Do I Need a Permit to Install a Washer and Dryer?

Do I Need a Permit to Install a Washer and Dryer?

Permits are usually needed when it comes to construction, electrical works, etc. It is very important to collect a permit before proceeding with certain interior or exterior house installations.

Permit rules vary from city to city since there is no official and standard federal or state code to guide house owners or tenants on these installations. For a washer and dryer, whether a house owner or a tenant, the rules of permits should be adhered to so your construction or installation will not be stalled.

Just in case you happen to be a tenant, beyond collecting permits from municipal or local government authorities, it is important to collect permits first from your house owners. It could be a yes or no.

If you are dire in need of customizing your space make sure you pay attention to some dos and don’ts on a newly acquired property before proceeding to make the required payments.

So, do I need a permit to install a washer and dryer? You need a permit to install a washer and dryer because permits are needed when it comes to electrical works. Since the installation of the washer and dryer requires a licensed installer, plumbing work, electrical, and carpentry work, there is a need for you to get a permit before installing the washer and dryer. You wouldn’t want to end up wasting your time beginning a work of this magnitude without obtaining a permit.

Can I Install a Washer and Dryer in My Apartment

The washer and dryer are basically used for laundry purposes. So, this question probably sounds the same as can I do laundry? Who doesn’t do laundry? As far as you breathe, it should not be a question. I mean, even animals do laundry but that is not what I am here to talk about.

A washer and dryer can be installed in your apartment. Even if it is such a mini apartment as such as a self-contained house, there is a need for it in the house.

A washer and dryer can be installed in a bathroom for usage. Not every house has a laundry room. There are huge, mostly rented apartments that lack a laundry space, not even an extra space as a bonus room that can be developed for laundry purposes.

Some houses have a laundry room space but the house owners are not financially buoyant to afford the laundry equipment that comes with it. But if there is one thing we are sure of is that most houses have bathrooms. What I mean to say is that almost, if not every house has a bathroom within it.

Here is to let you know that a washer and dryer can be installed in a bathroom for laundry purposes. If you are lucky to have a huge bathroom, then, it is all for the better.

Should I Get a Permit before Installing Washer and Dryer in My Apartment

Yes, you should get a permit before installing a washer and dryer because the installation of a washer and dryer requires a permit as a result of the licensed installer that will do the work for you, the electrical works involved, the plumbing work as well as the carpentry work that is involved.

Nothing of this magnitude should be installed in a house without the application and collection of permits. If a house owner or tenant proceeds to carry out an installation of this kind without a permit, a setback and delay had been self-imposed on the work.

A washer and dryer are electrical equipment that comes with venting and gas on a gas dryer if possible that is needed for laundry. This installment carries with its plumbing and carpentry works. It will involve cutting a hole to pass the washer hose outside the house to the sewer and covering up the sides surrounding the hole and many other works.

A contractor may not be well abreast with these permit rules, it is up to you to follow up on the processes before starting work. Never leave it up to a contractor to make it happen.

One major reason the idea of settling permits before proceeding to carry out these installations came up is that there is a lot that comes with these electrical works which in this case is laundry appliances. Anything electrical, gas, and even plumbing comes with mistakes that can lead to a disastrous end.

The offices that give out permits are experts in these fields or have experts that work with them and these experts first proceed to do their measurements, calculations on the house in question before rendering house owners or tenants with a yes or no or with some conditions before allowing or disallowing them from proceeding.

Their research is made on if your structure is firm enough, big enough, etc to determine if it can accept or carry what the house owner applied for. Some house owners will inform their tenants on dos and don’ts when it has to do with installations on properties that can take or can’t make some installations. These house owners have collected permits earlier on to know what is possible and impossible with their structures.

The house owners or tenants are expected to proceed with reservations or recommendations from the collected permits.

How Much Does it Cost to Install a Washer and Dryer?

It will cost between $400 and $700 to install a washer and a dryer if the installation is done close to the perfect location in the house where plumbing work had already been carried out and will cost between $1000 and $2000 to install a washer and a dryer if the installation is done in an isolated location in the house which could be in a laundry room, basement or the garage area.

  • Washer and Dryer low-cost installation: $400 – $750
  • Washer and Dryer medium-cost installation: $800 – $960
  • Washer and Dryer high-cost installation: $1000 – $2000

It should basically be dependent on the washer and dryer you intend to buy. Electrical equipment is usually more expensive. There are the traditional washer and dryers which may be much more affordable but may come with little difficulty seeing that everything has changed.

Also, it depends on the location of the installation. It cost differently if it is closely connected with the already plumbing work done in the house or in an isolated and different location, away from the plumbing work. It will cost more if away from the plumbing work.

Do You Need a Plumber to Install a Washer and Dryer?

Yes, you need a plumber to install a washer and dryer because carrying out the task of installing a washer and dryer in a house has everything to do with plumbing, except it is already connected to a kitchen sink. And even when connected to a kitchen sink, it is still the act of plumbing.

Anything that has to do with water receiving and flushing must have everything to do with plumbing. Plumbing is one way to exit the water and receive fresh water through the help of connected pipes in and out of a house or any establishment.

Your contractor has to be someone that understands the inevitable importance of plumbing work. Some of these contractors work with plumbers and carpenters when it comes to laundry appliance installations.

The plumber will run the lines from the washer to the wall behind the washer that will take used water outside the house. Cold and hot water will have to be connected using a hose from the tap to the washer intake.

Pros of Having a Washer and Dryer in a Home

There can only be pros because no one should or can go without doing laundry in life. Here is where a washer is needed but what about a dryer? It is just as important to have a laundry dryer especially because of the winter season which is mostly in a year.

For Easy Laundry

Laundry is just as important as bathing. Laundry becomes easy when a house owner dares to install it indoors. Some laundry rooms are positioned to be in the middle of the house while some are positioned to be next to the master bedroom for easy access and easy laundry.

Energy Management

There will be no need to run around the neighborhood in search of a laundry house and as such energy is reserved and dedicated to other things.

Laundry Privacy

Your laundry should not be something exposed to your neighborhood neither should it be exposed to your visitors. It is an eyesore. Having a washer and dryer in a home manages laundry privacy more than we can admit. No one has to know when and how you go for laundry. Keep it private.

Conclusion

Laundry is an act of washing dirty clothes or fabrics and can never be done away with. Permits should be applied for as related to installations of laundry appliances. You don’t want to own an illegal construction or be at the mercy of a house owner or courts. Having a washer and dryer indoors will be the best thing that will happen to your laundry and life in general since it comes with ease.