Laundry Room Renovation: Demo, Framing, Plumbing & Electrical Progress

After a couple of slow weeks of planning and getting contractor bids, the laundry room renovation suddenly kicked into high gear. What felt like stalled progress turned into a fast-moving phase of demolition, reframing, and moving utilities. The transformation from the old layout to the new configuration happened in just a few days.

We decided to handle as much as we comfortably could ourselves and subcontract the trades where needed. From our earlier discussions, the goal has been Option 4: a dedicated laundry room framed off the hallway and storage area. With that in mind we made a clear to-do list and marked the items we planned to hire out:

• Move washer & dryer and remove cabinetry (done)
• Demo the cased opening, side wall, back wall, part of the floor, and the attic step (done)
• Frame new walls & doorways* (in progress)
• Move laundry plumbing hook-ups & drains* (completed)
• Move laundry electrical (plus other lights, switches, and outlets)* (completed)
• Move dryer vent
• Hang drywall
• Add insulation
• Mud, tape, and sand drywall seams*
• Rehang laundry door
• Add new frosted door to storage/TV room
• Prime & paint laundry room and hallway walls
• Tile & grout new laundry floor
• Add baseboard and door casings
• Add upper cabinetry and shelving
• Tile & grout laundry backsplash
• Reinstall washer & dryer
• Add lower cabinet and ceiling light fixture
• Finishing touches and repairs (garage drywall, attic step, etc.)

We began demo on Tuesday by carefully prying off baseboards and trim so we could reuse as much as possible. The initial drywall demolition targeted the cased opening first; we deliberately left other walls intact to keep the storage room from putting extra strain on the A/C.

The demo tools were simple: a rubber mallet and a crowbar. With patient prying and hammering, the cased opening framing came down. While there was some brute force involved—especially with 2x4s and stubborn nails—the process was steady and predictable.

Next we removed the upper cabinet so the space was cleared out. Because part of the new wall needed to attach directly to the subfloor, we also had to remove a section of the hardwood flooring we installed last year. Since the floors were laid over Elastilon adhesive, the planks lifted in sheets once we got the edge started with a flat-head screwdriver used as a chisel. The underlying particle board subfloor was removed as well so the plywood would be ready for new framing.

Removing the floor clarified a small but helpful plan change: we decided to move the location of the frosted door to the storage/TV room forward so it will meet the edge of the hardwood instead of sitting in the existing back wall. This avoids a hardwood extension (we plan to carpet that TV room) shortens the hallway slightly, and creates a small vestibule so the door swings into a recess instead of into the middle of the room. Small changes like that make practical differences in furniture placement later on.

We also removed an attic step that was in the way; it will be rebuilt on the other side of the platform when framing is done. At this point we paused demo where advised so the framer could begin work.

Our framer, David, arrived and quickly put up the first set of new walls. Watching him work made it clear we could probably learn to do this ourselves, but it would have taken much longer. Because he was efficient, the plumbers were able to come shortly afterward to disconnect and reinstall the washer and dryer plumbing to the new locations.

Plumbing was done quickly—most of the work was accessible from the garage ceiling above, which minimized disruption inside the house. Opening that ceiling also made it easier for the electricians the next morning. The electrical crew moved laundry outlets, relocated switches and fixtures, and added a ceiling light in the new laundry room with a switch positioned at the future doorway. We planned fixture and outlet locations carefully so lighting will be centered after the upper cabinets are installed and so an outlet is placed for an iron in the laundry.

When more of the plumbing and electrical work was finished, we resumed the second phase of demo over the weekend. More drywall came down in large sheets, framing that separated the old laundry area from the storage room was removed, and old plumbing stubs were cut out using a reciprocating saw.

That work brought us to the point shown in the photos at the top of the post. The immediate next step is completion of the remaining two framed walls: one to fully close off the laundry room and another to house the frosted door into the storage/TV room. Once those are in place we’ll move on to drywall—something we plan to try ourselves (mudding and taping will be a learning curve, but we’re up for it). Before finishing drywall there are a few remaining tasks such as rerouting the dryer vent.

Progress so far has been encouraging: the framer’s estimate plus the plumbing and electrical work are shaping up to be cost-effective compared with the full contractor bids we received earlier. We’ll share a detailed cost update once our framer’s final bill arrives.

• Move washer & dryer and remove cabinetry
• Demo cased opening, side wall, back wall, part of the floor and the attic step
• Frame new walls & doorways*
• Move laundry plumbing hook-ups & drains*
• Move laundry electrical (plus other lights, switches, and outlets)*
• Move dryer vent
• Hang drywall
• Add insulation
• Mud, tape, and sand drywall seams*
• Rehang laundry door
• Add new frosted door to storage/TV room
• Prime & paint laundry room and hallway walls
• Tile & grout new laundry floor
• Add baseboard and door casings
• Replace washer & dryer and finish cabinetry, lighting, and final touches

The last photo shows the new natural light spilling into the hallway—a small victory that makes the mess worth it. We’ll post another update with costs and next steps once framing is wrapped up and we have drywall on the walls. Meanwhile, we’d love to hear what projects you tackled this weekend—did anyone else take a mallet to some drywall?