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.

Our British "bog standard house" architecture is piss poor. I also hate how they've been building the same style of house over and over since 1985, like the big companies paid for the plans once and thought "fuck it, we'll just keep building these ones". At least in the 60s and 70s houses had a bit of character and nice big windows.
Shouldn't complain, the new build I grew up in had a tiny utility room and borderline decent driveway space at least.

You can put a drier in any room. Just vent it out the window. It's not that big a deal.

Laundry rooms were down stairs as a throw back to people hanging clothes out.

YANBU - men designing everything problem.

We put an upstairs laundry cupboard in our house when we had some building work - love having the washing machine upstairs!

Upon asking what exactly people were supposed to do with their washing following a snotty letter to all tenants saying it was now a breach of the tenancy to dry clothes indoors as it would cause mould, they informed me that there was a launderette 340 yards away. It didn't seem to matter that the launderette, shop and old people's home had been compulsorily purchased by the same council in 1993 and they had sold the land off for flats.

I think that takes the . Even if they hadn't sold off the land with the launderette, it's unbelievable that they would consider forcing the entire estate to traipse to the launderette (and presumably pay through the nose for the privilege) every couple of days rather than allow them any means of doing their laundry at home.

@gamerchick

You can put a drier in any room. Just vent it out the window. It's not that big a deal.

Any room with a window and some space. Lots of people don't have that, plus would you want to share your bedroom with a dryer? Or have one in your lounge? Even if there was space?

I'm bemused by the "Blame the male architects!" & "UK flats are terribly designed" answers... coz male architects don't exist outside the UK, obviously.

Any room with a window and some space. Lots of people don't have that, plus would you want to share your bedroom with a dryer? Or have one in your lounge? Even if there was space?

Still an option. Depends on how much you want a drier.

Our condenser dryer doesn’t need a window or plumbing. It has a tank and you tip the water down the the sink when you’ve finished.

I try not to use it but it’s a godsend in bad weather for towels.

You need one of those ceiling pulley dryers. They get clothes dry ( but assume relatively igh ceilings)

I lived in a flat in Stockholm and there was a communal laundry room in the basement (down a very scary staircase i hated going down there) with washers and dryers. You had to book a time in advance.

Scottish Building Regs state:

Indoor drying space - ... a designated space for the drying of washing should be provided ... in addition to the external space.

The designated space may be either:

capable of allowing a wall mounted appliance which may, for example be fixed over a bath, or

capable of allowing a ceiling-mounted pulley arrangement, or

a floor space ... on which to set out a clothes horse.

The designated space should have a volume of at least 1m3 and should have no dimension less than 700mm. The designated space should allow space for at least 1.7m of clothes line.

There are separate regs relating to the ventilation of this space.

My first property was a 1900s tenement flat. Laundry would have been done in the coal fired boiler house in the garden, and then carried up 3 flights of stairs, and then up a loft ladder to be dried in the attic space. Each flat had a dedicated laundry day specified in the Title Deeds. Mine was a Wednesday.

I've lived in 3 flats abroad and none had any kind of laundry provision. At least they were in warmer countries than the UK so stuff dried quicker on an airer.

@gogohm

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

That falls down when you have about 6'of work top so by the time you have positioned your microwave and kettle, you barely have room to plate up dinner for 4. Forget room for a stand mixer or slow cooker. Kitchens are just too small. Houses should not have less kitchen plus utility space than bathroom space but so many do.

@JamMakingWannaBe

Scottish Building Regs state:

Indoor drying space - ... a designated space for the drying of washing should be provided ... in addition to the external space.

The designated space may be either:

capable of allowing a wall mounted appliance which may, for example be fixed over a bath, or

capable of allowing a ceiling-mounted pulley arrangement, or

a floor space ... on which to set out a clothes horse.

The designated space should have a volume of at least 1m3 and should have no dimension less than 700mm. The designated space should allow space for at least 1.7m of clothes line.

There are separate regs relating to the ventilation of this space.

My first property was a 1900s tenement flat. Laundry would have been done in the coal fired boiler house in the garden, and then carried up 3 flights of stairs, and then up a loft ladder to be dried in the attic space. Each flat had a dedicated laundry day specified in the Title Deeds. Mine was a Wednesday.

That would be useless to us. We have an incontinent teen and everyday is laundry day. All day!

I just want to hang my washing out TBH
Ten gardens in a row. Nine can hang washing but I can't as it's an apartment

If it's really warm then my nice neighbour lets me lift my airer over the fence so it's "legal" because her garden is a house so no lease terms

@gamerchick

Any room with a window and some space. Lots of people don't have that, plus would you want to share your bedroom with a dryer? Or have one in your lounge? Even if there was space?

Still an option. Depends on how much you want a drier.

I would say that a flat in which the only place to dry laundry is the lounge/living room is pretty much the dictionary definition of "badly designed when it comes to doing laundry".

@YeOldeTrout

I'm bemused by the "Blame the male architects!" & "UK flats are terribly designed" answers... coz male architects don't exist outside the UK, obviously.

It's Mumsnet, men are responsible for everything from causing the menopause to Brexit.

Houses in Britain used to be better designed. My parents live in a council house. There is a large walk-in cupboard downstairs to store stuff like the hoover, an airing cupboard upstairs, and an old fashioned clothes dryer from the ceiling in the bathroom.

@Monopolyiscrap

Houses in Britain used to be better designed. My parents live in a council house. There is a large walk-in cupboard downstairs to store stuff like the hoover, an airing cupboard upstairs, and an old fashioned clothes dryer from the ceiling in the bathroom.

Definitely. I had a 3 bed ex council house previously Two massive storage cupboards in the porch, great for DIY/garden/wellies Upstairs built in cupboard with rails and shelves plus an airing cupboard. Huge rooms too Estate agent said it was a tardis

Moved into my apartment and was "well where do you put the hoover? Ironing board?"

I think it’s because unfortunately designing a house or flat with as many bathrooms en-suites/bedrooms as possible takes priority as this is one factor that can enable a higher value to be placed on a property, eg lots of new build four beds aren’t really four decent bedrooms, one is often a box room, imagine if that was a laundry room, how sensible and useful to the resident but then it’s a three bed house that they can’t sell for as much…. Also separate dining rooms… don’t get me
Started, especially ones down a corridor away from the kitchen… just so they can market the house as having extra reception room perhaps…some new builds are huge floor plans but carved up into a series of small rooms with tiny after thought utility rooms….and single fridge over freezer things in large five beds…. Where do they think food for all the people in the five bed house
Will fit??! Sorry can you tell I’ve had new builds and hate them for the above (love them for some reasons honest…) I think laundry rooms are an excellent idea and should be near the bedrooms/bathrooms not miles away crammed into a pokey utility in the furthest corner of the huge floor plan.

Council houses were well designed but the priority was different. It was about getting people healthy houses, with there own loo rather than sharing a toilet on the stairs or in an outhouse.
Children were expected to share bedrooms rather than private houses where children expect to have their own room.

They just built a very posh new estate, most houses there cost upwards 300k. Yet there's no space for dryers anywhere. Most people are keeping them in their sheds at the bottom of their gardens.

@Lockdownbear I grew up in a series of council houses and never shared a bedroom. They all had 3 double bedrooms, so only families with more than 2 children had children sharing rooms.