Storage & Organisation
Laundry Room Cabinetry
The short answer
A well-designed laundry room needs four things: a counter to fold on, somewhere to hang items that cannot go in a dryer, storage for supplies, and a hamper system. The counter is the element that most changes how the room works, because folding at the machine is what causes laundry to migrate to the sofa. Most laundry projects run three to five weeks.
Part of our Closet Systems service.
The counter is the whole thing
If a laundry room gets one upgrade, it should be a folding surface. Without one, clothes come out of the dryer and go somewhere else to be sorted — a bed, a table, a sofa — and the laundry never actually finishes in the laundry room.
With side-by-side machines, a counter runs across the top of both at about 900mm. With a stacked pair, the counter goes alongside. Either way you want at least 900mm of length to work at, and 600mm of depth. It is a modest amount of millwork with an outsized effect on how the household runs.
The second most useful element is a hanging rod. A great deal of clothing should not go in a dryer, and in Calgary’s dry indoor air things air-dry quickly. A rod above the counter, or a pull-out valet rod, means wet items go straight onto hangers rather than draped over doors.
Laundry room elements worth including
- Folding counter
- Over the machines or alongside them. A durable surface — laminate, quartz or a sealed hardwood — since it gets damp and takes constant contact.
- Hanging rod or drying rail
- Fixed above the counter or on a pull-out. The single most-used feature after the counter itself.
- Pull-out hampers
- Two or three sorting bins on full-extension slides behind a cabinet door. Turns sorting from a chore into a habit.
- Supply storage
- Uppers or a tall cabinet for detergent, stain removers and everything that otherwise sits on top of the machines. Include a shelf tall enough for large jugs.
- A sink, where plumbing allows
- Genuinely useful for hand-washing and soaking. Adding one to a room that has no rough-in means a plumber and possibly a permit, so it is a scope decision.
- A drying rack or pull-out shelf
- For flat-drying knitwear. A pull-out mesh shelf takes little room and gets used constantly.
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Laundry dimensions
| Element | Dimension | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Counter height over machines | 900–950mm | Governed by machine height plus clearance. |
| Counter depth | 600mm | Matches standard machine depth. |
| Clearance in front of machines | 900mm min. | Needed for a front-loader door to swing. |
| Upper cabinet clearance | 450mm above counter | Same convention as a kitchen. |
| Hanging rod height | 1500mm+ | Above the counter, clear of the work surface. |
| Hamper cabinet width | 600mm for two bins | Behind a single door. |
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- Can you build cabinets over a front-loading washer and dryer?
- Yes — a counter over side-by-side machines with cabinets above is the most common configuration. The critical detail is leaving enough clearance to pull the machines out for service and keeping the water shut-offs accessible. We confirm machine dimensions and door swing before designing.
- What counter material is best for a laundry room?
- Quartz for durability and easy cleaning, laminate as a cost-effective option that performs well, or sealed hardwood for warmth accepting that it needs occasional maintenance. All three are fine. What does not work well is painted MDF, which will not survive repeated damp contact.
- Can you add a laundry sink?
- If there is plumbing in the room, yes, and we build the surrounding cabinetry. If there is no rough-in, adding one requires a licensed plumber and possibly a permit depending on the scope — that is a cost and schedule decision worth making early rather than mid-project.
- Can you fit laundry cabinetry into a basement or a closet?
- Yes. Basement laundry areas are extremely common in Calgary and usually benefit most from cabinetry, because they start as bare utility space. Laundry closets are tighter but a shallow counter, a rod and a single upper cabinet still transform how usable the space is.
- How long does a laundry room take?
- Typically three to five weeks from approved drawings, with one to two days on site. Adding plumbing, electrical or flooring extends the schedule because of trade coordination.
Related services & guides
Why homeowners choose us
Careful work, honestly quoted.
We would rather talk you out of the wrong project than sell you one. Everything below is something you can hold us to.
Fixed written quotes
You get a drawing and a fixed price before anything is built — not an hourly estimate that moves.
Built for this climate
Material and joinery chosen for Calgary’s dry winters, so joints stay closed when the humidity drops.
Shop-built, site-scribed
Components made in a controlled shop, then scribed to your actual walls rather than trimmed to hide gaps.
One point of contact
The person who measures your space is the person accountable for the finished work.
Where we work
Calgary Carpentry serves Calgary and the surrounding communities.
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