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.

We had a laundry cupboard built when we redesigned the kitchen in our flat. It has a drier stacked on top of the washer, with a shelf above for detergents.

There is space on the side for a broom and ironing board. In addition to that there is a cupboard for the hoover.

The kitchen designer came round to have a look at what we own / use and designed the space to fit.

@givethatbabyaname

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.

We have laundry hampers in bedrooms, not the bathroom. And no airing cupboard. But I do like the design of having the washing machine in the bathroom, as seems to be common elsewhere in Europe.

@jgjgjgjgjg

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

I’ve got one of those, it’s quite big. I’ve been in houses that wouldn’t have the space for one.

The ban on drying on balconies is ridiculous but having a utility room in a small flat would be such a waste of space. I lived in a flat in Germany where we had a communal washing machine, tumble dryer and airers in the basement which worked well.

I live in a Victorian house which wasn’t designed for it obviously because the machines weren’t invented then. I hang my washing on airers and radiators, was thinking about getting a ceiling airer over the stairs but no idea how I’d install it.

Yanbu. I also think they're badly planned for dining. Kitchens rarely have space for a table although this seems common to houses as well at least here in South East new builds. Dining generally done in the living room which is rarely right next to or opposite the kitchen!!!

@givethatbabyaname my bathroom is downstairs as well! No plumbing upstairs except the radiators. Also the whole upstairs is the two bedrooms so there wouldn’t be anywhere for a washing machine to go except in one of them. Almost all the houses in my area are like this (Victorian 2 up 2 downs).

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.

I don't think plugs are allowed in UK bathrooms - only shaving plugs and they seem rare now.

Plus it's usually near downstairs garden doors in houses as we do traditionally dry outside as much as possible- makes much less sense in flats but probably convention to have them in kichen because of house layouts so becomes expected.

In US where they don't tend to dry outside it doese make more sense to have washing facilities either in bedrooms or somewhere else upstairs near where most of it is produced.

I agree, though going to add that it's not just down to the architects. An architect friend often finds clients will come back to him asking him for 'extra' space to be cut from each flat so they can fit in another unit.

Yanbu. I did a house build recently and I could not get the ‘architect’ to grasp that laundry must be hung up to dry. He told me just to tumble dry everything 😐

After it was done I saw a tv architect who build a laundry room with underfloor heating and a dehumidifier at head height - wish I’d known that was possible!!

@lifeuphigh

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'm in the US in a two-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs. The laundry room is also upstairs. It makes so much sense; the only laundry that is generated from downstairs are kitchen and hand towels.

@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.

I don't think you've got that right.

I think it's you must have somewhere to wash and dry clothes.
So washing machine space and the drying can either a washer / dryer which the flat was probably sold with to get the completion certificate or it can mean a drying area (whirlie, or clothes poles) outside.

It's apparent to me that many houses are designed by people who don't have to deal with housework and children.

I lived in a big 5 bedroom newish house that only had space for one small under the counter fridge for example.

Another friend's house had french doors, radiators and windows in 3 of her living room walls meaning it was awkward putting furniture in.

Laundry is something everyone has to deal with so it would make sense to have something purpose built. Maybe a big pairing cupboard where the boiler is so that it is always warm etc.

@rifling

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.

I don’t think most do, I don’t have a tumble dryer or dish washer and don’t know anyone that does!

I have a flat in a block that was converted from a warehouse mid 1980's - we have a communal laundry room.
I choose not to use the tumble driers; I have a spin dryer in my flat which is brilliant, no larger than a kitchen waste bin - after using that, most things dry on an airer overnight, or at most overnight plus a day while I'm out at work anyway.

YABU OP. The designs are shit. We Brits used to scoff at the standard of buildings abroad, but we are utterly shit at it too.

I live in a flat, would love a house with a utility as we are a family of 4. We have two bathrooms (no windows and shit extractors) one which isn't really needed and the space would be used better as a cupboard.

They are built to be second/holiday homes and not homes for people to actually live in. I think this is part of the issue. Property developers putting profit above functionality and comfort and there is also the issue of obstructive planning regs. We need to build more new towns with job opportunities instead of shoehorning houses into tiny bits of brownfield land in the middle of busy urban areas. The quality of the homes would be better.

FWIW there is no law against drying laundry on balconies. We have the same rule here and nobody listens to it. Dry your clothes outside. It is a ridiculous rule that causes damp and health issues, and if you tumble dry, it is also expensive and bad for the environment. If people can't stand the sight of laundry drying then they need to get a grip, and a life while they are at it.

Since moving to Finland I've realised how badly UK houses and flats are designed, in terms of storage and suchlike, and laundry too. For instance in the kitchen there's all that wasted space above the wall units - here they are built up to the ceiling so all the space is used and there's no dust gathering surfaces up the top, store rooms in flats are normal (doubling as bomb shelters...), big walk in cupboards, clothes rooms attached to bedrooms or then built in wardrobes/cupboards covering a whole wall. Even the social housing flats and house I've lived in have been decent, the last one had a big bathroom/utility room with washing machine and space for a dryer, with heated flooring and built in storage and sauna (of course)
Washing machines are usually in the bathroom and people dry on drying racks, rooms seem to be more spacious, always found room to put one somewhere in all the houses and flats I've lived in (but dryer air here so they dry overnight even in winter), in my house now there's built in washing lines in the upstairs loo and I keep an upright drying rack on the landing.
Sometimes there's communal drying rooms in flats, though after someone nicked my top from the one in the student flat, I never used them again. Probably less thieving in non-student flats!

I never understand why people ban drying on balconies and ban clothes lines, surely unless you are washing specialist bonadage kit there's nothing to be offended by? We have a small communal area with lines but its a PITA as some people always hog them and wash every day. Everyone need to dry laundry, it rains quite a lot and drying inside wastes power and can cause condensation.

@Whelmed Must depend on where you are in the SE.

All my family and friends who live outside London but in the SE have kitchens you can fit a dining room table for 4 people minimum in. The oldest house was built in the mid-1990s and the newest house was built in 2015.

Absolutely, I always say this. I wish laundry rooms were upstairs or in bathrooms. I'd rather have an upstairs laundry room than an en suite any day.

Also Americans and Australians at least are always horrified on Facebook groups at the idea of washing machines in kitchens. They think it is unhygienic, which is a very good point! I just think it's bonkers we haull all our dirty laundry downstairs and then back again several times a week. Obviously it's a hang up from past times but there is no excuse for new builds. I asked a new build planner if we could have a laundry room instead of en suite and they were totally perplexed and said they'd never been asked.

I agree. Also the amount of new builds where there is no space to put coats, boots and shoes as you come into a house.

Or that have no space somewhere appropriate to put ironing board, hoover etc.

Always many, many bloody en-suites though?!?

Useful downstairs next to the garden, but one of my pet hates is there is never enough space to hang towels in most houses

We have an upstairs utility room. It's brilliant.

It looks like the Scottish guidance dates from 2019 and re-introduces requirements pre-1986 to have drying facilities - this would have formerly been things like communal laundry rooms in flats.

It's ridiculous that it's not in the English building regulations especially given how strict they are in other sustainabilty aspects. And housebuilders are very set in their ways as to what they think customers will pay for. It's included in the BREEAM handbook but a lot of housebuilding doesn't follow it.

All that is needed is a ventilated space with a small radiator and a pull up airer or some other kind of hanging arrangement, and a line or space outdoors.

We've had a pull up airer in every house we've lived in, it's variously been in the kitchen, utility room and currently lives in a draughty car port/garage.

I'm happy to have the washing machine on the ground floor as we line dry at least 70% of the time.

It's also the case that most UK houses have wooden floorboards upstairs so a washing machine would be very noisy. It would also be a huge job to get a washing machine up and down narrow often curved staircases.