If you’re sold on the benefits of an upstairs laundry room, here are some things you need to consider.
If you’re building new, you have the opportunity to beef up the floor. One drawback to an upstairs laundry room (depending on your appliances), is vibration. Extra blocking between the joists in this area can’t hurt. If you’re renovating, put 3/4″ plywood in the area under the washer and dryer. This will help stabilize the appliances and distribute the vibration more evenly than it might be otherwise.
Plumbing goes without saying. If you’re renovating, situating the room near existing plumbing will save a lot of work. It’s a good idea to have the drain pipe extend up as high as the top water level in the washing machine to avoid backup problems. While you can accomplish this by rigging the drain hose higher, the permanent solution is better. Make sure you include a trap in the drainpipe, since otherwise sewer gas might escape where the hose meets the drainpipe.
Even if you have opening windows, a mechanical exhaust vent will help avoid humidity buildup. And the dryer will need to be vented outside, so positioning it on an outside wall is your best bet.
In the basement, a leak may not be the end of the world, but upstairs, it can be disastrous. You may need to sit the washer in an overflow pan, which stops water from getting on the floor and into the ceiling below, but that will only slightly delay the damage in the case of a leak when no one’s around. A leak-detection shut-off kit can be a house-saver; it shuts off the entire water supply as soon as it detects a leak.
Use GFCI plugs in the laundry area.
Next time, we’ll look at finishing touches.