Budget friendly & space efficient service yard (without any carpentry)

115

Minimalist
HDB (Resale)
~1,000 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

Our service yard was one of those “let’s just do the bare minimum” areas when budgeting for reno. Since we re-tiled the entire house (a chunky 35% of our reno cost), this was where we decided to dial it back a little and not have any carpentry or built ins. That said, we still wanted the space to work hard for us. To make the area feel more open and accessible, we hacked one of the two walls between the kitchen and service yard. This created a seamless flow and made it easier to access the fridge, which we placed in the yard.
On the other side, we used fluted glass to conceal the washer and dryer without blocking out natural light so it remains functional and pleasing to the eye.
To save floor space, we stacked the washer and dryer vertically. Thanks to Gain City for helping us secure the units properly using a compact but effective bracket which is super stable even when both appliances are in use. It's also reinforced by a harness that secures both washer dryer.
The small bracket between the two machines is retractable to save space, it's mainly for laundry purposes but sometimes we place groceries like milk or veggies there when unloading the fridge, or pouring ourselves drinks. It really works!!
Next to the machines, we installed our Dreame self-cleaning robot vacuum and bought a vertical storage unit that stands above it. That storage has been a game changer as it holds all our floor cleaning supplies, laundy pegs, dryer sheets, and more. The storage doors can slide up and slot into the top of each compartment, making it easy to retrieve things and multitask when clearing the laundry.
One tip: if you’re planning to do the same, make sure to get your robot vacuum’s dimensions i.e. both the height and width of the robot and the machine attachment (plus robot turning clearance) before purchasing any shelving so it can move around freely.
On the other side of the yard is our fridge — and not just any fridge. We opted for a huge one with an ice maker because we do a lot of meal prep and home-cooked food, especially for our senior doggo (he takes up more freezer space than us for real). Since the fridge takes up a good amount of space, we used the narrow gap beside it to mount a wall organiser for cleaning supplies like our mop, lint brush and to keep messy plastic bags well hidden.
We also found these genius magnetic stands from Daiso that hold our hangers — super affordable and keeps things tidy.
While we managed to conceal our cleaning laundry bag (the one for rags and carpets) at the other side of the narrow gap along the fridge, we didn't manage to do so for our regular laundry bag. So we went the aesthetic route with a fun cup noodle themed one for that nostalgic vibe. It adds a cute statement to our practical space.
There’s also a small pocket of space between the fridge and the start of our kitchen carpentry, which was just the right size to slide in our 20L dustbin. It’s tucked away yet totally accessible, and makes the whole area feels neat yet functional.
Some things we intentionally left out: we didn’t install a laundry rack since we mostly rely on the HDB poles outside or use the dryer. We also skipped having a sink in the yard and just use the kitchen sink for handwashing. No fan needed either, because our ceiling-mounted swivel fan in the kitchen is positioned perfectly to reach into the yard when it turns.
Our least prioritised space turned into something of a win that fitted our lifestyle so well, and we're really proud of it!