Short answer
Design for the sequence: sort, wash, dry, hang, fold, put away. Every one of those needs a physical place, and the two most often missing are somewhere to hang and somewhere to fold.
A counter over front-loading machines is the single highest-value item in a laundry — it turns two appliances into a work surface, and it is the reason front-loaders beat top-loaders in a designed room.
Tile the floor and put a pan under the washer. This is the room most likely to leak in the house, and a floor drain or a leak sensor is cheap insurance.
On this page
Why does the laundry sequence decide the plan?
Laundry is one of the few household tasks that must happen in a fixed order, and each step needs a place:
- Sort. Baskets or bins, ideally more than one, at floor level or in a pull-out.
- Wash. The machine, with room to load it.
- Dry. The dryer, plus a rack or rod for what must not go in it.
- Hang. A rod, at least 3 feet of it. This is the step most often left out entirely.
- Fold. A counter. The second most often left out.
- Put away. Somewhere to stage folded piles by person or by room.
A room with a washer, a dryer and nothing else forces steps four, five and six onto a bed elsewhere in the house. That is why laundry never feels finished — it is not, because the room only handles half the process.
Clearances and heights
| Element | Dimension |
|---|---|
| Machine opening, side by side | Allow 1″ either side of each machine and 1″ between |
| Depth allowance | Machine depth plus 6″ for hoses, vent and connections |
| Clear floor in front | 36″ minimum, 42″ if a door swings into it |
| Counter over front loaders | 36 to 38″ — measure the actual machines, they vary |
| Counter depth | 25″, so it overhangs the machines slightly |
| Folding counter length | 36″ minimum, 48 to 60″ comfortable |
| Hanging rod height | 66 to 72″ for full-length garments |
| Rod to wall | 12″ minimum so hangers clear |
| Upper cabinet above counter | 18″ |
| Pedestal drawers under machines | Raise the door by 12 to 15″ — check the door still clears |
The counter height over front-loaders is the measurement most often got wrong. Machines vary by several inches, and a counter built to a standard 36 inches over a taller machine either does not fit or leaves a gap. Get the actual specification sheets before the joinery is drawn — the same principle as in kitchen appliance planning.
A counter over the machines, a rod that takes a full-length garment and a deep sink turn a utility closet into the room that keeps the rest of the house tidy.
Jan Revels designs and builds the joinery, and coordinates the plumbing, venting and power.
How much hanging and drying space do you need?
The single most useful addition to a laundry, and the cheapest:
- A rod at 66 to 72 inches, long enough for at least 3 feet of hanging. Shirts come out of the dryer and go straight onto it rather than onto a door frame.
- A drying rack for flat-dry items. A pull-out rack, a wall-mounted folding rack, or a section of rod over a sink.
- Above a sink is the best position for a drip-dry rod, because whatever drips has somewhere to go.
- A pull-out valet rod takes almost no space and is one of the most appreciated details in the room.
- Ventilate. Air-drying inside a small room puts moisture into the air; extraction matters more than people expect.
Sinks, storage and the utility items
- A deep sink if there is room. Not for laundry so much as for everything else: flower vases, mop buckets, paintbrushes, boots, a dog. Depth is more useful than width.
- Detergent within reach of the machine. An upper cabinet directly above, or a pull-out beside it.
- A tall cupboard for the vacuum, the ironing board, the mop and the bucket — the items that otherwise live in a hallway.
- An outlet for the iron at counter height, and somewhere the board can be stored flat.
- Baskets sized to the household. Measure them and build the pull-out to fit, rather than the reverse.
- Closed storage. A laundry with open shelving looks charming in photographs and holds cleaning products in real life.
- Cabinetry material. Plywood boxes, not particleboard. This room floods more often than any other — see the material notes in bathroom vanities and storage.
Combining laundry with a mudroom
Common, sensible, and it fails when the two functions are simply overlapped rather than zoned.
- Keep the dirty zone by the door. Boots, coats, bags and dogs stay within 4 feet of the exterior door; clean laundry lives beyond it.
- Bench, hooks and cubbies at the door end — hooks at 60 inches for adults, 40 for children.
- The route must not cross. Nobody should carry folded laundry past a pile of muddy boots.
- The sink serves both, which is one of the strongest arguments for combining them.
- Tile the whole floor, and continue the tile up as a splash behind the bench.
- This is the real entry in most houses where the family arrives through the garage. Design it accordingly — see entry and foyer design.
Ventilation, leaks and noise
- Dryer venting must run outside, in rigid metal duct, as short and straight as possible. Every elbow reduces performance, and a long flexible run is both inefficient and a fire risk.
- A pan under the washer, ideally with a drain. A supply hose failure while nobody is home is one of the most damaging things that happens to a house.
- Braided stainless supply hoses, not rubber, and a single-lever shutoff so the water can be turned off easily.
- A leak sensor. Inexpensive, and this is the room to put one in.
- Tile the floor — nothing else is sensible where a leak is a realistic event. See the flooring selection guide.
- Sound. A laundry adjoining a bedroom or a living room benefits enormously from insulated walls and a solid-core door. Inexpensive during construction, impossible afterwards.
- Light it properly. This is a room where stains are inspected and buttons are matched, so a decent light level with good color rendering matters.
Key takeaways
- Design for the sequence — sort, wash, dry, hang, fold, put away. Each needs a place.
- A counter over front-loaders is the highest-value item in the room.
- Measure the actual machines; a standard 36-inch counter does not suit every one.
- A hanging rod at 66 to 72 inches is the cheapest useful addition there is.
- A deep sink earns its place for everything other than laundry.
- Rigid metal dryer duct, short and straight, vented outside.
- Tile the floor, fit a pan and a leak sensor, and use braided supply hoses.
Frequently asked questions
How much space does a laundry room need?
Should I put a counter over the washer and dryer?
What is most often missing from a laundry room?
Can a laundry and a mudroom share a room?
How do I protect against a laundry leak?
Jan has practiced interior design in Dallas since 1997 and founded Chateau Concepts in 2001. She holds a BFA in Interior Design from the University of North Texas. She designs and general-contracts residential and commercial projects across the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and North Dallas. Read her full profile →
Written and reviewed by Jan Revels before publicationWork with Chateau Concepts
Jan Revels handles both sides of a project in Dallas and the Park Cities — the design and the build.