Laundry Renovations

How to plan the perfect laundry for your home and make it a happy space

Coming up with plans for a laundry renovation can feel like a bit of a drag for some, and it’s understandable that giving a make-over to a room we all associate with chores can feel a little less sparkly than some other home renovations projects we might undertake!

It’s all about mind set, and really taking the time to think about what a beautiful, functional laundry can contribute to your life, and how much of an impact having one will have on making all our cleaning and laundry tasks at home easier. If you imagine going without, it quickly becomes clear how much extra time, convenience and value the humble home laundry contributes to our lives.

Rila Tile and Waterproofing knows that laundry renovations need to be not only well planned and the work carried out efficiently – they need to become a space that brings logistical harmony and value into the homes of our clients. Our Team strives to create laundry spaces that are a joy to be in, and inspire clients to feel grateful every time they use them. Our company has been carrying out stunning laundry renovations in Newcastle for years, as well as servicing surrounding areas in the Lake Macquarie and Central Coast regions.

The following steps are a broad guide on how laundry remodelling or renovations should be approached to achieve the best possible outcome. Considering these points will help you not only achieve your dream bathroom, but enjoy the creative process as well. 

Planning your laundry renovations

Planning your laundry renovation is the first step, and though a professional should be used to help you with the details – there are some basic things you can do to help the process flow much more smoothly. The first things you should consider when undertaking a project like this is whether you have the necessary skill set and time frame to carry out the planning or the work yourself. For most of us, laundry renovations or remodels should be outsourced to qualified and experienced tradespeople employed by bathroom specialists like us. To navigate and get started on the planning process we advise that you:

Decide on a budget

Have an idea of when you want the work done

Consult and discuss your ideas with a professional

Obtain a quote on the job ahead of time

Draw a rough map of the area, and where tap fittings and plumbing is located

Choose the right site – If you’re building a new home or deciding on a new laundry site, make sure you get advice on where is best to place the room

newcastle en suite bathrooms

Creating your new laundry space

This is absolutely the most exciting and fun part of any laundry remodel or renovation process. During this phase you must decide on what you want to include, remove or change about your bathroom. The laundry is a little like a kitchen space – it is designed to be first and foremost a task-oriented, functional space. Design elements and aesthetic beauty are important, but they take a back seat to the functionality of the room. Very few people would choose a beautiful kitchen without a stove, over an ugly one with all the right appliances. For this reason, designing your new laundry should be done in 2 phases – functionality and design.

Here are some tips to help you put together a firm idea of how you want your laundry to perform, and what if should look like:

Functionality and Performance

Appliances

deciding on how many appliances, their size and their capacity is important. These include washing machines, dryers, ironing boards and ironing stations, garment steamers and pressure washers. Knowing what you’re including enables tradespeople to plan accurately for their size and location in your new laundry.

Laundry sinks

you must decide whether your laundry space will also be the place you might clean large items and messy outdoor items like many people do. If so, choosing a large double link and detachable shower hose head would be a great choice to hose those grubby gumboots down or soak large pet beds and doonas before washing.

Floors and draining

because the laundry is primarily a cleaning space, making sure the floor tiling is solid, has a non-slip quality to them, and has some gradual sloping towards a drainage hole in the floor is the best option. This way, you’ll be covering safety as well as opening up the option to wash a particularly large item down on the floor if you need to.

Tasks

Making a full list of tasks that you would like your laundry to perform can help inform the laundry renovation specialist you engage in the job, to better see what needs to be included in the design. We have already mentioned some, such as washing and drying clothes, cleaning off large garden items, and including ironing and garment steaming options. Others might include a sewing station, household cleaning storage and stations, pet supplies storage, and keeping a spare chest freezer or drinks fridge. When you think of your laundry as your cleaning, back-up and fix-it centre – you can come up with a long list of tasks to narrow the scope of your laundry project.

Design and Beautification

Once you have settled on the appliance inclusions and functionality of your space – that will help guide your design choices. If you know what your floor and appliances will look like, styling around that is much easier. This is a really fun part of any renovation and to get your mind jogging, we recommend that you:

Research and collect your ideas and images

Bring your gathered concepts with you when we meet

Consider aesthetics, functionality, quality and timelessness of design in your choices

Utilise professionals to double check that your chosen components will work within your budget, timeframe and space available

newcastle laundry renovations

The renovation stage

Implementing the actual work of renovating your laundry is a critical part of the process, and it is a crucially important phase to get right. So much work has already gone into the selection and purchase of expensive appliances, and time has been spent making hundreds of tiny design and functionality choices. Going without a laundry can mean imposing on friends and family, visiting the local Laundromat and putting off cleaning tasks until you have a laundry again – all inconveniences we would rather avoid. To guarantee that all your hard work up to this point is utilised with maximum efficiency, our strongest suggestion is that you employ the services of a company like Rila Tile and Waterproofing that are:

Highly experienced tradespeople and professionals

Specialise in bathroom remodelling and renovations

Operate locally to allow for quality support and efficient work

Have a portfolio of finished projects and good reviews from happy customers

Provide guarantees where agreed and appropriate on work done and products provided

ensuite renovations - getting to work

Laundry renovation finishing touches

Once your laundry is complete, there will be a number of small finishing touches to choose. These might be small items like tap fittings, heating racks, drying racks and pull-out clothes lines and laundry baskets. Another thing some consider is building in a sound system or small TV screen to keep them entertained during the folding and ironing!

Just like the design process, this is a really fun and satisfying way of wrapping up the project and really enjoying your new laundry. Rila Tile and Waterproofing can help you pick out the right finishing touches to bring your dream laundry to life – so contact us today to chat to our experts and get yourself heading in the right direction!