Turning a Washing Machine Room Into an Office

Have the space waterproofed if the laundry room you want to convert is on the lowest level or in the basement of your home. A flood could wipe out your business records if you fail to have the space properly waterproofed. You can purchase sealers and waterproofing materials at the local hardware store and apply them to the walls on your own, but if you have a serious leak, it might be best to hire a professional basement waterproofing company to do the work.

Remove your washer and dryer, laundry detergent and other items from the space you want to convert. You want the space for your office to be as empty as possible before you start your conversion. Install pipe caps into the existing piping that had serviced your washer and dryer. You can purchase those pipe caps at hardware stores and home improvement centers.

Determine whether you want to install an entirely new floor in your home office or just use area rugs, large carpet sections and chair mats to provide a suitable surface. If your former laundry room has a concrete floor, you might be more comfortable if you cover that concrete with tile, carpet or hardwood.

Assess the condition of the walls in your new home office. If the walls are cinder block or concrete, you might want to consider finishing the entire basement or at least the section you plan to use for your home office. If your laundry room is not in the basement, you might not need to redo the walls to suit your office.

Locate the electrical outlets and telephone connections in the room. If your existing laundry room is in the basement, it might not have a telephone hookup. If this is the case, you can use a cordless phone with multiple headsets instead of a hard-wired phone. Just plug the base into an electric outlet to keep the handset charged. A traditional cordless phone is often preferable to a cellular phone, since reception is often sketchy in the basement. The best way to proceed if the laundry room does not have a phone hookup is to plug the main phone base in at an existing phone outlet, then plug the handset charger in at your office.

Plug a power strip with a surge protector, or a UPS, in to the existing electrical outlet. Move your desk into place within easy reach of the power source.

Place your desk in the position you want for the home office. Put your computer, telephone or handset and printer on the desk. An all-in-one unit that combines the functions of a printer, scanner and copier is a good choice. If you need fax service as well, you can use an existing telephone line if one is available. Otherwise, you could also sign up for a service that allows you to send and receive faxes via email.

Arrange the items on your desk for maximum comfort. Use hanging file folders in your desk to keep track of your important paperwork.

Repurpose the existing shelving units from your laundry room to hold CDs, DVDs, boxes of paper and other office supplies. Keep those items close at hand for when you need them.