Expect to pay $1,300 to $10,640, or $5,970 on average, to remodel a laundry room with new flooring, paint and storage. Prices fall in the $2,000 to $14,825 range for a full laundry room addition that adds square footage to the layout.
Adding a laundry room to your existing home has a number of advantages. A laundry room allows you to have a space for dirty clothes or to keep clean clothes that you haven't put away. Before you can put in a laundry room, however, you need to understand the potential costs.
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| Average | $8,065 |
| High | $14,825 |
| Low | $1,300 |
On average, the cost to build a laundry room addition is $8,415. At this price, you can build a 35 square foot space with new washer/dryer hookups, drain line and vent.
Your funds may cover all new:
Also included in the total is a new washer and dryer, which cost $275 to $1,300 apiece. The total price for appliances depends on their design, quality and functions. The most expensive are top-loading machines without agitators, while standard units with basic cycles are the cheapest.
| Room Size | Square Feet | Average Price |
|---|---|---|
| 5’x5’ | 25 | $6,000 |
| 5’x7’ | 35 | $8,415 |
| 5’x9’ | 45 | $10,800 |
| 5’x11’ | 55 | $13,200 |
The price may reach $14,825 to move your laundry room upstairs, depending on the room size and quality of the materials you choose. Your plumber will need to extend the copper pipes, install faucets and put in a longer drain line to hook up your washer and dryer. An electrician will also need to install a light fixture plus outlets for the appliances. After that, you can hire a contractor to customize the space with comfortable new flooring plus cabinets and countertops to organize and store laundry supplies.
Converting a closet to a laundry room ranges from $2,380 to $6,600. You will need to add washer/dryer hookups, which costs $350 to $2,000. Plus, you will need to pay $150 to $185 to cover outlet installation costs. If you do not have existing appliances to install, you will need to buy those, too, for $275 to $1,300 each.
Expect prices in the $2,000 to $14,825 range when building a utility room in a basement or garage. You may need to redo the flooring, tile the walls and add cabinets and countertops in addition to the basic hookups.
| Remodeling Tasks | Price |
|---|---|
| Subfloors | $155 - $495 |
| Flooring | $280 - $840 |
| Cabinets | $250 - $2,000 |
| Countertops | $300 - $1,440 |
| Sink | $220 - $560 |
| Wall Tiling | $150 - $200 |
| Washer/dryer hookup install | $350 - $2,000 |
| Basic appliance installation | $50 - $175 |
| Outlet | $150 - $850 |
| Light fixture | $150 - $825 |
| Dryer vent | $80 - $1,000 |
| Drain Line | $360 - $1,840 |
| New appliances | $550 - $2,600 |
| Refinish appliances | $380 - $1,420 |
| Permit | $410 - $1,980 |
You may pay $350 to $2,000 to move the hookups when installing a washer and dryer in a new location. Each line will need a washing machine cut-off valve as well, which runs between $10 and $30 each. You will also need to cover the $360 to $1,840 plumbing costs required to build a drain line for the washer. Expect to pay $100 on average for the price of a dryer vent install as well.
Basic appliance installation costs $50 to $175 for each unit. Expect to pay up to $2,000 more if you need to move the washer/dryer hookups, vent and drain line as well. Otherwise, this service includes physically moving the washer and dryer into position and hooking up their water lines, drain lines and vent tube from the dryer.
The price to install cabinets in a laundry room often ranges from $250 to $2,000. For this price, you can have up to five linear feet of stock to semi-custom cabinets installed at $50 to $400 per linear foot. You will pay up to $750 per linear foot if you want custom designs instead. Cabinets have a wide range of prices, with small, basic models running about $150 to $200 and larger, fancier constructions costing as much as $1,000 or more. Whether you go with stock or custom designs, adding wall cabinets or a pantry to your laundry room is a great way to maximize storage space.
Countertops cost $300 to $1,440 for a 12 square foot surface, depending on your material of choice. For most materials, including slate, limestone and Corian, they are $25 to $250 per square foot. High-end materials, like marble, can reach $190 for each square foot. All prices include labor. For a cheaper option, consider a folding table, which runs an average of $140 to $200.
Utility sink prices range from $220 to $560, which covers both labor and materials. With this sink next to the washer, you can wash out heavy stains, pre-treat fabrics and wash up after handling dirty laundry.
Electrical outlets cost $150 to $185 each. Installing a washer and dryer isn't as simple as plugging them into existing outlets. If you're using an electric dryer, you'll need a dedicated 30 amp 4-wire circuit for plugging in your dryer. Make sure that you check your existing dryer plug before deciding what you need: some dryers are 3-prong, while others are 4-prong. Changing out the outlet is an option if yours doesn't fit.
The price of flooring is $280 to $840 for 35 square foot laundry rooms. Flooring materials for laundry rooms are typically $3 to $20 per square foot. Add $155 to $495 to cover the cost of subfloors if they need repairs or replacement.
You will pay $15 to $20 per square foot to cover the cost of wall tiling. To tile 10 square feet behind the washer and dryer, you might pay $150 to $200. The price will increase with the size of the space you want upgraded.
The cost of a light fixture install is $155 to $830, or $480 on average. The total greatly depends on the type of fixture you choose. Traditional ceiling-mounted lights are only $90 plus labor, while recessed lights start at $175 apiece.
Although uncommon, you can work the $240 to $540 price of a bathroom ventilation fan into your budget. This fan will remove moisture in the air to protect your building materials from damage.
Building permits cost $410 to $1,980, depending on the scope of the project and size of the space. Simple remodels are cheaper to get permits for than full-scale additions.
You will pay between $1,060 and $4,475 to simply move the appliances into the garage. Your budget will cover the installation of washer/dryer hookups, drain line, dryer vent install and a single outlet. Adding flooring, countertops and cabinets will increase the price considerably.
A washing machine drain pan costs less than $175 when installed by home remodelers near you. You will pay up to $50 for materials plus an hour of labor at $70 to $120 per hour. For that price, you do not have to worry about water leaking from your washer and damaging nearby materials.
Laundry room remodels offer a 67% to 78% return on investment. You will not realize those gains unless you sell the house right away. As you use the room, wear and tear will reduce its ROI over time.
An average laundry room is 5 feet by 7 feet for a total of 35 square feet. Multi-purpose utility rooms can span up to 100 square feet to accommodate a utility sink, ironing board and garment steamer.
An average side-by-side washer and dryer set need about 4-feet by 5-feet of space. Since they are less than four feet tall, you can easily fit cabinets or wall shelves above them. If you have a stackable washer and dryer unit, then you will need a 4-foot by 3-foot area to install them. These units are over 6-feet tall, so overhead shelves and cabinets will not fit.
Each load of laundry you do at home costs just over $1.25. This includes:
For each 45-minute load, washers may use 2.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity, while dryers are closer to 3.3 kilowatt-hours. Decreasing the runtime of your appliances lowers their energy usage and decreases the cost of doing laundry at home. The shorter cycle may not get your clothing as clean as you might like, so only use on lightly-soiled items.
