Day 50: And the winner is...

...none of the original options! The few people we heard from about the basement layout all voted in favour of a combined laundry/bathroom but wanted a bit more privacy. Understandably, option 3 had a very easy breezy feel to it with just a shower pan drawn and the laundry cabinet left out. That layout also left the toilet as pretty much the first thing you see when you walk in to the room - a big no-no if there are other options.

So, the winner that accompanied me to the permit office was a combination of options 2 and 3. Basically, we took option 2 (tiny bathroom against utility room wall behind laundry area) and chopped off the door and a wall. Throw in some hide-the-laundry-when-not-in-use ideas and this is what we have:

We would like to build some sort of built-in pedestal thing to raise the laundry pair (our backs will thank us) and add some storage underneath. There could be extra storage above this to the right of the window that would hide the unsightly taps and dryer vent. Or perhaps some built-in dryer racks for those delicate sweaters and shirts?

I was a bit concerned about a big ugly laundry tub in the middle of a bathroom, but apparently there are ways to make a utility sink look quite dandy without needing to hide it behind a cabinet. (I've even toyed with the idea of just doing the one sink in the room if it's nice enough.) The key for that side of the room is definitely counter space.

Overall, I think we're pretty pleased with this layout. We get an more open bathroom but maintain privacy. There is a decent amount of space for laundry needs. The den becomes a much, much, much more usable area. Winner, winner, winner!