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Original poster

Washing machine 'house' in the garden?

18 replies

hanette · 12/01/2014 22:29

Has anyone every installed a shed-like (waterproof) building in the garden on the outside of a kitchen wall to house a washer/dryer? Anything I should consider and any idea what it would cost? Experiences and advice much appreciated

OP posts:
mrsseed · 12/01/2014 22:32

MIL has one...took me years to work out where it was! seems to work for her. Just make sure pipes are well insulated to reduce risk of bursts.

steppemum · 12/01/2014 22:40

hmm, I can just imagine last week in the pouring rain and muddy underfoot, trying to track in and out with washing, especially nice clean washing.
It would have to be a very nice 'hut' and have a covered walkway to backdoor.

Original poster
hanette · 12/01/2014 22:45

Thanks both - it's a house I'm going to offer on next week and it's the only thing I need to change - mrsseed if your MIL had one it must be possible then! Was it housed in a brick structure?

OP posts:
Original poster
hanette · 12/01/2014 22:46

PS it would be just outside the kitchen door so hopefully not too much of a PITA!

OP posts:
Mandy21 · 13/01/2014 00:10

We kind of have one, albeit that its joined onto the back of the house. Have to go out of the kitchen door, walk 6 or 7 steps into utility room entrance. I think it works brilliantly. Permanently has windows open so lots of fresh air, rarely use dryer now (also in there), just hang everything in there to dry. Chaos that is laundry away from house, don't have to look at it, have it hanging round the house.

echt · 13/01/2014 04:05

Ooh, years ago I looked at house like this. I rather liked it, precisely because you could dry indoors, windows open.

Then I thought of the outdoor laundry bit from "Hallowe'en".

Mrsladybirdface · 13/01/2014 05:50

ours it's in our detached garage and it's fine. our house is a bungalow with the kitchen in the centre of the house so an internal washing machine would be noisy.

we have an internal isolator for if we have a big freeze but so far I've never had to use it

Lucylouby · 13/01/2014 11:16

My aunt had a washer in her detached garage. She doesn't use it when it's really cold in case the pipes freeze. I have no idea how likely this is, I've never asked but I guess something to bear in mind. I tend to put a wash on in the evening after children are in bed, then hang it to dry over night. I wouldn't want to trek outside in the cold to do this, but if you are not bothered about the cold and dark, it would be fine.

Original poster
hanette · 13/01/2014 12:04

That's great - thanks everyone. Echt eeek to the Halloween reference! Shock

OP posts:
LooseTheBlubber · 13/01/2014 13:07

I saw a house with that set up, it actually attracted me to it. They had a covered walkway from the kitchen door to the outside utility room. The utility room had a window and I liked the fact you could also dry clothes on a clothes horse in there too.

NorbertDentressangle · 13/01/2014 13:18

Before we had children we once rented a house with the washing machine in a separate, brick-built summerhouse/utility room (only a few metres from the back door).

We never had any problems with pipes freezing but it was a PITA trekking out there when it was cold and wet, especially if you got the timing wrong and the machine hadn't yet finished.

You can get a device installed these days that is basically an electrically heated wire wrapped around your pipes that stops them from freezing (IIRC) - it kicks in when it drops below a certain temperature (I can't remember what it's called I'm afraid)

superram · 13/01/2014 21:18

My neighbour has one just outside the kitchen door. She hates it as it is ridiculous bringing in dry washing in when it is raining.

Rooners · 14/01/2014 07:43

We went to see a house for sale with one of these.

Frankly I liked the idea as it was a fairly large room and had a sink and a toilet in as well...it was so badly DIY'd though (think bad brickwork and terrible pointing - and an arc sort of pipe thing that went from the house to the building, carrying the electricity - nooooo!)

It was one of the better parts of the house though as it was tiny, on a very very busy road and had an incredibly steep staircase to the loft room with no bannisters.

I couldn't wait to leave but it would have been nice had it been done properly. Utility room isn't to be sneezed at even if it is outside...washing machines don't really belong anywhere in the house.

Procrastreation · 14/01/2014 12:32

I haven't experienced it outside - but a utility room is a wonderful thing. Mine keeps all my laundry and also most of my cleaning products - so I don't have to worry about toddler DC finding the bleach under the kitchen sink.

DameDeepRedBetty · 14/01/2014 12:37

I was very taken with a house that had this set up. I've always thought the most sensible place for a washing machine is either outside so you can put it on the line straight away, or, if it's a flat or house with no garden, upstairs by or even in the bathroom, on the grounds that's where you actually take your clothes off. The least sensible place imho is a kitchen!

Dontletthemgetyoudown · 14/01/2014 12:38

we have a covered side return/passage (space inbetween the house and detached garage). this is where the tumble dryer lives, its handy as not steaming up the house and its dry. I have a line out there for those days when its warm enough but its raining.

Catsmamma · 14/01/2014 12:48

we have a wash house in the garden....I think it WAS an original washhouse as we are an old row of 1895 coastguard houses.

At some point electricity was put out there, and we put water out there, and it's like a shed/garage/utility room.

Washer and dryer are out there, spare fridge, mssive freezer, dog food, chicken food....all that.

Ideally it needs to be reroofed, and have a new window in, but it's fabulous not to have the washing malingering around the house. Eventually I'd like it revamped and to be able to have an airer or ceiling airer out there, but as it is stone walls and spiderwebs a-go-go out there it's fallen more into the shed/garage category than utility...but I can dream! Sort of a mud room scenario for all the dogwalking coats and wellie boots and malarkey

It can be a nuisance to trot out there to realise the washing machine timer is still on a different time zone, you said 55 minutes an hour and 15 ago STUPID MACHINE but in general the teens will help out and it is just a short sprint across the courtyard.

oscarwilde · 14/01/2014 13:29

We had this in our first house but didn't construct it ourselves. It was the old outside loo in a victorian terrace so had water going to it. Dead handy to be able to sit in the kitchen and not listen to the machine going but a PITA to load or empty if it was pouring with rain.
It needs to be well insulated, though its a bonus if it's outside if it blocks and leaks as it won't wreck your kitchen.
If there isn't enough space to get in the building to unload and load, then I wouldn't bother personally.

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