Laundry Closet

 

The new casa currently has a laundry room next to the kitchen which leads to the garage.  Since we plan to convert the garage into a family room, we would have to walk from the kitchen to the new family room through the laundry room.  This would not be very attractive.  Eventually we plan to add a new garage to the house and that addition would include a laundry room.  In the meantime, we have to have a pleasing and inexpensive solution.

The laundry room currently has a washer, dryer, sink and an a/c closet.  It has three doorways and a window.  

We plan to knock down the a/c closet (which is on the wall that backs up to the kitchen), that wall and the pantry that is attached in the kitchen.  We want to expand the  opening to the garage (new family room) so that it is easily accessible and spacious.  We'd like to have that area as open as possible so it feels connected to the kitchen somehow.  

The wall that backs up to the front of the house (perpendicular to the wall with the a/c closet) has a sink and also has a pantry in the kitchen.  Once we knock down the wall between the kitchen and the laundry room we will have to either add a second closet from the pantry wall to the washer and dryer closet or just expand the pantry closet to include the sink also.  The pantry currently has the water heater.  I would prefer to move the water heater closer to the sink.   This would be ideal because we would have an L-shaped laundry closet in the area where the current laundry room exists and then we'd just keep the pantry in the kitchen and use that for kitchen storage.

I've included diagrams to explain my rambling thoughts and writing.

I apologize for my child-like floor plans.  I haven't mastered
the use of computer-assisted drawings for floor plans.
I will learn...



This is the view from the kitchen towards the laundry room. 
We plan to eliminate the yellow wall next to the ovens.  The doorway
will also be removed.  The wall just next to the glass table on the left side of the photo
is the pantry.  I may join that with the second closet I will build in the laundry area.



This is another view of the laundry room.  The kitchen will be more comfortable
and will seem enormous once the wall is gone and the opening to the
family room is open and visible.



There's the pantry on the right.





We will add the closet doors just in front of the washer
and dryer in order to save as much space as possible.





This door will be removed and the opening will be enlarged as
much as structurally allowed.  The wall and closet to the right will also be removed.





This is my problem area.  I'm not sure what will be feasible in
this area.  I would love to remove that window and put an
L-shaped closet for all our cleaning supplies, etc.
Of course, the doors must be flexible enough to swing wide open
to allow plenty of space for a satisfactory work space.



We will definitely not go crazy putting a lot of money into the renovation of the laundry area.

This will be temporary until we are able to move forward with the garage addition.

At that time, we will make a "state of the art" laundry room.

Here are some photos of laundry rooms closets that caught my eye for the temporary solution:

By stacking the washer and dryer in this
photo by http://www.quickspecialsale.info/
the laundry area is more comfortable and provides additional
storage.

We are considering these doors for the closet
rather than traditional bi-fold doors.
*photo from www.femaleways.com

This photograph provides another alternative to the traditional closet doors.
* Photo from www.bsu.edu


Which will we choose?  Which would you choose?
Post your comments and let me know what you think!