Originally posted – Oct 09, 2014
When building my two self-service laundries, I really thought I had covered all my bases. I even shared my design with a paid consultant and a few veteran store owners to see what they thought.
And yet I still overlooked several important aspects of these laundries and made a number of mistakes – some small, and some more costly and some thatwhich are just a nagging pain in the backside.
To help your build-out or renovation process go more smoothly than mine, here are some key design elements to keep an eye on:
HVAC System. Never, ever, ever vent your dryers out the roof and use a rooftop air-conditioning system. The lint from the dryers will collect in the HVAC coils and cause more problems than you can imagine. In fact, once a month during the dog days of summer, I have to spend at least half a day on that hot roof, hosing off my HVAC coils.
Ideally, you want to physically separate the two – keep the HVAC on the ground and the dryer vents out the roof, or keep the HVAC on the roof and vent the dryers out a wall.
Also, HVAC capacity is almost always underestimated. Someone told me (after the fact, of course) that every wall of dryers should be considered like a wall of glass windows – at least for the purpose of calculating HVAC capacity – because of the heat produced by the dryers.
HVAC Spigot. If you do decide to go with a rooftop HVAC system, be sure to have easy roof access, as well as a spigot on the roof to hose off your HVAC coils.
HVAC Makeup Air. Install more twice as many HVAC makeup air vents than are normally as required, to minimize how frequently you have to change filter screens. If not, you will be changing them weekly during summer months.
Automatic Doors. Be sure to have an You must have an overhang or alcove above over automatic doors – otherwise, the sunlight and rain will wreak havoc on the door sensors. It took me five years to learn that the best option for me was to bypass the sensors and use push buttons, similar to those on an automatic door designed for those with disabilities.
Service Counter. Even if you plan to have an attended store, design the counter to include a “cubby hole” that you can secure at night with a safety gate or mini garage door. With this type of design element, even if your opening attendant is AWOL, your store can open on time with automatic locks – and your cash register and/or back office will remain secured.
Automatic Locks. When we had keyed locks I cannot tell you how many times my store alarms would go off at 4 a.m. simply because an attendant carelessly forgotforgets to secure one of our doors. There is also plenty of unnecessary drama when the door key is lost or misplaced, even if temporarily. Plus, plus there is always the possibility of an employee making an unauthorized copy of the key. A better approach is to use an automatic door lock, preferably with a keypad for which you can assign a unique code for each employee.
Horizontal Layout vs. Vertical Layout. Ideally, you want what I call a “horizontal layout,” where the store is wide and shallow rather than narrow and deep. First of all, this type of layout will have more storefront parking. And, because it’s not as deep, using the machines in the back of the laundry will be more convenient and make the entire store feel safer. Try to avoid You definitely don’t want what I call an “airplane layout,” which is deep, dark and narrow.
Storage. If you intend to vend soap, snacks or beverages, be sure to have enough storage space for your inventory. Depending on how much you vend, the storage space can be quite significant. Also, try to locate this storage space relatively close to your vending machines.
Vending Equipment. Design a soffit or shell around your vending machines so that customers – especially children – can’t get between or behind these machines. I have lost more than one freezer full of ice cream because kids have gotten behind my vending machines and unplugged them. (Also, the police once apprehended someone who had run into my store and tried to hide behind the vending machines.)
Exposure. Try to avoid spaces that face to the south or west, as this likely will double your sun exposure and, in turn, double your HVAC electricity usage. Trust me – I am reminded of this fact every month I pay my summer electricity bills.
HVAC Thermostat. Set it at the correct temperature, and secure it. Or, better yet, install the newer WiFi-controlled thermostats, which can lock out any unauthorized users. When I first opened, attendants and customers constantly were adjusting my unsecured thermostats.
ADA Requirements. If you design your laundry to meet ADA requirements, you may qualify for certain tax breaks.
Restroom Hardware. Do not skimp on the plumbing hardware for your customer restrooms. I am always amazed at the wear and tear the restrooms take and, after numerous repairs, I have become a pretty good amateur plumber in the process. Buy high- quality hardware designed for heavy use or just be prepared to reattach sinks to walls, replace faucets with broken valve stems, reset toilets to broken PVC mounts or replace toilet handles some customers may choose to flush with their feet. And, Oh, and if your restrooms are ever out of order, your customers will be sure to let you know.
Restroom Door Locks. Do you want your restrooms to be secure so that only customers can use them? If so, you will need to consider how you will accomplish this. A key? A buzzer? A card system?
Furniture. Do you want your store’s furniture permanently secured to the floor for liability reasons? Which materials are the most comfortable and will hold up the best over time? Which are the least likely to be stolen? Things to think about.
Outlet Placement. After opening, I realized that I need outlets by the entry doors for a vacuum to clean my floor mats. I also required outlets by the dryers so that we could use a shop-vac to clean the dryer lint screens. Customers also appreciate the extra outlets for charging their phones or computers.
Air Compressor. Spend a few hundred dollars and install a large industrial air compressor with a lot of capacity somewhere in the back for use as a blower to clean and control dust, especially dust that collects in coin drops and card readers. Using a portable air compressor in the middle of your store is noisy and can be unpleasant for your customers. Just be sure to have an in-line water filter to avoid any potential damage to anything electronic.
Water Filtration. As it turns out, one of my locations has “sandy water.” My washer valves and diaphragms were constantly failing due to excessive grit in the water.
During thean initial remodeling phase, I could have easily installed one large a massive water filter for the main line into the building just a few hundred dollars – which I, unfortunately, didn’t do. Instead, I ended up spending several thousand dollars after the fact to add many smaller water filters throughout the store, which now require constant maintenance.
Also, consider whether or not you want to condition your water. The upfront cost to install a water softener upfront soften water is considerably less than installation after remodeling. Softened water will wash clothes more effectively (in fact, many of the chemical properties in detergents are used to soften hard water), and cause less corrosion and damage to your laundry equipment, thus enabling it to last longer. But beware – if your customers like to over soap, and mine sure do, you may have an even greater over- soaping problem if you chose to soften your water.
Building Materials. Although it sounds like common sense, try to avoid wooden frame buildings for fire safety reasons. More than a few of the leased spaces I originally looked at were quickly eliminated from my list because I wasn’t comfortable with the fire risk a wooden frame structure poses.
Basement. Does the space have a basement? Does the floor have the strength to support the weight of the laundry equipment and customers? If so, you likely will be limited to using soft-mount washers.
Gutters and Awnings. Is your space designed to keep rain off of the customers? And is that rain properly channeled away from the doors and parking? Our automatic doors, for example, used to open and close like a disco dance when it rained hard. Also, is the parking lot level? If not, in which direction will rain water or melted snow travel?
Dryer Soffits. Be sure to install sheetrock to both the front and back of your dryer soffit walls. After all, they are intended as firewalls, so the extra sheetrock can’t hurt.
Ceiling Tiles. If you have a drop ceiling, consider using use vinyl-faced sheetrock tiles rather than foam tiles, which tend to “bow” or “belly” with humidity and show roof leak water stains. The vinyl-faced sheetrock tiles have reduced acoustical properties, but they will produce a nice clean new look for many years – and the sheetrock provides an extra level of fire protection. They also clean easily and the upcharge for vinyl-faced vs. foam tiles is nominal.
OK… I’ll stop here. But, hopefully, you get the point. When building your dream laundry, there are so many different aspects to consider. And, unfortunately, some of those little details that tend to fall through the cracks end up being crucial elements – and expensive miscues.
So, as you consider you next laundromat project, take your time, consult with every design expert you can find… and learn from my mistakes.
[Editor’s Note: Always be sure to follow all of the manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines, regarding the proper installation and maintenance of your particular equipment.]
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