Neal's Home Remodeling and Design Blog

Updated 8/14/17 | Original Post 9/18/2012

Laundry is one of the essential chores we all do, and a well-designed laundry room is an asset in any home. In the past, the basements seemed to be the perfect spot to hook up a washer and dryer. The mechanical considerations were easily handled, but the inconvenience of dragging everything downstairs (and back up again) never quite made those considerations feel worth it. Today, homeowners are creating laundry spaces that better meet their needs on any floor of their home. Careful planning, prioritizing efficiency, and regular maintenance now allow for many more possibilities. Here are 6 tips for designing a functional laundry room.

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The laundry room could very well be the hub of the home. It's a space where efficiency and function call all the shots, but it can also be a welcoming and comfortable room that does more than handle the dirty work. Here we take a look at some of the ways the laundry room can be designed to run at full capacity.

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To maximize the features of their urban lot in one of Cincinnati's most scenic and historic neighborhoods, the homeowners of this project were looking to convert a one-car garage into a new two-story, two-car garage in line with the carriage houses of old. This project was directed by several challenges, including retaining existing landscaping, figuring out how to get the most out of the structure, and working with both the local zoning authority and the neighborhood historical board for approval of the design. This project is a 2016 Local NARI Contractor of the Year Award Winner in the Detached Structure category.

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Awkward rooms, weird hallways, odd spaces. We've all got them. From that out-of-the-blue angled wall, to the narrow room that isn't quite a room, but somehow doesn't qualify as a hallway either. In some homes, these spaces add character and charm, or possibly a sense of history or pedigree. But most of these types of spaces are throwbacks that don't quite mesh with the modern ways we live our lives and utilize our homes. Here, we've scoured our gallery of design work, and found four projects that tackled the design challenge of the awkward space in four very different ways.

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