The Laundry Renovation Checklist for New Zealand: Every Decision, in the Order It Has to Be Locked

Last updated: 25 June 2026 · By Mossy Tariq, Founder — Property Blueprint Co.

A laundry renovation looks small enough to do without a plan, and that is exactly why so many of them go wrong. The room is dense with services and short on space, so the order in which decisions are made matters more than in almost any other room. A checklist for a laundry renovation is not a shopping list of taps and tubs. It is a sequence, and the value is the order.

Each item on this checklist has to be locked before the next trade can work, because the laundry gives no room to correct a decision made out of sequence. Choose the appliances after the cabinetry is built and they will not fit. Skip the waterproofing decision before rough-in and you cannot add it later without starting again. The checklist below runs in the order the work actually happens, from the first measurement to the final payment.

A laundry renovation checklist is not a list of things to buy. It is a list of decisions in the order each one has to be locked.

This guide works through the laundry renovation checklist in five stages: planning, design, compliance, build, and completion, each with the specific decisions that have to be settled before the next stage begins.

What a laundry renovation checklist is actually for

The checklist exists to stop the laundry being built in the wrong order. In a large room, a decision made late is an inconvenience. In a laundry, where the washing machine, tub, dryer, bench, and storage all compete for a few square metres, a decision made late is a fixture that does not fit or a service in the wrong place.

A working checklist does two things. It sequences the decisions so each is locked before the trade who depends on it arrives, and it catches the wet-area requirements, waterproofing, drainage, ventilation, that the laundry shares with the bathroom but rarely gets credited for. Used properly, the checklist is the difference between a laundry that works for years and one that surfaces the mistakes catalogued in the laundry renovation mistakes guide months after completion.

The planning checklist: brief, budget, and measuring up

Before any design or trade, the planning stage sets the foundation everything else is built on. Work through these before moving on:

• Write the brief. Decide what the laundry has to do, whether it is wash-and-dry only or also drying, storage, and a second sink, before anything is drawn.
• Set a trade-by-trade budget. Break the cost into plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, cabinetry, and finishes, so any drift is visible early.
• Measure the room accurately. Record the exact dimensions, the position of the existing water supply, drainage, and power, and the door and window openings.
• Locate the existing services. Mark where the water, waste, and power already are, because keeping fixtures near them is the single biggest saving in a laundry.
• Decide what stays and what moves. Confirm which services are staying put and which are relocating, knowing that moving drainage is the most expensive change.

The planning stage is where the budget is set against reality, which is exactly what the laundry renovation cost guide is built to support.

The design checklist: layout, appliances, and storage

The design stage turns the brief into a layout the trades can build. The appliances drive everything here, so they are chosen first, not last:

• Choose the appliances first. Select the washer and dryer, and decide whether they sit side by side or stack, before the cabinetry is designed around them.
• Set the dryer type. Decide between a vented, condenser, or heat-pump dryer, because a vented dryer needs an external duct that has to be planned in.
• Position the tub and bench. Place the laundry tub and fold or sort bench where they work with the machines and the door swing.
• Plan the storage. Allow for shelving or cabinetry for detergents, baskets, and cleaning gear, plus a hanging rail or drying space.
• Map the power points. Plan enough sockets for the washer, dryer, and an iron at once, positioned clear of the water.

A laundry designed around the real appliances and the real tasks is a laundry that works. One designed before the machines are chosen is the most common way the room fails its owner.

The compliance checklist: consent, licensing, and the wet-area code

The compliance stage is where the laundry is treated with the seriousness its services demand. In New Zealand this is not optional, and it is checked before the build, not after:

• Confirm whether you need a building consent. Relocating drainage or water supply can require consent, so check with your local council before work starts.
• Engage licensed trades. Sanitary plumbing and drainlaying must be carried out or supervised by a licensed person, and the electrical work by a licensed electrician.
• Plan the wet-area protection. Specify waterproofing to AS/NZS 4858 and a floor waste, because the laundry is a wet area under Building Code clause E3.
• Provide ventilation. Confirm an openable window or mechanical extraction, which the Healthy Homes Standards require in rentals and every laundry needs regardless.
• Check residual current device protection. Ensure the wet-area circuits have the required protection, which a licensed electrician will confirm.

The MBIE Building Performance guidance sets out which work is restricted and what consent applies, and is worth checking against your specific project.

The build checklist: rough-in, waterproofing, and fit-out

The build stage is where the sequence becomes physical and irreversible. The order here is fixed, because each step seals in the one before it:

• Strip out and rough in. Remove the old fittings, then have the plumber and electrician set the water, waste, and power to the agreed positions.
• Install the floor waste. Confirm the floor waste is fitted and graded so water runs to it before anything is closed up.
• Waterproof the wet area. Apply the membrane to AS/NZS 4858 and have it checked before any tiling, because it cannot be verified once tiles are down.
• Tile and fit out. Lay the floor and any wall tiling over the membrane, then install cabinetry, the tub, and the bench.
• Connect and test the appliances. Have the machines connected by the licensed trades and run a full cycle to confirm supply, drainage, and power.

This is the same wet-area sequence the bathroom waterproofing guide sets out, applied to a smaller room with the same consequences if it is rushed.

The completion checklist: what to check before final payment

Within The 12-Phase System, the final payment is the last leverage the homeowner holds, so it is released only against a checked and verified room. Before paying the final amount, work through the completion checklist:

1. Run a full appliance cycle. Confirm the washer fills, drains, and spins, and the dryer runs and vents, with no leaks at any connection.
2. Check the floor waste and falls. Pour water on the floor and confirm it runs to the waste rather than pooling.
3. Inspect the wet-area finishes. Check grout, sealant around the tub and benches, and tile for any gaps that would let water through.
4. Confirm the documentation. Collect the waterproofing record, any consent sign-off, and the electrical certification, because these matter at sale and insurance time.
5. Compile a defects list. Note every outstanding item and have it rectified before the final payment is released, while the leverage to compel it still exists.

A laundry signed off against this checklist is a laundry that has been verified, not just finished. The two are not the same, and the difference is the money still held when the last details are being chased.

If the cost baseline is the right first step, use the free Renovation Cost Calculator — a trade-by-trade estimate for the specific laundry, in under 5 minutes, before any trade has quoted.

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a laundry renovation checklist?

A complete laundry renovation checklist runs in five stages: planning (brief, budget, measuring, locating services), design (appliances first, dryer type, tub and bench, storage, power points), compliance (consent, licensed trades, waterproofing, ventilation), build (rough-in, floor waste, waterproofing, fit-out, appliance connection), and completion (appliance test, floor falls, finishes, documentation, defects list). The order matters as much as the items.

What is the right order to renovate a laundry?

Plan and budget first, then design the layout around the chosen appliances, then confirm consent and licensed trades, then build in sequence: strip out and rough in, install the floor waste, waterproof, tile and fit out, and connect the appliances. Finish with the completion checks before final payment. Each step seals in the one before it, so working out of order means undoing finished work to correct it.

Do I choose appliances before or after designing the laundry?

Before. The washer and dryer, and whether they sit side by side or stack, drive the entire layout, the plumbing positions, and the power points. Designing the cabinetry first and choosing the machines afterwards is the most common laundry mistake, because the appliances then may not fit the space or the configuration that was built for them.

Does a laundry renovation need consent in New Zealand?

It depends on the work. A like-for-like replacement often does not, but relocating drainage or water supply can require a building consent, and sanitary plumbing and drainlaying must be carried out or supervised by a licensed person regardless. Check with your local council and a licensed plumber before starting, and keep the documentation, because it matters at sale and insurance time.

What should I check before paying the final invoice?

Run a full appliance cycle for leaks, pour water on the floor to confirm it drains to the floor waste, inspect grout and sealant around the tub and benches, collect the waterproofing record, consent sign-off, and electrical certification, and compile a defects list of any outstanding items. Have the defects rectified before releasing the final payment, while the leverage to compel the work still exists.

Is a laundry really a wet area?

Yes. The washing machine discharges water under pump pressure, hoses can fail, and the tub can overflow, so New Zealand's Building Code clause E3, internal moisture, treats the laundry as a space needing protection. A tiled wet-area floor is waterproofed to AS/NZS 4858 and fitted with a floor waste, the same protection a bathroom receives and for the same reason.