Can the dryer vent run through the basement joists to the side of the house?

Usually, within the 2021 IRC limit: 35 feet of 4-inch metal duct, less 5 feet for each sharp 90-degree elbow and 2.5 feet for each 45. It ends outdoors with a backdraft damper and no screen, 3 feet from openings unless the dryer maker says otherwise. HomeGuide puts a new vent through the wall at $200 to $800.

Does moving the washer and dryer to the basement need a SoCoBD permit?

If plumbing, wiring or venting changes, yes. SoCoBD issues separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits, and with a building permit each one adds a $50 attachment fee. Closing in a furnace or water heater beside the laundry needs a permit too. Painting, tile and carpet on their own don't, so a cosmetic refresh of an existing laundry may not.

Basement Laundry Rooms in Pueblo, CO

Basement Laundry Room Layouts for Pueblo Homes

Where the washer hookups, water heater and furnace already sit in the basement, the layout question is how much of that corner becomes finished space and how much stays a utility area.

A stacked washer and dryer in a finished basement laundry closet with bifold doors open

Laundry Closets and Alcoves

A closet or alcove holds a side-by-side or stacked pair behind doors and takes the least floor area. HomeGuide's size bands put a closet or small laundry of 10 to 30 square feet at $1,400 to $7,500.

Placement: HomeGuide notes that a dryer away from an exterior wall may need several cuts through walls or floors to vent, and that running ducts through basement joists costs more.
Ceiling height: laundry spaces can be a little lower than living rooms (ceiling height rules).

A basement laundry room with a front-load washer and dryer beside a deep utility sink and a folding counter

Full Laundry Rooms with a Utility Sink

A full room adds a sink, a counter and space to sort and hang clothes. HomeGuide puts a 35 to 60 square foot laundry room at $5,000 to $15,000 and a 60 to 80 square foot one at $8,500 to $20,000.

Utility sink: $330 to $1,350 installed (HomeGuide).
Draining into the sink: the 2021 IRC allows a laundry tray to receive a washer's discharge. Where the tray drains into the washer standpipe, the standpipe rises at least 30 inches above its trap weir and the tray outlet sits within 30 inches of it.
Below the sewer line: a basement sink or washer that can't drain by gravity needs a pump; see basement bathroom drains for ejectors and backwater valves.

A basement utility room with a washer and dryer on one wall and a furnace and water heater behind an open louvered partition

Laundry and Mechanical Room Combos

Putting the laundry beside the furnace and water heater keeps all the plumbing and venting in one area. SoCoBD says enclosing a furnace and water heater in a basement needs a permit.

What the enclosure must keep: access to the units, clearances to equipment, combustion air and make-up air (SoCoBD).
Swelling clay: the Colorado Geological Survey suggests a flexible connection between a basement furnace and its ductwork where the slab can move (framing on Pueblo soils).

A finished basement laundry wall with upper cabinets, open shelving and a long laminate folding counter over the machines

Laundry with Storage and Folding Space

A laundry often doubles as household storage. HomeGuide's component prices:

Cabinets: $300 to $2,000; open shelving $100 to $500.
Countertops: $50 to $150 per square foot installed.
Flooring: $4 to $15 per square foot; pick something that tolerates water (basement flooring).
Light fixtures: $100 to $700 each.

Rigid foam insulation boards on a concrete basement wall with new wood stud framing in front of them and a stack of studs on the slab

Why Pueblo homeowners call Pueblo Basement Finishing

Free to call or send the form
One local contractor gets your request, not a bidding list
Ask for each trade and the permit fee as its own line
Tie payments to passed inspections, the last one to the final

Basement Laundry Room Code Points

These come from the 2021 IRC, which SoCoBD enforces in the City of Pueblo. Confirm local amendments with SoCoBD.

Dryer exhaust duct
smooth-interior metal, at least No. 28 gauge, 4 inches in diameter, supported at least every 12 feet. Booster fans are not allowed.
Duct length
35 feet maximum, measured from the transition duct to the outlet. A 4-inch-radius mitered 90-degree elbow counts as 5 feet and a mitered 45 as 2 feet 6 inches, unless the dryer maker's instructions set the length.
Termination
outside the house, with a backdraft damper and no screen, at least 3 feet from openings if the maker doesn't specify. HomeGuide notes that indoor vents usually aren't code-compliant and that plastic and foil ducts break code in some areas.
Laundry circuit
at least one 20-amp branch circuit serving only the laundry receptacles. HomeGuide puts a dedicated 220-volt dryer circuit at $250 to $800.
Standpipe
18 to 42 inches above the trap weir.
Trades
electricians and plumbers in Colorado hold state licenses, and SoCoBD charges $50 per plumbing, mechanical or electrical sub-permit attached to a building permit.

Basement Laundry Room Costs and Timeline

HomeGuide's national figures:

Minor refresh
$1,500 to $5,000 for paint, shelving and new machines.
Average remodel
$5,000 to $15,000, adding flooring and cabinets.
Major remodel
$15,000 to $30,000 or more with layout changes; about $140 to $250 per square foot overall.
Moving washer hookups
$500 to $2,000; rerouting drain pipe $300 to $800.
New dryer vent through a wall
$200 to $800.
Washer and dryer set
$1,000 to $2,300.
Timeline
one to four weeks or more, depending on the changes and material lead times.

Send the room size and where the hookups, water heater and furnace sit now, and the contractor can tell you what moving them involves. Ask for the dryer duct route and length shown on the plan.

Basement Laundry Rooms in Pueblo