What a beach laundry has to handle
- Salt water and sand from wetsuits, rash vests, boardshorts and towels
- Wet gear that needs to drip somewhere before it goes near a machine
- Humidity that makes cupboards smell musty and walls grow mould
- Heavy use from families, holiday guests and dogs back from the beach
- Drying on the days when the washing line is not an option
Most original laundries on the Northern Beaches — a tub and a machine in a converted porch, a cupboard off the back verandah, or a corner of the garage — were never designed for any of that.
Design features that earn their place
A deep rinse sink. Big enough to soak a wetsuit and rinse sand off gear before it goes into the machine. A pull-out spray tap helps.
A hanging rail over the sink or a tiled drip zone. Wet items drip onto a waterproofed surface, not the floor.
An outdoor shower or rinse point beside the laundry door, where the house layout and drainage allow, keeps sand out of the house entirely.
Bench space for folding above front-loading machines, or stacked machines in a tall cabinet where space is tight.
Tall storage for the vacuum, mop, ironing board and bulk supplies.
Pull-out baskets for sorting — including one for beach towels.
A drying rail or ceiling airer for rainy days, with the ventilation to support it.
Moisture and ventilation
Laundries in coastal houses are often internal rooms or enclosed verandahs with poor airflow. Add a vented dryer and wet gear, and the room becomes a humidity generator.
- Exhaust fan ducted to outside, sized for the room and wired with a run-on timer
- Dryer ducting to the outside, or a condenser or heat-pump dryer
- Moisture-resistant carcasses with sealed edges; see vanities and storage
- Mould-resistant paint on walls and ceiling
- Louvred or vented cupboard doors where damp items are stored
Waterproofing and floors
Laundries are wet areas. Waterproofing covers the floor and wall junctions, around the tub and anywhere water is likely. Where there is a floor waste, the floor is graded to it.
Floor tiles should be slip-resistant when wet — important in a room where people walk in straight from the beach. Darker or epoxy grout disguises sand wear. See tiling and wet-area finishes.
Relocating the laundry
Common changes in Northern Beaches houses:
- Laundry into a bathroom — a European laundry behind doors in a larger bathroom, freeing the old laundry for a pantry or ensuite
- Laundry into a hallway cupboard — machines stacked with a small sink, in apartments and smaller houses
- Laundry to the garage or under the house — on sloping blocks where subfloor space is generous
- Laundry out of the kitchen — separating the two when opening up a kitchen
Relocation involves new plumbing, drainage with fall, waterproofing and power, and is easiest on a suspended timber floor.
Asbestos
Laundries in older fibro and brick houses often sit in later additions or enclosed verandahs, where asbestos cement sheeting was commonly used. Houses built or altered before about 1990 are tested before demolition.
Pricing and licensing
See the 2026 cost bands. Renovation work is carried out in partnership with Coastal Renovation Group, a licensed NSW builder; licence and insurance details are provided on request.
Call 02 4705 5289 or send the laundry details through.
Questions people ask before they commit
How much does a laundry renovation cost on the Northern Beaches?
As a 2026 planning guide, a straightforward laundry renovation with new cabinetry, a benchtop, a sink and tiling usually costs $10,000 to $18,000. A larger laundry with full-height storage, a stone or porcelain bench, an outdoor rinse area or relocated plumbing is more typically $18,000 to $25,000 or more.
Does a laundry need waterproofing?
Yes. Laundries are wet areas and require waterproofing to the relevant standard around the tub, the floor junctions and anywhere water can collect. Where a floor waste is installed, the floor needs fall to it.
Where should the dryer vent?
A vented dryer pushes a large amount of warm, moist air into the room. In a humid coastal house that air should be ducted outside, or the room needs strong mechanical exhaust. Condenser and heat-pump dryers avoid most of the problem and are often the better choice in an enclosed laundry.
Is it cheaper to renovate the laundry with the bathroom?
Generally yes. Plumbing, waterproofing, tiling and waste removal are already being organised, so adding the laundry costs less than doing it later on its own. It also allows the laundry to be relocated or combined with a bathroom where the floor plan benefits.