Main Floor Laundry Closet — Framed, Doored and Shelved
The washer and dryer are two flights down and the stairs are getting old; this is the closet on the main floor that they move into, with doors that close on the noise.
JMB Builders builds a main floor laundry closet in a hall closet or a new framed alcove across the Twin Cities metro, so the washer and dryer come up from the basement. We do the carpentry: framing or widening the opening, a pan-ready floor, blocking, drywall, a shelf above the machines, and bifold, louvered or swing doors. A licensed plumber and electrician run the hookups; the dryer vent is routed outside. Priced per project from photos.
- Priced per project, quoted from photos
- Sized for stacked or side-by-side machines
- Bifold, louvered or swing doors trimmed to match
- Plumbing and electrical by licensed trades
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most Twin Cities houses built before the 1990s have the laundry in the basement. Moving it to the main floor is one of the most asked-for changes as people get older or get tired of the stairs, and it rarely needs a whole room. A hall closet, the back of a pantry, a corner of a mudroom or a shallow alcove framed off a bedroom wall is enough for a stacked pair or a side-by-side set behind doors.
The carpentry decides whether the machines fit and the doors close. We measure the machines you have or plan to buy, with the door swings and the hoses and vent behind them, and frame the closet to that plus working room. An existing closet often needs the opening widened and a new header so a side-by-side pair slides in. The floor gets checked and stiffened where a washer will spin, and a drain pan sits where the plumber wants it. Blocking goes in for the shelf and for the recessed water box. Drywall is hung and finished, a shelf runs above the machines with a rod if you want one, and the doors go on: bifold for the widest opening, louvered where the closet needs air, or a pair of swing doors cased to match the rest of the hall.
Water, drain, power and vent are the licensed trades' work, and we sequence them. A plumber runs supply and drain to a recessed box and sets the standpipe or drain; an electrician adds the washer outlet and the dryer circuit; the dryer vent is routed the shortest way to the outside with a proper hood, through a rim joist or an exterior wall. Cabinets and a counter over the machines are a separate job on our laundry room cabinets page.
What you supply
- The washer and dryer model numbers, or the pair you plan to buy, so we frame to their size, door swings and vent location
- Door style: bifold, louvered, swing pair or a barn door, and whether the trim should match the hall
- Shelf and rod layout above the machines
- Paint color for the closet and new doors; painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Layout of the machines in the space with clearances for hoses, vent and door swings before anything is cut
- Demo of the existing closet interior, shelving and door
- Opening widened with a new header, or a new alcove framed off the wall
- Floor checked and stiffened where the washer sits, and a spot framed for the drain pan
- Blocking for the recessed water box, the shelf and a fold-down ironing board if wanted
- Drywall hung and finished, base and casing to match the house
- A shelf above the machines, with a rod or a second shelf if you want them
- Bifold, louvered or swing doors hung and adjusted, or a barn door on its track
- Coordination of the licensed plumber and electrician, and the dryer vent run to an exterior hood
- Photos of the framing before drywall and the finished closet in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- An existing closet reused vs. a new alcove framed into a room
- Widening the opening and adding a header for a side-by-side pair vs. a stacked pair in the existing width
- Floor stiffening and a drain pan setup for a washer over a finished basement ceiling
- Door style: bifold vs. a cased swing pair vs. a barn door with a track
- How far the plumber and electrician have to run from the nearest water, drain and panel, quoted by them
- The dryer vent route: a short run through a rim joist or exterior wall vs. a longer run through a soffit
- Drywall patching and painting of the hall, quoted as its own line
Send a photo of the closet or the wall from across the hall, a photo inside the closet, and the machine model numbers. Tell us what is below the spot (basement, crawl space, slab) so the trades can plan the runs.
How long it takes
Reusing a hall closet: about three to five working days across a week and a half, with the plumber and electrician between framing and drywall. A new framed alcove adds a day or two. Machines go in the day the doors do.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Hall closet to stacked laundry
A standard hall closet holds a stacked washer and dryer with the door removed and the interior gutted. We check the depth for the machines plus the hoses and vent behind them, stiffen the floor, add the water box blocking, and hang a new door or bifold that closes with the machines in.
Widened closet for a side-by-side pair
The opening is widened with a new header so two machines slide in, with a shelf above and bifold doors across the full width. Often the best answer in a bedroom hall where the closet is long and shallow.
New alcove framed off a room
Where there is no closet to use, we frame a shallow alcove off a bedroom, bathroom or mudroom wall, sized to the machines, and close it with doors. The room loses about the depth of a machine plus the wall.
Louvered or vented doors
A dryer in a closet needs make-up air. Full or half louver doors supply it and look like they belong in an older house. Where you want a solid door, a vent grille or an undercut does the same job.
Shelf, rod and fold-down ironing board
A shelf above the machines for detergent, a rod for hanging what comes out of the dryer, and blocking for a fold-down ironing board or drying rack on the inside of the wall. Cabinets and a counter are a separate job.
Main Floor Laundry Closet — Framed, Doored and Shelved: questions, answered
Can a hall closet fit a washer and dryer?
Often, with a stacked pair. A standard hall closet is deep enough for most stackable units once you allow for the hoses, the drain and the dryer vent behind the machines, and the door is removed or replaced with one that clears. A side-by-side pair usually means widening the opening with a new header. Send the closet measurements and the machine model numbers and we tell you which fits.
Who does the plumbing and electrical for a main floor laundry closet?
A licensed plumber runs the hot and cold supply and the drain to a recessed water box and sets the standpipe, and a licensed electrician adds the washer outlet and the dryer circuit. They are sequenced between framing and drywall and pull their own permits. The dryer vent is routed to an exterior hood as part of the build.
How is the dryer vented from a closet on the main floor?
The shortest smooth-wall metal run to the outside: through the floor and out a rim joist, through the exterior wall behind the closet, or up and out through a soffit where nothing else works. Long runs with many elbows are what clog and make a dryer take two cycles, so the vent route is part of the layout before framing starts. Flexible foil duct is not used inside the wall.
What if the laundry closet is over a finished basement ceiling?
The floor gets stiffened where the washer sits, and a drain pan with a drain line the plumber runs goes under the washer so a hose failure does not come through the ceiling below. The plumber and electrician will need to open the ceiling below to run their lines, and we patch and finish that drywall as part of the job.
What kind of door works best on a laundry closet?
Bifold doors give the widest clear opening for a side-by-side pair and fold out of the way; louvered bifolds also supply the make-up air a dryer needs. A cased pair of swing doors looks the most like the rest of the house. A barn door on a track works where there is wall space beside the closet. Solid doors need a vent grille or an undercut so the dryer can breathe.
Do you install the washer and dryer too?
We set the machines in place the day the doors go on, level them and connect the vent. The water hookups and the dryer plug are connected by the plumber and electrician as part of their final, or by the appliance delivery crew if the machines arrive after. Cabinets or a counter over the machines are a separate job on our laundry room cabinets page.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 27, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All built-ins pages
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