Utility or extra reception room?

[Poppy7]

We moved into our house last Autumn and are slowly working our way through decorating it and generally making it ours.

It was advertised as having 4 reception rooms - it's a 1930s semi with an extension so has a front living room, a back living room (which we are using as a playroom), a large kitchen diner and a converted garage.

To be honest, the conversion is a bit of a bodge job. Although it had proper flooring, heating and window there is a bloody great boiler/megaflo tank in the middle of the main wall and all the electrics/pipe work have been crudely boxed off.

Originally we were going to use it as a playroom but the tank etc put us off. New plan is to fit it out as a proper utility room - currently we have some bookcases in there as shelving, the microwave and heated drying rack. I've had a plumber look at the boiler set up and, whilst it could be moved, it would be expensive and he recommends just working around it.

Essentially I want up fit it out with kitchen units and put washing machine, tumble dryer, big sink, extra freezer, storage in there ( if I can find someone to help me design it) but with one eye on the future:

Would you prefer a house with 3 reception rooms and a separate utility, or 4 receptions and washing machine etc in kitchen. I know we have to do things to suit our needs but at the same time I don't want to do something that will devalue the house so views welcome.

Thanks for getting this far!

I would definitely want a utility room in the layout you describe. The only other thing I'd use that room for is as a study, but the boiler would be a bit odd and to move it would be very expensive. I've just moved to a house with a proper utility room and I love it. Suddenly I have a place for all those things that never seemed to belong anywhere in my last house!

Yes, it's definitely become a bit of a repository for odds and ends.

Re study, we are going to use one of the bedrooms as a guest room / study. There is currently a bed in there but going to replace it with a sofa bed and fit bookcases into alcoves, put a desk by the window etc - have had one person stay with us in 3 1/2 years so feel having a guest room would be a waste.

A converted garage is a bit useless as a reception room and you have enough living space without it anyway. It sounds ideal as a utility room and it is great having the noise of washing machines and the pile of ironing out of the way. Definitely go for a utility room.

Utility room every time

Definetly a Futility Room.

If you go for the futility room, and I would, make sure there's a radiator in it, even a small one. You won't need the tumble dryer then, especially if you put in a Sheila Maid ceiling airer.

Utility room for sure. We have similar to you... lounge, kitchen diner, playroom and utility room. We are about to stick an extra room on for our books / study but that's cos we often have ppl to stay and can't use the guest room as a study. I absolutely love the utility room. So fantastic to keep all that stuff out of the way.

Utility room every time. Oh, how I envy you!

Utility room, it's the one thing wrong with my house. Lovely large family home but itty bitty utility that is smaller than the toilet...... I dream of a room that I can put the washing machine and dryer in, hang coats in, put dog beds in and just all the general everyday crap that would litter a house. I have utility envy whenever I go to my friends house :)

Our house has the original scullery and it i smy absolute favourite room. We have old school coat racks, walk in pantry, all washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, sheila maid in there plus fridge freezer and a huge old school radiator. If I ever designed a house I would have a huge utility again - invaluable. Make sure you have plenty of coat and booyt storage in it.

Utility room.
DH uses what was clearly built as a utility (has plumping) and was a tiny bedroom for grandpa when we moved in as a study.

I'd love to throw him out, I have washing everywhere.

If he just computed, not soldered circuits together I'd chuck him in our bedroom or the dinning room.

Go for utility. We have the exact set up of your utility room. kitchen units all round with washer, dryer and extra freezer. I do all my baking in their too as im a messy baker.

Another vote for utility room... and another person who is jealous! It sounds lovely.

Seems pretty unanimous - what a relief!

Now need to plan it and work out how to work round bloomin' boiler / tank set -up ...

Theres some great ideas on Pinterest

You can be so organised and have utility / laundry / desk and birthday card stash - wrapping paper - party bags - all that crap erm I mean stuff you need to keep, that people buy you, that's too hideous to keep out on show - other than when they come to visit etc !! I'm envious !! Plenty of storage , plenty of large drawers , use the heat from the boiler to air clothes ! Have a comfy chair and music system and directional lamp for reading ! Space for seasonal changes of cushions and throws !!! Oh you are so lucky !!!! Your own room !!!!!

Utility. It may be the bit I am most excited about in our new extension - somewhere for all the damn laundry. And the chest freezer. And the cleaning stuff/tools. We are having a large hallway (used to be the galley kitchen) as a mudroom with 2m of Ikea Pax to keepall the coats and shoes in. I cannot wait. NO MORE SHOES IN THE HALL.

I echo, utility room and study. Leave the spare room as a spare room. It will be so much easier to file your letters if they are downstairs.

Another vote for utility.

If the boiler/tank is on the wall in the middle ie not a corner, I would build a complete storage wall as deep as the boiler bit, floor to ceiling, shelving and tall doors and hide the boiler in that.

That way you hide it whilst making it look pretty and get use from all the storage.

I have a 4m run of Ikea wardrobes in the boy's playroom to stash and hide all the toys/tv/wii/coats/shoes/hoover/long handled floor brush etc etc Best thing we ever did. Keeps it all streamlined.

MummytoMog we use a double wardrobe for 2 people, so the children have their coats in one wardrobe with two plastic drawers underneath, one drawer for each child's shoes, and then the same in the other wardrobe for me & Dh with the same set up.

It was bliss to have somewhere to stash all coats and shoes and their school bags. I flipping love Ikea Pax! It still leaves enough space above the hanging rail for a shelf with/without storage (those big canvas boxes)

That's basically the plan! Although we're hoping to squeeze in a 50cm one too to hang up the umbrella fold pushchair in too (as it only gets used two days a week). We're going to use a hemnes TV stand as a bench, so we can shove hats and gloves in the drawers and then put coat hooks on the wall behind with a bridging shelf above it (repurposing Ikea is FUN) for hats that can't go in drawers. Like DD's trilby. Sigh.

We currently have a shoe cupboard (rubbish, broke and doesn't hold enough) and a row of pegs at child height for the kids, and then a manky coat stand for us, which makes the hall look so cluttered. I can't wait to get it behind nice white doors.

Yes, Pinterest is great for this sort of stuff - I have a whole board of ideas but they are generally American "mudrooms" and are enormous! My space is about 8' by 12' and will only be able to get units cupboards along one wall I think.

8' x 12' is great for a utility room. Lucky you.

Utility Room

Yes, it's a large enough room in itself but the boiler/tank and position of door means that quite a lot of space will go to waste ( unless I find someone clever who can come up with a better layout than me!)