Short answer: A washer and dryer need four things: hot and cold water, a drain, power, and, for most dryers, a vent to the outside. Adding a laundry room or moving one is mostly about getting those four to the new spot. That is easiest when the walls and floors are already open for other work, so if a remodel is coming, decide on the laundry before the plumbing and electrical are laid out.
Two jobs where laundry was part of the remodel
- Walpole: a bathroom remodel and a new laundry room in the same contract. The laundry room work was framing, a washer drain and water supply, outlets for the washer and dryer, a light and switch, a hardwood floor, double doors, and drywall and paint. Floor choices near a washer are covered in which floor goes where.
- Newton: two bathrooms rebuilt to a new floor plan. The same contract covered the laundry area: it included a new washer valve and drain, a dedicated dryer outlet and dryer venting, alongside the new plumbing and wiring for the bathrooms. The full sequence is in changing a bathroom layout in Newton.
In both, the laundry work was part of the same contract as the bathroom work.
What a washer and dryer need
Water. Hot and cold supply lines with shutoff valves you can reach without pulling the machine out. A recessed washer box puts the valves and the drain in one tidy spot in the wall.
A drain. A washer pumps a lot of water out quickly, so the drain has to be laid out like any other plumbing fixture, with a trap and a vent. Where the nearest drain line runs often decides how easy a new laundry location is.
Power. The washer needs an outlet. An electric dryer usually needs its own dedicated circuit, and a gas dryer needs a gas line as well as an outlet. Check which kind of dryer you have, or plan to buy, before the wiring is laid out.
A vent to the outside. This is the part people forget. Massachusetts uses the 2021 International Residential Code for homes, and its chapter on exhaust systems is adopted without changes. Under it:
- Dryer exhaust has to go outdoors, in its own duct, not shared with a bathroom fan or anything else.
- The duct has to end outside the building, with a backdraft damper and no screen. Unless the dryer maker’s instructions say otherwise, it also has to stay away from windows, doors and soffit vents.
- The duct has a maximum length, and every bend counts against it. A laundry spot far from an outside wall can run out of length.
- The flexible piece behind the dryer can’t be hidden inside a wall or ceiling.
Condensing (ventless) dryers are the exception: they don’t need a vent to the outside, which can make an interior spot possible.
Choosing where it goes
- Near the bedrooms or the bathroom. This is where most laundry comes from, so it saves carrying baskets up and down stairs. The trade-off is that a leak upstairs does more damage, so consider a drain pan under the washer and shutoff valves that are easy to reach.
- Floors. Tile handles water best. Wood can work, as in Walpole, if you think about how quickly you’d notice a leak.
- Doors and space. Leave room to open the machine doors and to pull the machines out for service. Double doors or a wide opening help in a narrow room.
- Noise. A washer on spin can shake a floor. A solid floor and a door you can close make an upstairs laundry easier to live with.
- The vent route. Before settling on a spot, find out how the dryer duct would reach an outside wall.
Permits
Framing a new laundry room is building work, and the water, drain, power and gas behind it usually go through their own permits and inspections as well. More on what needs a permit is in what needs a permit when you remodel in Massachusetts. Your town’s building department has the final word.
Planning checklist
- Decide where the laundry goes before the plumbing and electrical are laid out
- Find the nearest drain line and the shortest route for the dryer vent to an outside wall
- Confirm electric or gas dryer, and front-load or top-load washer
- Plan reachable shutoff valves, and a drain pan if the laundry is above a finished room
- Pick a floor that suits a space near water
- Leave room for the machine doors and for pulling the machines out
- Bring the plan to the estimate visit so the laundry is priced with the rest of the work
FAQ
Can a laundry go on the second floor? Yes, if water, a drain, power and a vent route can reach it. Plan for leaks: a drain pan, reachable shutoff valves and a floor that tolerates water.
Can the dryer vent into the attic or the garage? No. The code requires dryer exhaust to end outside the building.
Do I need a vent if I buy a ventless dryer? Listed condensing (ventless) dryers are exempt from the outside-vent rule. They still need power and, depending on the model, a drain for the water they collect.
Is it easier to add laundry during a bathroom remodel? Usually, because the walls and floors are already open and the plumbing and wiring are being laid out anyway. In both jobs above, the laundry was in the same contract as the bathroom work.
Liang Yu works in marketing at Sun Shore Construction and has been with the team for three years.
Planning a remodel that includes a laundry? Get a free in-home estimate: call us or fill out the form on sunshoreconstruction.com.
