level with a sink/cupboards/hanging space for drying, DO NOT get rid of it. Especially if it has a window and short run dryer venting to the outside.

When I had a basement laundry, I had “piles of laundry” everywhere too. When I moved to a house with the laundry on the bedroom floor, I no longer have piles of laundry because it’s so easy to do laundry and it’s almost effortless to put laundry away. I get that it’s not possible for everyone or every house but it’s amazing.

Anonymous wrote:Old house with laundry in the basement and it sucks. Two flights of stairs down (and then up) lugging clothes is not fun.

This. And with little kids, who go through a lot of clothing, a nightmare.

Our second house was also old but the previous owners had expanded it and moved the laundry to the master bedroom, installed in a closet. It's amazing. Been four years and I love it so much. I would never deliberately move laundry to the basement if it was already situated in a more convenient location!

Anonymous wrote:Laundry or a powder room off the kitchen would not be ideal and is kinda gross.

Gross? Why? That’s a new one.

Ours is right next to our bedroom, shares a wall and machines are up against that wall - we run the laundry in the middle of the night (delayed start), and first one up throws it in the dryer. Insulated walls means we don't hear it. Not worried about a leak, and if there ever is one, that's what homeowners insurance is for