The laundry room is one of the hardest-working spaces in any Boise home, yet it is often the last to be updated. When homeowners finally tackle it, the first question is always the same: what is this going to cost? The honest answer is that it depends — on the size of the room, the finishes you choose, and whether the plumbing and electrical stay where they are. National cost guides put a typical laundry room remodel at roughly $7,000 to $11,000, with the full spread running from about $1,300 for a light cosmetic refresh to $18,000 or more for a large, custom space — and higher still if you are relocating the laundry or building it into a new footprint.
Measured another way, laundry remodels generally land around $115 to $250 per square foot, though broader guides cite a range as wide as $60 to $300 depending on how much demolition, plumbing, and custom work is involved. Those are national figures; Boise-area pricing tends to track close to them, but local labor availability, material shipping, and seasonal demand all nudge the number. Because we cannot honestly promise a single price without seeing your room, everything on this page is presented as a range and a planning estimate — not a quote. We give you a firm, itemized number after an in-home assessment.
This guide walks through the three cost tiers most Treasure Valley homeowners choose between — a budget refresh, a mid-range remodel, and a high-end build — and then breaks the project down line by line so you can see exactly where the money goes. By the end you should have a realistic budget in mind before you ever call a contractor, and a clear sense of which choices add the most cost and which add the most value.
The single biggest factor in your total is scope — how much you change and how nice the finishes are. Most projects fall into one of three tiers. The ranges below come from current national cost guides and are best used as starting points for your own planning.
Budget Refresh
~$2,000–$6,500
Cosmetic, high-impact updates that keep your existing washer and dryer in place: fresh paint, stock cabinets or open shelving, a laminate countertop, new lighting, and often new flooring. The fastest, most affordable way to modernize the room.
Mid-Range Remodel
~$7,000–$13,000
The most popular tier: semi-custom cabinets, a quartz or butcher-block counter, tile or upgraded flooring, a utility sink, better lighting, and a new energy-efficient washer and dryer. A complete, lasting upgrade without custom pricing.
High-End Build
~$13,000–$18,000+
Custom cabinetry, quartz or stone counters, specialty tile and backsplash, recessed lighting, designer fixtures, and a premium appliance pair. Costs climb further with a larger room, layout changes, or relocating the laundry.
Where you land inside these tiers comes down to a handful of choices — cabinet grade, countertop material, whether you replace appliances, and above all whether the plumbing stays put. The next sections explain each of those drivers so you can build a budget that fits your home and your priorities.
A budget refresh keeps the appliances and focuses on paint, shelving, and stock cabinets.
A mid-range remodel adds semi-custom cabinets, a quartz counter, a utility sink, and new appliances.
Two laundry rooms of the same size can cost wildly different amounts depending on a few key decisions. These are the factors that move your number the most:
Whether you move the plumbing. This is the biggest swing factor. Keeping the washer and dryer where they are avoids permits, drainage work, and supply-line runs. Relocating the laundry can add thousands and stretch the timeline to five to eight weeks for inspections.
Cabinet grade. Cabinets are typically the largest single line item — roughly a quarter of the budget. Stock cabinets run about $100 per linear foot installed, semi-custom $200 to $300, and fully custom $500 and up.
Countertop material. Laminate is the most economical surface; quartz, granite, and butcher block cost more. Installed countertop pricing ranges from roughly $20 to $280 per square foot depending on material.
New appliances or not. A new washer-and-dryer set generally runs $1,000 to $2,300, with stackable and premium units higher. Reusing working appliances is one of the easiest ways to shrink the budget.
Room size and flooring. More square footage means more cabinetry, flooring, and labor. Flooring alone can range from a sealed concrete slab to tile, with whole-room flooring costs spanning roughly $280 to $1,400-plus.
Electrical and permits. Adding circuits for new appliances, lighting, or an outlet runs about $160 to $500, and permits for plumbing or electrical work commonly add $500 to $2,000.
Breaking the project into its parts makes it far easier to set priorities and trim where it matters. The figures below are national installed-cost ranges from current remodeling cost guides; your actual numbers depend on the specific products, room size, and labor involved in your home.
Cabinets & storage
Roughly $250 to $2,000 for a full room, or about $18 to $1,500 per linear foot from simple shelving to custom cabinetry — usually the largest single line item.
Countertops
Around $20 to $280 per square foot installed depending on material, or about $300 to $1,400 for a typical laundry-room counter and folding surface.
Plumbing & hookups
Moving washer hookups runs $500 to $2,000, rerouting drainage $300 to $800, new supply lines $100 to $250 per linear foot, and shut-off valves $250 to $600.
Appliances
A new washer-and-dryer set generally runs $1,000 to $2,300, with stackable, smart, or premium pairs reaching $3,500 or more.
Utility sink
A laundry or utility sink with faucet typically adds about $600 to $2,000 installed, depending on the basin, cabinet, and plumbing run.
Flooring
Anywhere from roughly $35 for a basic sealed surface up to $1,400-plus for tile, with luxury vinyl plank a popular durable mid-point.
Lighting & electrical
Lighting runs about $30 to $500 from under-cabinet strips to recessed cans; added circuits and outlets add roughly $160 to $500.
Paint, backsplash & permits
Paint runs about $70 to $1,440 depending on scope, a tile backsplash $100 to $250, and permits for plumbing or electrical work $500 to $2,000.
Add it all up and the pattern is clear: cabinets, flooring, appliances, and countertops together account for the large majority of a typical laundry budget — one national split puts it at about 25 percent cabinets, 22 percent flooring, 19 percent appliances, and 17 percent countertops, with wiring and paint making up the rest. Knowing that split helps you decide where to invest and where to economize.
For most Treasure Valley homeowners, the answer is yes — for two reasons. First, the financial return: laundry remodels are reported to recoup roughly 40 to 60 percent of their cost at resale, and a tidy, well-organized laundry room is a feature Boise-area buyers actively notice. Second, and often more important, is daily livability. A thoughtful layout with ample storage, a folding counter, a utility sink, and good lighting turns a chore room into one of the most pleasant spaces to use in the house.
To put the laundry budget in local perspective, broader Boise remodeling figures show kitchens commonly running $15,000 to $75,000-plus and bathrooms $8,000 to $45,000 — which makes a laundry room one of the more affordable rooms to fully modernize. If you are weighing several projects at once, it is worth exploring whether bundling the laundry with an adjacent kitchen remodel or a broader interior remodel shares labor, permits, and design time.
A note on honesty: the dollar figures throughout this page are national and regional cost-guide ranges, shared to help you plan. They are estimates, not quotes. Your real number depends on your room, your finishes, and your home's existing plumbing and wiring — which is exactly what an in-home assessment is for.
A laundry room is one of the more budget-friendly rooms to remodel, but you do not have to pay for the whole project up front. Spreading the cost over manageable monthly payments lets you choose the finishes you actually want — better cabinets, quartz instead of laminate, a new appliance pair — rather than cutting the scope to fit cash on hand. If a financed payment fits your budget more comfortably than a lump sum, it can be the difference between a refresh you tolerate and a remodel you love.
We can walk you through remodel financing options alongside your itemized estimate so you can compare paying outright versus financing before you commit. Either way, the estimate comes first — you will always see the full, line-itemed cost before any decision about how to pay for it.
Itemized, honest estimates
You get a clear, line-by-line quote after an in-home assessment — no vague lump sums, no surprise change orders, and no inflated numbers dressed up as guarantees.
Design-build under one roof
As a design-build remodeler we handle planning, product selection, permitting coordination, and construction together, so your laundry layout, cabinets, and plumbing are coordinated from day one.
Backed by a real warranty
Our workmanship is covered by a 3-year warranty, with a 10-year structural warranty on applicable structural work. Manufacturer warranties on appliances and materials apply per their terms.
Local to the Treasure Valley
We remodel laundry rooms across Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Caldwell, and the surrounding communities, and we know the local homes, layouts, and building departments.
How much does a laundry room remodel cost in Boise?
National cost guides put a typical laundry room remodel at roughly $7,000 to $11,000, with a full range from about $1,300 for a light cosmetic refresh to $18,000 and well beyond for a large custom space or one that involves moving plumbing. Per-square-foot figures generally run about $115 to $250. These are national estimates — Boise-area pricing tracks close to those ranges, but the only way to know your number is an in-home assessment. We provide a firm, itemized quote after seeing your space; the figures here are planning estimates, not quotes.
What is the cheapest way to update a laundry room?
A budget refresh generally lands around $2,000 to $6,500. That tier keeps your existing washer and dryer and focuses on high-impact cosmetic work: fresh paint, new stock cabinets or open shelving, a laminate countertop, updated lighting, and sometimes new flooring. Because cabinets account for roughly a quarter of a typical laundry budget and appliances around a fifth, leaving the appliances in place and choosing stock cabinetry is the single biggest way to hold costs down while still transforming how the room looks and works.
How much does it cost to move laundry hookups or relocate plumbing?
Relocating the laundry is one of the biggest cost drivers. Moving washer hookups typically runs $500 to $2,000, rerouting drainage pipes about $300 to $800, and running new water supply lines roughly $100 to $250 per linear foot, with new shut-off valves around $250 to $600. Beyond the dollars, moving plumbing and electrical usually triggers permits and inspections that can stretch the project to five to eight weeks. If your layout already has working hookups in the right spot, you avoid most of this.
Do cabinets or appliances cost the most in a laundry remodel?
Cabinets are usually the single largest line item. One national breakdown puts the budget split at about 25 percent cabinets, 22 percent flooring, 19 percent appliances, 17 percent countertops, and 15 percent wiring, with paint a small remainder. Installed cabinet pricing runs roughly $100 per linear foot for stock, $200 to $300 for semi-custom, and $500 or more for fully custom. A new washer-and-dryer set generally runs $1,000 to $2,300, though stackable or premium units can push higher.
Does a laundry room remodel add value to my home?
Laundry remodels are reported to return roughly 40 to 60 percent of their cost at resale, and a clean, organized, well-lit laundry room is a feature many Treasure Valley buyers specifically look for. The value is not only financial — a smart layout with good storage, a folding counter, and a utility sink makes the room far more functional day to day. Return on investment depends on your finishes and how the space compares to others in your neighborhood, so treat the percentage as a general guide rather than a guarantee.
Do I need a permit for a laundry room remodel in Boise?
A purely cosmetic refresh — paint, cabinets, a countertop swap — often does not require a permit, but work that moves plumbing, alters drainage, or adds electrical circuits typically does. Permit costs for this kind of project commonly fall around $500 to $2,000. Requirements and fees vary by jurisdiction across Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, and the rest of Ada and Canyon counties, so confirm with your local building department before work begins. We handle permitting coordination as part of our process when a job calls for it.