Utility room conumdrum (with diagram!!)

[Badweekjustgotworse]

We're doing a renovation and extension and adding a small utility to the side of the house. It's small and I think the architect has underestimated the space we actually need, but we've already got planning permission and Can't afford to make it any bigger as we're already stretched beyond our comfort zone on the finances.

The room is 1.8 wide by 2.4.

We need to house a machining, tumble dryer, gas boiler, tall unit for keeping Hoover and brush etc, as many more cupboards as we can squeeze in for general storage as the house is short on storage overall. Ideally I'd love a tall unit for coats and shoes too so that I'm not tripping over them at the front door (which is what happens in our current house and I feckin HATE with a passion)

To complicate matters our architect has put in a beautiful floor to ceiling window on one of the short walls, faced by the glazed back door and one long wall has the door to the living room on it.

I've played about with changing the windows to maximise storage (diagrams 1, 2 and 3) but DH hates all my suggestions and wants to keep the (beautiful but akward) long window. Only way I can make that work is to loose the sink and ALL worksurface. Is it madness to have a utility with no sink? (diagram 4!)

Can you put the washing machine & dryer under the sink (one either side of a small cupboard - with the gubbins in) on which ever is the longest wall and have tall cupboards on the other wall?

Utility room essentials

• sink
• worktop

Utility room non essential luxuries

• full length window

In other news while I've been sat here chatting my toddlers have emptied the entire contents of the overflow cupboard in the kitchen into their tent space rocket for their trip to the moon

Tee hee !!!

Remember to add child proof locks to new laundry room !!

Right, I need to pitch it to him that the window is a goner. He's not going to like it!

Back to the drawing board.

I think he may compromise if the window stays where it is in option 1 but that's not ideal on storage. I'd love one long unit for Hoover and cleaning shite equipment, and one for coats so need to rejig and see what I can come up with

I have a loo-tility, with my WM and TD underneath my sink - might that be an option? You're not going to be using the sink for all of your washing up, it's going to be more for occasional use and soaking so you could get a countertop sink instead of an inset.

If you're looking at 2.4m in length then you could have two tall cupboards, say 50cm in width, then have a section of worktop with your appliances underneath and a countertop sink.

Depending on the positioning of the window and door, you could also make this deeper than the standard 60cm deep worktop if you have enough space.

oneplan indeed but by the time we get into the house they'll probably be at uni given how long it's taking us to agree on stuff! (This is just the top of the iceberg!)

Could the coat cupboard be shallow wardrobes on the living room door wall - ikea do them, the hangers go the other way round on extending poles. I think they're only 37cm deep

Option 3 is nicest.

statistically oh, didn't know about those. I'll check them out, thanks

Hahaha! Option 4 is obviously designed by someone who has no concept of what a utility is for or, actually, what housework is. It's ridiculous.

First question you need to ask is whether you actually NEED a window and whether the window is of more day to day value than storage.

My personal favourite is the revised option 3. It looks neater and you'll have long/larder style storage which will comfortably house ironing board, washing machine, mop etc and also might give you hidden storage for bulky items like coat/shoes which will then free up space elsewhere in the home.

Tell DH that if he's happy to pay for it and happy to stay home and do all the sodding childcare and housework, then he can have a say.

The purpose of a utility is to make life easier to perform the drudgery type tasks a household will have.

And you need a sink to empty mop bucket water into and/or scrape dog shit from the DC's shoes.

The giant window is bollocks.

Not option 4!! Just to get you as many votes. Agree revised option 3. Long window is a waste of space.

You should have the final say since you'll be the one using it most.

Looking at the pics again, Option 3 is definitely the best option, especially if you can make the cupboards go all the way up to the ceiling.

Compromise, compromise, compromise - but if that fails - bring onboard a designer with the same sense and values as you - two against one usually wins !! ( not that I often help my clients gang up on their other halfs !! Well ok - quite often !!) lol

option 4 could work
Whole wall of tall units that will need units min 700 deep to hide w/machine and tumble, configure how you like for what you need to store.
use bifold or pivot doors with worktop and sink inside
www.hafele.co.uk/en/products/sliding-and-folding-doors/sliding-folding-door-gear-for-furniture/b24d70888b065bc77b0dabc0580cdcf1/
look at hidden kitchens and hidden utilities

I like option 1, but basically anything other than option 4 is fine. Will the opinions of 100 MN'ers not sway him?

what about a skylight if you do need light?

my utility has no sink as off the kitchen. we have a Dyson wall mounted and will build a tall cupboard.
Work surface useful for putting washing powder etc on folding (even iron on it sometimes with table top board)

We have similar but only 180 X 180 with big window too

So we have on one side dryer, sink, washer with fold our rails above. So we have surface space and a sink on that side with a cupboard under sink

On the other side we have open shelves and hooks etc so there is space for the ironing board, cleaning products etc etc

If you don't have room for a coat cupboard, do you have wall space to have lots of hooks/pegs. Then room underneath for a basket or bench seat that could contain shoes.

I've found my need for pegs/hooks has increased as the DCs get older - swimming kit, pe bag, dance bag, gymnastics bag. The list goes on.

You are more likely to get coats put away if they are on hooks on the opposite wall. Definitely a sink and definitely no picture window. You can use the opposite wall even if it is too narrow for 2 lots of cupboards. Shelves? Wall mounted ironing board? Coat hooks? Shoe rack?

I would go option 1 as a compromise and get some 300mm deep cupboards for coat storage or 370mm deep from Ikea.
A long window is useless and will annoy you every time you use the room.

We also have a small utility room. I think its overkill to be honest to have a glazed back door and a long window. I agree with everyone who says the whole point of a utility is storage and functionality - complete waste of wall / floor space to have a long window in it (and more to the point, just why? ?)

I also think that unless your DH is one of the rare breed of man that actually does laundry, takes an interest in folding laundry, locating the breadmaker/breville toastie maker / electric whisk (insert any other little electric appliance that you use once a year but don't want to throw away), its not really his domain - not in our house anyway. We've just had a big double storey extension and out of all it, I spent the most time planning the 4 sq metres that is the utility room - with absolutely no involvement whatsoever from DH. It needs to work for me, how I use it, how I want to be organised. And it works perfectly !

Sorry, got a bit carried away there

Fuck, right I think I need a gin and then tackle this head on. Option 3 revised is my ideal. It's actually the one I sketched out and sent to the kite hi designer when I was getting frustrated with 1 and 2 not having enough storage (secretly gloats that so many MNers approve even if DH is blind to my genius)

Hard hat body armour and gin... I'm going in. Wish me luck

Threads like this make me pleased that dh rarely has an opinion on decorating even if it annoys me when I'm trying to make a decision like what sort of oven/ hob/ splashback we should have in the new kitchen! Good luck badweek

Revised option 3.

It's actually quite big for a utility room . Mine is narrower with a small Velux and an internal doorway. It's painted white and is very, very light. You do not need a full-length window.

When getting quotes for our extension, I found, without fail, all blokes thought the utility room was a frivolous extra. Ignore them.