Upstairs utility room?

[Goodwitch9]

At the moment my washing machine and tumble dryer are outside in the shed and it's pretty miserable sometimes, putting a wash on in the cold, rain and dark! I have a little spare bedroom next to my bathroom. Would it be crazy to move them up there? It has a hand basin so it must have plumbing I presume. It is currently carpeted; is that something I should change first?

Upstairs utility rooms have some massive pros, no lugging the washing downstairs etc. If you currently have to go to the shed this seems like a great idea.

It's worth considering.

What's your spare room currently used for, won't you miss it?

You could minimise their footprint by stacking them. And box them in so you could continue to use the room for something else?

My friend has washer and dryer (stacked) in a cupboard at the top.of the stairs ... genius!

I’d love to have an upstairs laundry room, but not sure how that would work with plumbing, noise, flooring. I’m in the U.K, and have a large airing cupboard that could easily fit a stackable washer/dryer.

yeah that's a good idea. I suppose you'll just have to run the washing machine during the day so it doesn't disturb you too much at night.

It’s a great idea but obviously you’d need to be mindful of leaks - is there a cupboard they can go in rather than spare room where you can put vinyl floor down? Having a hand basis will mean there is plumbing and waste - technically I would have thought washing machine is not classed as clean ease like out of the basin tap as it will contain washing chemicals so might need a separate waste? Also you will need really good ventilation and the dryer if it’s vented will need to be vented to the outside

I’d call it a laundry room - saves lugging clothes up and down

It’d be a massive upgrade to having all that stuff in the shed. I’d go for it.

99% of Washington comes from upstairs and goes back upstairs so I e never really understood why utilities are downstairs . I’d love one upstairs and have eyes up the space on one of the large landings more than once. I’d go for it myself

Washington !!!!

My cousin in USA has her laundry room upstairs in her home.

I dream of an upstairs laundry room, with a balcony so I can hang things out. I have very boring dreams.

Most of my Canadian relatives and friends have one upstairs too. So convenient. If anyone in the U.K had one fitted upstairs, what was the cost?

In the Uk there are two types of drain, surface water so off roofs and roads. Foul water which is anything from the house, all of it, soil pipes in bathrooms collect waste from the toilet, but also the sink and shower. In much older properties they have a combined drain but most have the two drain system above.

Therefore a washing machine can be plumbed into any waste that connects to a foul water drain including the current sink. It just needs a bit of thought depending on what pipework is there currently. YouTube is the best place to look at plumbing one in for drainage.

OP, you can buy leak detectors, we have one in the loft next to the water tanks and another under the sink. I would definitely move it into the house but you need to consider your subfloor. We are in a house with giant chipboard sheet flooring and we can make a wardrobe wobble if we walk in a certain spot. I would fix it but it requires a carpet being lifted.

Try it and see. They are incredibly heavy though so whoever is strong to help you move it. Dh and I lifted one in and out of our utility several times when we were having work done. Not the easiest but not impossible. Stairs would be something to consider. Have a look at things like moving straps to help carry stuff.

@Snoringdogsfarting Washington! That is what she should call the room. The Washington Room, like posh hotel

You can buy giant plastic trays to stand the washing machine in, which will hold the water in the event of a leak.

I like to hang my washing outdoors when the weather allows (because its free and I love the smell) so I would have a washing machine downstairs.

Use a rubber Antivibration washing machine mat to prevent movement.

That’s a good point actually. I love line dried washing and I don’t think that many of the American people with an upstairs Washington Room will often peg out, if at all.

If that room is near another bedroom I wouldn't be too keen. We use our washing machine at night for cheap rate electricity so I wouldn't like to hear it.

This too! Any chance I get I hang out outside.

This can be a brilliant idea. 2 potential pitfalls that are solvable so long as you think about them in advance:
Look at the floor of the upstairs room and what it's made of. If it's just floorboards on rafters, the noise and vibration of the spin cycle is going to be transmitted all over the house including downstairs to the rooms underneath. As you remodel the room to become a utility room don't stint on the flooring and include an insulation layer..
Both washing machines and tumble driers make the air around them damp. You need to put in a strong extractor fan and position it well so that there aren't dead zones of poor air circulation where damp will accumulate and mould will grow.

Also think about whether any noise or vibrations will transmit to your neighbours if you have a shared wall in that room.

If you do, it must be called the Washington suite.

Instead of "lugging" dry washing downstairs she would be lugging wet washing downstairs if she wants to hang it out. As she has a shed I assume she has a garden.

Don't you line dry your washing outside?