How important is a separate laundry?

Just wondering how important a separate laundry is to buyers? For a 3x1 house. The bathroom is quite small and the laundry is right behind it so by getting rid of the wall it would almost double the space. It would be great to have one of those big walk in showers where there is a wall rather than a screen on one side (rather than the poky one we have now). I'd like to have a cavity built in to stack the washer and dryer in. We could also have a bigger vanity and extra storage. We wouldn't be doing this for another year or two but just wanted to get your thoughts. I was initially thinking to do a standard bathroom reno but think this may be better. Thanks

 

Who is the target market?

 

I dont think a separate laundry is that big a deal at all.
Having one vs communal laundry is massive deal though.

Different in each state and even each suburb though as to how people perceive things.

 

A larger bathroom with contained laundry can be suitable for some smaller dwellings. Council approval may be required. Extracted dryer and ventilation needs some consideration. Those TV shows like the block gloss over the steam that will destroy the cabinets. All dryers vent to the rear / sides and not the front like the Block would like you to think. Cupboards etc for linen may be exposed to moisture. Melamine lined cabinet boards even with laminate exteriors arent going to perform well in a dryer / shower situation.

 

I would not have a problem with a combined bathroom/laundry in a small house, but do think about storage. All the things kept in the laundry - buckets, ironing board, clothes basket, cleaning supplies etc. Just adding a washer/dryer combo to a bathroom may not suit.
Marg

 

We had a combined laundry/bathroom back in the day, and I loved it. Good storage is important though, so the bathroom doesn't look continually messy.

 

Thanks for your replies. Yes, it's a small house - about 130sqm. We already have a washer and dryer in the laundry. It's a condenser dryer so doesn't create much steam. They are already stacked but just freestanding (with one of those non-slip mats in between). I thought a cavity would look a bit nicer - like what you have for the fridge in a kitchen. There is also an external door to the yard which will remain for access to hang up clothes on a clothesline. I will just switch out the small window to frosted glass for privacy.

 

Everyone wants a separate laundry until it comes time to compromise with something- then it's usually at the bottom of the list. As long as you've got good storage and a clever laundry design, there's no reason not to have a combined laundry/bathroom or 'cupboard' laundry.

 

If space is an issue, I'm not overly against it being housed OUTSIDE in a convenient spot eg garage or on a covered deck etc.

I would def prefer an internal laundry but IMHO, having a dryer in a bathroom or kitchen is not ideal with all the lint and steam etc which will very quickly start being a royal pain.

 

We’ve swapped to a heat pump dryer and that would solve a lot of the worries above - it catches (or you can plumb in) the condensation and good lint catch.

Go on Pinterest and search on combines bathroom laundry and you will see some very neat solutions. Do remember to factor in storage for Vac, brooms etc here or somewhere else in house
A combined laundry and bathroom