Percentage of buyers who want this feature: 92%
Cost to install: $1,000 to $10,000 depending on scope of project
More than anything else, homeowners want a room other than the guest bedroom to stack all the clean laundry in until it finally gets put away. A separate laundry room topped the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) list of most-wanted home features by buyers. “Having a separate room [to use for things such as folding or ironing clothes] helps to keep the mess out of your living space . . . potential buyers will see it as a huge benefit,” says Paul Sullivan, founder and president of the Sullivan Company, a Newton, Mass., remodeling and custom-building firm.
If you don’t have an existing laundry room and want to add one, the basement is usually the easiest (and cheapest) place to put it, Sullivan advises. The utility lines are already there, and in many cases the basement is unfinished, so you won’t have to demolish anything first. Adding a laundry room in the basement can cost as little as $1,000, he adds.
However, homeowners who prefer a laundry room or laundry closet (which fits just a washer and dryer) closer to the bedroom level can expect to pay between $5,000 and $10,000 for installation, Sullivan notes.
