Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Aug 23, 2010 6:12 pm Hi there - after many months contemplating what to do about our terrible and not very functional bathroom we are considering combining bathroom and laundry in order to facilitate a second toilet. Our current configeration is that the bathroom contains shower, bath (tiny bath - not full size), basin (no vanity) and linen/utility cupboard. The bathroom is walkkthrough to the laundry which also houses the toilet - so some wasted space there with a second doorway. While to my mind combining laundry/bathroom is not ideal there are a number of factors at play: 1. House is 1920's and in need of major reno - but we have decided to work on paying off mortgage before we do this 2. We have 2 small children and would really love 2 toilets 3. There is an asbestos composite wall between laundry and bathroom as well as pure asbestos flue for the internal water heater We have considered the following: 1. Not doing anything at all until we renovate - but this is at least 5 years away and we don't want to live with the asbestos anylonger (we have done what we can to prevent fibre loss but this is not ideal) 2. Separate bathroom and laundry but this will mean 2 REALLY narrow rooms and no second toilet 3. If we are going to spend the money on any kind of bathroom renovation we feel that it makes sense to add a second toilet Any thoughts, particularly on the issue of combining laundry and bathroom would be appreciated - hints, product recommendations etc Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 2Aug 24, 2010 10:04 am We combined a bathroom and laundry in a space 5m by 2.5m (not sure how big your space is). Talk to a good cabinet maker, you will be surprised at what they can do. Works very well for us, unless the bifold doors that hold the "laundry" are open it just looks like a bathroom. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 3Aug 24, 2010 6:29 pm Don't suppose you have a picture do you - might help me to formulate some idea's! Yes we were thinking hidden laundry behind bifold doors - are yours the kind that open right up and then fold in at the sides to give full access? Did you have to give any special consideration for ventilation etc? Our space is about 4x4. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 4Aug 25, 2010 10:07 am I have always had cupboard laundry's in 5 houses in a row now. The last 3 being in the bathroom. Make sure the door don't fowl each other, that is the only issue is if you go to open the bathroom door and it connects with a bifold/washing machine door/etc... then its annoying because you are for ever opening and shutting stuff to do anything. That and make sure you have plenty of storage have lots of cupboard space/shelvs/hanging/etc... i am not sure what i would do with a laundry room but then again i don't have to wash nappies. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 5Aug 25, 2010 2:00 pm total beginner Don't suppose you have a picture do you - might help me to formulate some idea's! Yes we were thinking hidden laundry behind bifold doors - are yours the kind that open right up and then fold in at the sides to give full access? Did you have to give any special consideration for ventilation etc? Our space is about 4x4. I'll try and get a photo for you but ours is effectively 2 bifolds behind which is a half trough and a top loader with a dryer over the top. There is shelving over the half trough. Then there is a long 450mm wide cabinet that has drawers and shelving next to the bifolds. So effectively what you see from the outside is 5 long doors each 450mm wide. When the bifolds are open they expose the trough and the washer/dryer. The fifth door is seperate and acts as storage. So the whole unit is 2250mm long. Our bifolds do not tuck in at the sides, they open right up and run on very solid top and bottom tracks. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 6Aug 28, 2010 8:05 pm Actually we have a door from the (current) laundry/toilet to the backyard which we were considering closing in to make more space. We tend not to use it much cos the laundry is so close to our back door anyway. Cos we are limited with space, it will probably come down to whether we'd prefer the door or some more cabinetry or a toilet! Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 7Aug 28, 2010 8:56 pm I think it all comes down to the space you've got. A bigger bathroom would be better than a laundry IMO, because every time I've had a laundry room it's just become a dumping ground for stuff with no other home! As long as you've got doors you can shut on any piles of dirty clothes/clean clothes I think you're ahead. If you're asking if it's better to have a separate laundry room: I think yes, of course, if there's room. But if the choice is OK bathroom + OK laundry, or bigger better bathroom + cupboard laundry, I would prefer the second. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 8Aug 29, 2010 12:25 am I have a laundry-bathroom, it's approx. 2x3m. Laundry is along one 2m wall - sink in bench at one end, fron loader under the bench at the other end and wall mounted dryer. Cabinets in the free space above and below the bench; 1x 120cm and 1x 60cm cabinets. Ikea. The window in the middle of one long side, the door in the middle of the other. Toilet in the corner behind the door, corner shower next to it and small vanity under the window. It works, and it means we have 2 full bathrooms in the house - which is very handy! If I was doing it again, I'd make the laundry a cupboard laundry I think. Honestly, I dislike wasting space on it as it tends to not be usable space. It just fills up with junk that breeds to fill the space. Status: sold our first house, moved in with parents, bought our second in Pakenham, still planning to build in a few years time. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 9Aug 29, 2010 10:38 pm We are putting our laundry behind bifolds in the bathroom of our new place. I have just arranged to install a fan in the laundry cupboard - our current place is quite damp and I am obsessed with making sure that we eliminate as much moisture as possible from the new one. Don't forget to put in enough power points! e. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 10Aug 30, 2010 8:52 pm We are in the process of renovating and extending a 1930s house, and will be putting the laundry in what will become the family bathroom (in the space which is now the laundry and toilet, expanding it out a bit). Our architect suggested it to us quite tentatively, but we thought it was a great idea to utilise the existing plumbing. We saw it as an easy area to reduce costs in. DH's parents' house is massive, but their laundry is in a small space under the stairs. It works fine. We moved back from the UK recently, so got used to having a combined washer/dryer in the kitchen, which is very common over there. We thought is was luxurious when we rented a flat which had the washer/dryer in a cupboard! Forget a laundry sink though! Laundries (or utility rooms as they are called) seem to be unheard of in London, except in big houses. Re: Combined laundry and bathroom - your thoughts 11Aug 31, 2010 10:52 pm I would go the combo washer/dryer to save on space. As the above post mentions, over in the UK there is no such thing as a laundry. On TV reno shows i've always seen them behind cupboards, most commonly in the kitchen, I assume so there is a sink available?!? I don't think it really matters where they are as long as you can open a window when running the dryer, and place them behind closed doors. I really like shoving things in cupboards.. laundries and computer desks are great to hide away. Although in saying this my laundry is many metres long with a full length robe on one side.. but I have a heck of a lot of linen to store. Hey all, Hoping for some inspiration for my bathroom laundry combo. The tiles are in good condition, as is the bathtub. I’ve given it a coat of white paint and added… 0 12081 Hi all, we are undertaking a bathroom renovation this year and we are hoping to make better use of this space. 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