Dear Ed: We’re planning a new home, and for the first time I’ll have my laundry room in the living area of our home. This will be a finished area with cabinets, shelving and countertops. I don’t want a laundry tub with legs. Any recommendations on the type of sink I should install?

— Mona, New Jersey

A: Living area laundry rooms are fast becoming standard installs in many homes. Not only are these rooms convenient; if designed properly, they can add extra value to your home.

No matter how nice you make your new laundry area, keep in mind this will still be a working utility room. So, I recommend installing a top-mount cast-iron utility sink in the counter area.

A utility sink is a deep single-bowl sink designed to handle laundry and cleanup tasks. While available in different materials, enameled cast iron can give you beautiful color choices and great strength.

Bottom line: A high-end residential utility sink for your laundry room can work like a mule and show off like a peacock.

Hello, Ed: I installed a beautiful kitchen faucet and it got me thinking about solving an existing plumbing issue. We’re on a concrete slab with the water heater located in the garage. The kitchen is on the other side of the house and we have to run the faucet a long time to get hot water. I’m tired of the wait. Any ideas?

— Paul, Georgia

A: Once hot water cools off, it needs to be cleared out of the line to get new hot water to the faucet. The longer the water line, the longer the wait for hot water.

Basically, you have a couple of choices to help you with this issue. First, look into installing a point-of-use water heater under the kitchen sink. These small electric water heaters supply hot water quickly to the faucet while waiting for the house hot water to catch up.

Second, a residential recirculating hot water system can be installed. The system keeps hot water moving around the house and cuts down on the wait time. A plumber can guide you on which one of these hot ideas can work best for your home.

Dear Ed: My proposed kitchen remodel will include new appliances, countertops, a sink and a faucet. Since I plan to use efficient appliances, I also want an efficient kitchen faucet. Can you please go over some water-saving kitchen faucet information?

— Sasha, Mississippi

A: In past years, water-saving kitchen faucets have not received as much attention as water-saving bathroom faucets. The thinking was in the kitchen a lot of the water use was to fill things like pots for cooking and cups for drinking. What difference would it make if the faucet used less gallons per minute (gpm), since the end goal was to fill up the pot or cup? However, even with a dishwasher, pots, pans, cups and dishes do get washed in the sink as well.

So, since every drop counts, there is a new push to start installing water-saving kitchen faucets. Usually an efficient kitchen faucet uses less than 1.9 gpm. But, don’t be a drip. Check local codes and choose an approved water-saving kitchen faucet for your area.

Master contractor/plumber Ed Del Grande is the author of “Ed Del Grande’s House Call.”