ᐅ Washing machine and dryer in the basement or upper floor?

Hello,

We are building a single-family house (basement, ground floor, upper floor). We have planned a utility room in the basement for the washing machine and dryer. However, I am considering relocating the washing machine and dryer to the upper floor. We have two bathrooms on the upper floor (one master and one children's bathroom). There is enough space in the children's bathroom, and the appliances could even be hidden behind a sliding door or a built-in cabinet. Where do you have your washing machine and dryer?

alishka schrieb:

A utility room is planned in the basement

Well, houses nowadays are often built without basements, for various reasons. Often it’s budget-related, but also due to generational changes, since today it’s quite feasible to live comfortably without a basement. Some people might still feel comfortable doing household chores in the basement and sit there without windows beside a mangle underground… but usually, household tasks are integrated into the areas where you feel most comfortable.
And: somehow you also need to fill a basement if you decide to build one.

alishka schrieb:

Where do you have your washer/dryer?

We have no basement and no children, so we placed them in the upper floor in a separate small utility room just for laundry. I would never want noisy appliances in my relaxation bathroom if it can be avoided. If I had (two) children with their own bathroom, I wouldn’t want laundry day to take over my personal space there either. That would be like my children sharing my walk-in closet.

Ultimately, you have to decide how your daily routine works best. Some people celebrate household chores, others approach them pragmatically.

If I had a basement, and that seems to be a given in your case, I would set up a laundry room there. Naturally, with a window. There should be enough space to place drying racks and so on.

When planning, I would always keep in mind that not all laundry will go into the dryer, but rather a large part will be hung up. So plan for a short route outside.

motorradsilke schrieb:

There is definitely enough space to set up drying racks and so on.

I have a small objection. Depending on the basement design (thermal envelope/ventilation), you may encounter humidity problems throughout large parts of the year if you dry laundry indoors in the basement.

In the past, basement windows were always tilted open, and this wasn’t a problem.

I originally wanted to dry laundry in our unheated basement room as well. However, the humidity levels were constantly off the scale, and nothing actually dried.

Now I dry laundry in heated basement rooms, and thanks to our enthalpy heat exchanger, even in winter I have suitable humidity levels for the rest of the living areas.

We have planned a separate utility room on the upper floor, dedicated solely to cleaning supplies and laundry. This room will house the washing machine, dryer, and probably some kitchen cabinets and a countertop for folding and ironing clothes. I also like the idea of this space being comfortable and cozy for household tasks, ideally equipped with network access and some form of entertainment—at least music.

The bedrooms are on the same floor, which saves us from carrying baskets up and down stairs frequently. In our previous house, the utility room was on the ground floor, so we constantly had to transport laundry up and down.

Then we're back to the same question: to hang laundry outside or not? If not, it’s ideal if you have a dedicated space for that. If yes, you have to go downstairs anyway.