A laundry is one of the most-used rooms in a Sydney home and one of the most neglected when it comes to joinery. Here is how to design a laundry that functions properly — with the right cabinets, bench height, and storage for how you actually use the room.
TL;DR: The laundry brief: overhead cabinets above the machine, a proper bench height for folding (900–950mm from floor), a sink with underbench cabinet, and storage for cleaning products, linen, and ironing equipment. The constraint is usually the machine position — top-loaders need a different overhead configuration to front-loaders. HMR board is mandatory for laundry carcasses — moisture resistance is not optional in this room.
Most Sydney laundries have inadequate storage. The standard builder's laundry — a tub, some plumbing, and a tiled ledge — leaves no room for what people actually need to store and do in this space. A properly designed laundry should include: **Storage for cleaning products.** Detergent, fabric softener, stain removers, cleaning products — these need closed storage, not a shelf where bottles fall over. A cabinet above the machine with adjustable shelves is the minimum. **Linen storage.** Clean linen that comes out of the dryer needs somewhere to go. A tall cabinet or overhead section with deep shelves for folded towels, sheets, and linen is often missing from standard laundry configurations. **Ironing setup.** Ironing board storage (wall-mounted folding board or a dedicated cabinet), iron storage, and a nearby power point are practical additions that make the room work. **A folding surface.** A bench height surface for folding laundry is the most useful thing in a laundry. Standard height: 900–950mm (standard kitchen bench height). A bench above the front-loader (if machines are stacked or side by side with space beside them) is ideal. **A utility sink.** Laundry sinks handle soaking, hand washing, and bucket filling. The tub should be deep (at least 300mm internal depth) and the tap positioned so it clears the sink edge comfortably. Laundry sinks are sold in various sizes — confirm which size fits your space before ordering the cabinet. **Space for the machines.** Front-loaders and top-loaders have different space requirements. Front-loaders need door swing clearance of 180 degrees. Top-loaders need clear space above (no cabinet within 150mm of the lid). Dryers can be stacked above front-loaders on a rated frame — this doubles the floor space available for other storage.
The configuration possibilities depend on how much floor space is available. Here are common Sydney laundry room sizes and what fits. **Small laundry (under 2m²).** The constraint is usually a single wall — machines side by side or stacked, sink on the same wall or an adjacent wall. In this size, overhead cabinets across the machine area and a small bench beside the sink are typically all that fits. Tall storage goes vertical — a narrow cabinet (300mm) beside the machine stack can reach ceiling height without using floor space. **Medium laundry (2–4m²).** More options. Standard configuration: machines side by side on one wall with overhead cabinets spanning the full width, sink unit with under-bench cabinet on the adjacent wall, and a bench between them if floor space allows. A dedicated linen tall cabinet on the third wall is achievable in this size. **Laundry with dedicated drying area.** Some Sydney homes have a separate drying room or large laundry with space for a clothes airer. In this case, a full wall of overhead storage, a proper folding bench, and the sink unit can all coexist. This is the most functional configuration but requires a room of 4m²+. **Laundry closet (under 1.5m²).** The smallest laundry configuration — machines stacked, no room for anything else. Even here, overhead cabinets above the stacked machines (usually starting at 1,800mm from floor for a stacked front-loader) provide useful storage. A fold-down wall-mounted shelf (300mm × 900mm) gives a functional folding surface without using permanent floor space.
The laundry is the highest-moisture-exposure room in the house aside from the bathroom. Carcass material matters more here than anywhere else. **HMR is mandatory.** 16mm or 18mm HMR (High Moisture Resistant) board must be used for laundry carcasses. Standard MDF swells and degrades when exposed to the regular humidity of a working laundry — steam from hot water, water splashing from the sink, condensation from the dryer. HMR resists this. It is not optional. **Door material.** 2-pac painted MDF doors are the standard choice for laundry joinery in Sydney — same as kitchens. The painted finish is wipe-clean and handles splashing better than laminate edges (which can lift in moisture-prone areas). Laminates with sealed edges are also appropriate; avoid PVC-wrapped doors in wet areas. **Benchtop.** For laundry benchtops, the main options are: - Laminate benchtop (Polytec, Laminex): $150–$300/m installed. Practical, affordable, handles water if the surface is kept intact. Not heat resistant near the dryer. - Stone (engineered or porcelain): $500–$1,000/m installed. More durable, handles moisture well, easier to clean. Premium option. - Polyurethane-sealed timber: Not recommended near the sink. **Sink cabinet.** The sink cabinet (the cabinet below the laundry tub) must be HMR. Water drips, splashes, and occasional leaks are inevitable around a laundry sink. An MDF cabinet below a laundry sink swells within months. **Hardware.** Stainless steel or plastic-coated hardware for hinges and drawer runners in laundries — uncoated steel rusts in the moisture environment. Blum and Hettich both produce hardware appropriate for wet areas.
The overhead cabinet configuration above the washing machines is the most constrained decision in laundry joinery. The machine type determines what is possible. **Above a front-loader.** Front-loaders have a standard height of 850mm. A bench above a front-loader starts at 900mm (allowing 50mm for the machine feet to clear, levelling tolerance, and a small gap for cleaning). Above 900mm, overhead cabinets can run from the bench surface to ceiling height. Standard overhead cabinet height: 600mm–900mm depending on available ceiling height. **Above a top-loader.** Top-loaders open from the top — the lid needs to fully open. Standard top-loader height is 900–1,000mm. The lid adds another 500–700mm when fully open. This means overhead cabinets above a top-loader must start at 1,600mm or higher. This limits how much overhead storage is available. Some configurations use a single narrow shelf at 1,700mm rather than a full-depth cabinet, to preserve the lid swing clearance. **Stacked machines.** A dryer mounted on a frame above a front-loader reaches approximately 1,700mm. Overhead storage above a stack typically starts at 1,800mm — this gives 600mm of overhead cabinet height before the ceiling (for a standard 2,400mm ceiling). That 600mm × full-width cabinet is useful but not abundant. For rooms with 2,700mm or higher ceilings, more overhead storage becomes available. **Overhead cabinet depth.** Standard overhead cabinet depth for laundries: 350mm. Full kitchen-depth overhead cabinets (300mm) are also used. Deeper than 350mm creates head-height problems when standing at the machine. **Weight.** Overhead laundry cabinets are often used for heavy items — bulk detergent, cleaning products. Confirm the wall fixing is into studs or masonry, not plasterboard alone.
A complete laundry renovation — new joinery, new benchtop, plumbing for sink — in a standard Sydney laundry: **Small laundry (simple configuration, one wall):** $4,000–$8,000 **Medium laundry (two walls, full configuration with sink, bench, and overhead storage):** $7,000–$14,000 **Full laundry renovation with linen storage, folding bench, and all finishes:** $10,000–$20,000 These figures include joinery supply and installation, benchtop, and sink cabinet. Plumbing (moving or adding the sink) is typically $600–$1,200 separately. Tiling is separate if the walls are being retiled. **What adds cost:** - Full-height linen cabinet (adds $800–$2,000) - Pull-out baskets for sorting (adds $300–$600) - Dryer frame/platform (if stacking, adds $200–$500) - Folding ironing board cabinet (adds $600–$1,000) - Custom sink cabinet for a non-standard tub size (adds $300–$600) **What reduces cost:** - Keeping existing plumbing in place (not moving the sink) - Keeping existing tiling (not retiling) - Simple flat door profile instead of shaker - Fewer internal fittings InsideOut Joinery & Renovations builds custom laundry joinery across Sydney, including full laundry renovations from Liverpool. Call 02 5000 0402 or visit insideoutjoinery.au.
Laundry cabinet carcasses must be 16mm or 18mm HMR (High Moisture Resistant) board. Standard MDF swells and deteriorates in the humidity of a working laundry. HMR resists moisture and is the correct material. For doors, 2-pac painted MDF or laminate with sealed edges are both appropriate.
A laundry folding bench should be 900–950mm from the finished floor — the same height as a standard kitchen bench. This is comfortable for standing and folding. Above a front-loader (machine height 850mm), the bench surface sits at approximately 900mm with a small gap for cleaning and levelling tolerance.
Yes, but the start height is limited by the lid swing. A top-loader at 900–1,000mm height plus 500–700mm for the lid means overhead cabinets cannot start lower than 1,600–1,700mm. For a 2,400mm ceiling, this leaves 700–800mm of overhead cabinet height — workable but not ideal. Front-loaders or stacking configurations give more overhead storage options.
A standard laundry renovation in Sydney costs $4,000–$14,000 depending on configuration. A simple single-wall setup with overhead cabinets and a sink unit runs $4,000–$8,000. A full renovation with bench, overhead storage, linen cabinet, and all finishes runs $10,000–$20,000. Plumbing and tiling are typically separate.
A freestanding laundry tub (as opposed to an undermount sink) is the most practical for Australian laundries — it is deep (300mm+), durable, and sits on a standard underbench cabinet. Confirm the tub dimensions against the cabinet width before ordering — standard laundry tub sizes range from 400mm to 800mm wide. The tap should reach the centre of the tub with clearance to fill a bucket.
InsideOut Joinery & Renos is a family-run custom joinery and renovation business based in Liverpool, Sydney NSW 2170, serving homeowners Sydney-wide. Call 02 5000 0402 or email info@insideoutjoinery.au. One team covers every trade, with a typical 3-week turnaround, trade-cost appliances and 12 years of experience. Licensed contractor — licence 383725C, ABN 62 912 909 739.