All Forum Posts by: Phillip Rosin

I recently acquired two duplexes and will be doing a live in reno on one of the units. It's a total gut job and I'm trying to plan everything out. One thing I personally dislike is that the master closet, which is your standard 5' wide closet, houses the water heater. However, I'm unsure if it will actually make a difference when it comes to renting this unit out in the future and if it would be worth relocating. 

There is only one viable idea I have come up with so far and that is to add an extra little closet in the living space, next to where the washer and dryer are housed. Since all plumbing is currently below the slab, I would then have to route new plumbing to the various fixtures through the attic. However, this is a small, 1080sqft 3/2 and the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms are all along a straight line path. It *should* be relatively simple to drop pipes at each location. All the kitchen and bathroom plumbing will be updated during this process anyway, so there wouldn't be more work than routing the pipes in the attic. The longest run in the attic, from the heater to the master shower, will be around 20ft. The other thing to note is the heater is from 2005, meaning it is nearing the end of useful life anyway. This is a B/B-, mostly blue-collar area in Clearwater, FL. Rent is $1,500.00. 

Never mind. I don't think I have enough room. I may start a separate thread for this and other uncertainties. Thanks!

I came across another alternative. Wall mounting a short heater in the laundry closet. I need to look further into this, but I wonder if this could be a viable option. https://holdrite.com/product/50-swhp-w/#toggle-id-3

@Account Closed that is the end of the hallway and there is no room to move the door, unfortunately. 

@Victor S. you may very well be right about the costs. I'm still in the process of getting someone for an estimate. The heater is from 2005 and so I'm guessing it will need to be replaced sooner than later anyway. If I am going to move it, now would be the time. I'm weighing all options.

@Victor S. ah, I misunderstood. I could enclose it. The issue I'm seeing is that this is the master bedroom and it is already a small closet. My goal is to get it out of there entirely as I know I would probably pass on the place because of it. I'm not sure if I'm in the minority. This is why I am thinking about moving it into the area between the living room and kitchen. It doesn't seem like it will disrupt the flow in any meaningful way between them. However, if it isn't worth the effort of moving, I will ultimately accept that. The good thing is all locations that need hot water are along the same path from where it would be located, so it would be super easy for a plumber to run the water in the attic and just make drops at each location. Most of the time, this would actually help with heating since I live in Florida and attics get HOT here.

No, I will be using plumbers and electricians for any work I should not perform myself. I will be limiting my work to cosmetic updates (paint, flooring, etc). You said it would be sketchy to have it in a little closet. Would you please elaborate on that? Everything is electric, no gas. Would you just leave it where it is; in the closet?

The master bathroom is behind that closet and the door swings open on the side. The laundry closet space is 5ft wide and approx 46" deep, so no room in there for a water heater, unless I can build a sturdy platform for a heater to be placed above the washer or dryer. However, I'm not sure how feasible that would be. I can ceratainly look into it. 

Here's one more photo I forgot to add before:

So, now on to the game plan. I finally measured and found the current distance from the end of the laundry area wall to the opposing wall is 10 feet. I've tried several configurations so far and as much as I like the idea of moving the fridge, it does make moving from room to room a bit cumbersome when a dining table is in its expected location. However, I also REALLY want to relocate the water heater. So, here is my crazy plan and, again, I would like some honest feedback here. My thought is to move the water heater into a small closet, attached to the end of the laundry area. It would only be about 26"x26" (possibly less) and would still allow for space to move past any dining table. There would be an access door for regular maintenance and it could be installed/removed through an opening in the laundry area (by moving the dryer). I think it also adds a nice additional separation of the spaces and also makes the wall feel a lot less obtrusive/huge/clunky. Please let me know what you think! I have also put together a general layout for the kitchen. The cabinets will all be replaced. There is enough room to the right of the range for at least a 9" cabinet, possibly a bit more, when I use a 33" refrigerator (same size as what is currently there). I'm weighing whether I should try for a larger fridge or a little more counter space, if either are possible.