The laundry is the room nobody shows off and everybody uses. When it works — a bench to fold on, a sink to soak in, storage for the clutter, and ventilation that stops it smelling damp — the whole house runs more smoothly. When it doesn't, you feel it every wash day.
We renovate laundries across Auckland, very often at the same time as a bathroom, because the two share walls, plumbing and the same humid challenges. This page covers how we plan a laundry that genuinely works, from full standalone rooms to the clever compact and European laundries that suit Auckland's smaller homes and apartments. When you are ready, Get a Free Quote.
Why renovate the laundry with the bathroom
Laundries and bathrooms are natural partners. They are often back-to-back or share a wall, they draw on the same water supply and drainage, and both need waterproofing and good ventilation. Doing them together is more efficient and usually more economical.
- Shared plumbing — when the walls are already open for the bathroom, extending or reworking the laundry's plumbing is far cheaper than a separate job later.
- One lot of mess — a single project, one set of trades, one disruption to your home rather than two.
- Consistent finish — tiles, cabinetry and tapware that flow between the two rooms give the home a coherent, considered look.
- Efficient trades — the same tiler, plumber and electrician handling both rooms in one coordinated programme.
Many of our laundry renovations begin as a line in a full bathroom renovation, and it is well worth raising early.
Layout and workflow
A good laundry follows the way you actually do the washing — from dirty basket to machine to bench to cupboard, without crossing your own path. We plan the layout around that flow so the room feels bigger than its square metres.
- A logical sequence — sorting, washing, drying, folding and storing arranged in order so you are not carrying wet washing across the room.
- Bench beside the machines — a folding and sorting surface right where you need it, ideally running over a front-loader.
- The right machine configuration — side by side under a continuous bench, or stacked to free up floor and bench space in a tight room.
- Door and access — doors and drying racks placed so they do not clash with an open machine door or block the walkway.
Plumbing for washer and dryer
The plumbing and electrical connections are what make a laundry safe and functional, and they are best planned properly rather than patched. All plumbing and electrical work is completed by registered tradespeople, to the Building Code.
- Hot and cold supply — correctly positioned taps and a washing-machine valve for easy connection and isolation.
- Drainage — a proper standpipe and trap for the machine's wastewater, sized and installed so it drains reliably without backing up.
- Dryer provision — a dedicated power point and, for a vented dryer, ducting to outside, or the plumbed condensate drain a heat-pump dryer may use.
- A laundry tub — a tub or sink for soaking and hand-washing, with space for a cabinet beneath to hide the plumbing and cleaning gear.
Bench, storage and cabinetry
Storage is what separates a laundry that stays tidy from one that becomes a dumping ground. We plan cabinetry so everything — detergents, cleaning supplies, the iron, spare linen — has a home, and a hard-wearing bench to work on.
- Overhead and tall cupboards — using the full height of the room for the things you reach for less often.
- A durable benchtop — laminate or engineered stone that copes with damp washing, spills and the occasional knock.
- A broom cupboard — a tall cavity for the vacuum, mop, broom and ironing board, which keeps them out of the hallway.
- Moisture-resistant materials — the same wet-area-grade cabinetry principles we apply to bathroom vanities, because a laundry is a humid room too.
- A drying solution — a pull-out or drop-down rail, or a heated rail, for air-drying without draping washing across the house.
Ventilation and managing moisture
A laundry generates a surprising amount of moisture — from the machines, from a vented dryer, and from damp washing hung to dry. In Auckland's humid climate, without good ventilation that moisture leads to mould, musty smells and peeling paint. Managing it is a core part of the design, not an afterthought.
- Extraction — an extractor fan ducted outside where the room is enclosed, so moist air leaves the house rather than lingering.
- Dryer venting — a vented dryer ducted directly to outside, never into a cupboard or ceiling space where the moisture has nowhere to go.
- Air movement — a window or vent, and layout that lets air circulate around drying washing.
- Easy-clean, moisture-tolerant surfaces — tiled or splash-resistant finishes behind the tub and machines that wipe down and resist mould.
European and combined laundries in small homes
Not every Auckland home has a room to spare for a laundry, and that is where a well-designed compact or European laundry shines. A European laundry tucks the machine (and sometimes a dryer) behind a cupboard door — in a hallway, a bathroom or a kitchen — so it disappears when it is not in use.
- Concealed behind doors — a cabinet with bi-fold or standard doors that hides the machines, with a bench or shelf above for detergents.
- Stacked machines — a washer with a dryer stacked above it fits a laundry into a single tall cupboard.
- Combined with the bathroom — a laundry integrated neatly into a bathroom or ensuite, sharing the plumbing and ventilation, ideal for apartments and smaller homes.
- Proper ventilation still matters — a concealed laundry needs extraction or venting just as much as a full room, so the enclosed space does not trap moisture.
Laundry renovations vary a lot with scope — a compact European laundry refresh sits at the modest end, while a full laundry rebuilt alongside a bathroom is folded into the wider project (a standard full renovation is a guide of $20,000–$35,000, depending on size, layout and fixtures). We will set it out clearly in a fixed written quote, planned alongside the bathroom design and sequenced on our process page. The team at Bathroom Renovation Auckland handles both rooms as one tidy project.
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