When you think of a home renovation, you probably think of re-doing your bathroom, living area, kitchen, or other high-traffic rooms that are going to draw a lot of attention from not just guests, but also you as you go about your daily life.
However, that’s not always the best way to go. Sometimes, the little things can add just as much value, both monetarily and sentimentally, as the big things.
Today, we want to talk about how innovating your laundry room can boost your home’s appeal and a few things you can consider when doing it.
Let’s get started.
Why Renovate Your Laundry Room?
Your laundry room is just a little area to wash your clothes, right? There’s no way it can be as big of a boon as your kitchen or living area? False.
While the laundry room typically isn’t used as often as those other rooms, it has a lot of potentials to cause hazards when it’s left outdated. On top of that, no one wants to spend hours washing laundry in a damp little closet.
By renovating your laundry room and keeping it up to date, you can make it more functional and reliable, and you can make it a more atmospheric and enjoyable place overall. This not only benefits you when you use it, but it adds to the value of your home when you go to sell it.
Ideas for Laundry Room Renovations
Of course, the laundry room is often neglected. So, you might be a bit lost when it comes to thinking of ways to make yours better.
One option is to skip all the planning and simply have the pros do it. A professional laundry renovation team can get you amazing results fast.
But if you want to go the DIY route or at least have some ideas in your mind before talking with the pros, here are a few ideas you may want to consider. Some are cheap and simple, and some are a bit more complex.
Changing the Lighting:
One of the biggest problems with laundry rooms is that they tend to be poorly lit. Not only does this make it more difficult to fold your laundry or manipulate your appliances properly, but it also doesn’t feel good to be in. It’s like sitting around in a damp, dark, dungeon.
Changing the lighting can greatly impact how enjoyable your laundry room is, and a little brighter environment to work in is always a plus. Check out this guide on how to choose the proper lighting.
Appliance Updates:
Updating your appliances should be the second thing you look at when updating your laundry room. After all, they’re the entire reason you have the room.
If you’re running old machines, you’re probably wasting a lot of money on your energy bill, and you might even be getting lackluster results from our efforts on top of that.
You can choose to update to a more modern version of the side-by-side setup everyone knows and loves, but there’s another option you might want to consider: Combo units.
Combo units are relatively new, but they combine the functions of a washer and a dryer into a single cost-effective unit. With modern tech advances, they’re also more energy-efficient.
By switching to a combination unit, you can completely remove the need for switching your clothes from the washer to the dryer, save money on your energy bill, and even open up several square feet of room for a folding table or just more space for your laundry baskets.
Interior Painting:
Stark white walls are basic and work, but they also pick up dirt faster and more noticeably. Beyond that, they’re not the most interesting things to look at.
This is another cheap renovation option, as it only costs the price of paint.
Pick a colorful, inviting color pattern and give your laundry room a fresh look. This can oftentimes do more for the room’s aesthetic than anything else. Here are some interior painting ideas to get your juices flowing.
Bonus Laundry Renovation Tip
When choosing to renovate your laundry, make sure to consider a floor drain. This is especially true when you are adding a laundry to a room that does not have previous drainage installed.
Floor drains aren’t typically required in laundry rooms but imagine this. Your washer breaks down and won’t stop pumping water. It overflows. The entire room floods, and if your laundry room is upstairs, it floods into your kitchen, bedrooms, or living area.
You have water damage everywhere, and you’re stuck chucking buckets of water outside one by one. If your laundry room is in a basement, you have essentially built a very dirty indoor pool that is bound to generate mold.
So even though adding floor drain is costly, it can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.