AIBU to think UK houses and flats are badly designed when it comes to doing laundry?

[YellowBalloonsandOrangeBaboons]

Inspired by moving into an otherwise lovely flat, built in the 90s, which has no utility room (obviously), no space for a tumble dryer, no garden, and a rule for the whole development which prohibits drying washing on balconies. It's got me thinking about all the houses and flats I have lived in in the UK - at least 7, of very different sizes and types, and in different areas - and I have come to the conclusion that architects are spectacularly crap at designing properties as they never routinely seem to take account of something as basic as washing and drying clothes. The only one I have ever lived in that had a purpose-built utility room was built in an extension. Another was old and huge and had a room converted into a second kitchen-cum-utility room. Everywhere else, drying washing has been a monumental, daily pain in the arse.

I just don't get it. It's not a secret that UK weather is generally cold and wet for a good part of the year, meaning that even if you're lucky enough to have a private garden you can't really dry washing there for half the year. Hanging washing all over the house means excess clutter, looks terrible, and creates dreadful problems with damp unless it's hot enough to have the windows open. Now that increasing numbers of flats are being built with no gardens, the problem will surely only get worse. I get even more confused by new builds without gardens that have multiple en suite bathrooms but still no utility room. Why isn't designing somewhere purpose-built to dry your clothes considered a basic in architecture, in much the same way as designing places to eat, sleep and shower? It's rare to design a new flat without at least a second loo now, for example, so it's not like it's just a space consideration. AIBU?

I'd be fascinated to know whether other countries (especially ones without acres of space per property) share this problem, or whether there are any more modern solutions out there.

Council and social housing properties are designed for people to actually live in them not just for aesthetics.

Which is why I said I can understand why other places would ban it because it doesn’t look good. Though I do know council new builds that don’t allow washing to be hung outside

@JamMakingWannaBe

In Scotland, the Building Regs dictate that space has to be made for drying laundry indoors. Maybe it's not the same in other parts of the UK. Many old properties have ceiling airers.

Our Scottish flat, built in 2007, has no space for drying washing. If this has been introduced since then it's a good idea. We do have a large boxroom which combined with a dehumidifier is useful for drying clothes (or they go on an airer beside the open balcony doors on suitable days).

@RedWingBoots

I don't really get the "hanging washing out spoils the look of a place" thing.

Housing to design to be looked at but not lived in.

This seems to be getting worse, not better - all the new housing around here is built for aesthetics, rather than for living.

Balconies are built to look pretty, but are positioned by passing busy roads where no-one would want to sit. (Perhaps if they put them at the back they'd a) be more useful and b) it wouldn't matter so much if people dried washing on them.)

Houses are built higgledy-piggledy, so avoid that straight line estate look, leaving shaded gardens in weird shapes.

*Council and social housing properties are designed for people to actually live in them not just for aesthetics.

Though some of the around me in London look good.*

Yes - I don't see why looking half-decent and being functional should necessarily have to be opposites. If your local London designers can do that, why can't all of them.

For example, our balconies are open, so everyone would be able to see your bras and pants hanging out even if it were allowed. I wouldn't necessarily be keen to do that myself. But it wouldn't be difficult to design closed balconies with attractive covers. Or to put in ceiling racks in bathrooms with functional extractor fans, plus a utility cupboard. And I would expect that trained architects should be able come up with far more innovative ideas than I can!

We use a dribuddy by a slightly ajar window in the square access outside the bathroom. Not great, and definitely not visually great , but needs must. No room for a tumble dryer in the kitchen where the washing machine is..

A dehumidifier is a game changer (though you'll still have to display clothes indoors so can look a bit messy)

I have a washer/dryer and use the dryer for thirty mins so clothes aren’t very wet. Then I transfer the clothes to radiators behind closed curtains and hang some stuff above (my view is awful so I keep them closed anyway). I don’t have damp/mould and it’s all hidden.

I must be the only person who has turned their utility room...into an office! I do have room for the washer and tumble-drier elsewhere, and so didn't want a whole room dedicated to laundry as that's not my priority in life.

Do agree though that UK houses are very poorly designed. My washing machine is in a cupboard, inspired by a flat I had abroad, and it means the whole powder/conditioner/noise is contained, often abroad they have the tumble-drier on the top as well and it just contains the whole laundry thing into one small cupboard.

We've actually got a dehumidifier already. It's noisy, bulky, expensive to run with fuel prices as they are, and we still seem to need the window ajar to prevent mould. But the main issue is that it and the drying rack currently live in the spare room. With DC2 on the way we won't have a spare room for much longer. After that the laundry will only increase, and the space for drying it will decrease. There is literally no space in our own bedroom to have it there, barely space in the bathroom (would be constantly falling over it to get to the loo), and we wouldn't be able to have the heated airer plugged in there as no sockets. So annoying! Yet this flat is designed as a (admittedly, "compact"!) flat for a family of four to live in.

YABU. In Switzerland flats have drying rooms - usually in the basement, well ventilated, often with a drying fan. Lots of washing line.
However sometimes you have to share the washer and dryer on a rota with all other flat inhabitants.
If you have your own washer dryer then sometimes this is in it’s own utility room, with a large sink.
We live in a house and I love my wash room. It’s in the basement, well ventilated. We have a tumble dryer too, washing line and space for a ironing board. I have a shelving unit for dirty and clean clothes.
The only thing I would like is a hatch to chuck clothes down there - but I have a teen DS whose designated chore is to bring the dirty washing down.

Yup. It’s utterly shit.

Apartments in the US are typically much better designed. All the 1bed flats I looked at when living there, has a big built-in wardrobe with bifold doors just inside by the front door,to hang up coats, and put away shoes and a shelf above the hanging rail for extra storage. Floor plans generally seemed to flow better, and the bedroom had built-in wardrobe as standard. Most Apartment buildings had a basement with laundry facilities and a giant boiler, eehich served the entire building. Each flat had a thermostat to control the temperature within the flat. UK flats and houses are designed to be as inefficient as possible.

You do realise a lot of houses in this country were built before washing machines and tumble dryers were invented. Then when they were laundrettes were probably more of a thing. Even growing up in the 80s, not everyone had a tumble dryer. I think it's only in the last couple of decades every family had a washer and dryer and dish washer as standard.

In India, Australia, People don't usually have dryers, but they do have enough sun through the year to hang clothes in the balcony, garden, or even inside the house in the hallway from ceiling racks.

Surely everyone has room for a Lakeland heated airer or similar? Combined with a washer dryer for emergencies that should suffice.

Washing should always be allowed on balconies. It's unethical to make people use energy to dry laundry when the weather does it for free.

I think a lot of people who design houses have never actually ran a home.

Its all about what sells, people want all the en suites etc. They don't think about the practicalities. My partner is a builder and sees it the whole time, people come with house and every bedroom is ensuite, they like we need it, he like really ? how often will it be used realistically and that's like x amount of extra bathrooms you need to clean weekly plus pay for kitting it out. He did a house last year that he did what was suppose to be three ensues ( they also had a main bathroom) into walk in wardrobes plus space for a laundry room upstairs off the landing. The clients were convinced that they need the en suites. We in fact building our house and i have created a laundry room upstairs right next to our master suite no more running up and down stairs with clothing and will have a pull down heated rack to dry what cant go into the dryer. In pervious house had a plant room and it was great was able to spread the rack out and the heat dried the clothes so easy and was able to close the door so no one saw it. Now in rental ( only just done up) and the bright spark of a landlord decided to reduce the bathroom size and make a second loo ( its a two and half bed) no room for hoover ironing board etc and bathroom no room to put drying rack. So annoying- second loo currently being used as storage for my hoover ironing board etc and drying rack is in the kitchen in my way - hate it

YANB at all U. Before living in this house we always had the washing machine in the kitchen. Our last house was a really lovely, spacious 4 bed built in the 60s which had 3 toilets (2 of which were in bathrooms) and 3 living type rooms as well as a massive kitchen/diner - and no utility.

When we bought this house, a utility room was a non-negotiable for me - and it's glorious.

I used to live in the States and almost everyone had a tumble dryer, they were tucked into the tiniest of spaces. That in itself was a bit odd because there was no real culture of hanging clothes out to dry, even though they had amazing weather all summer. So, massive energy wastage. My flat there we had shared washing facilities in the basement similar to a PP in Germany.

We in fact building our house and i have created a laundry room upstairs right next to our master suite no more running up and down stairs with clothing

That's another thing you see a lot in the US and makes so much sense! When we do have utility rooms here, they are almost always downstairs/next to the kitchen.

I think it's only in the last couple of decades every family had a washer and dryer and dish washer as standard.
Do most people have a dryer? I only gotmine 2 years ago - 30 years after leaving home. I know lots of people without.

They vary, I've got space for a washer and dryer (2008 house)

You can stack on top of the worktop (dryer on top) did this at my old house

@Octomore

Not just laundry, UK houses and flats are usually craply designed when it comes to porch space for boots/coats too. How many people struggle to find somewhere to hang their coats in a narrow hall?

When I stay overseas, I see houses that are often much better designed.

It is a very middle-aged fantasy, but a porch and a utility room is my fantasy.

@jgjgjgjgjg

Surely everyone has room for a Lakeland heated airer or similar? Combined with a washer dryer for emergencies that should suffice.

We have a small airer, not heated as I don't want the extra cost. But it has to go in the living room, or else in a bedroom, and it's depressing and studenty.

I’ve never understood why the washing machine goes in the kitchen in the U.K. It’s probably there because there’s plumbing there. But there’s plumbing in the bathroom.

Why take dirty clothes, sheets and towels off upstairs, bring them to the food preparation area, wash them, dry them somewhere else, take them back upstairs? Why not put the washing machine in the bathroom, next to the laundry hamper? Airing cupboards are generally upstairs, as is the hot water tank. It makes no sense.

As for flats: yes. Generally speaking, unless you are super rich and can afford a massive flat in the center of the city and want that location for the same price as a house in the suburbs, flats are generally tight space-wise. But I would gladly increase the size of a bathroom to make space for laundry facilities, and decrease the bedroom or living room size.