How expensive and difficult is to move a boiler? . Also, kitchen appliances

[user1475317873]

We are thinking of buying and flat but I don't like the fact that the boiler is in one of the bedrooms. Is it possible to move the boiler to the kitchen? how complicated/expensive is it?

Also, thinking of re arranging the kitchen appliances, e.g oven, fridge and stove. Is this doable? is this too expensive?

We are in south east and we recently paid £1,850 to have a boiler moved from a spare bedroom up into the loft. They charge for labour and piping so it would be hard to say without an idea of how far the pipes would need to travel and now many walls would need to be accessed to put the pipes in - I think. Can you arrange to view the property again but with a plumber to quote you for the work at the same time?

if the oven and stove are gas, you can't just move them around how you like, there are rules about how close they are to sockets, ventilation etc. Get a Gas Safe person to visit and ask them to advise and quote for both.

Thank you. I will get someone to look at it. I am having some doubts now about the property now.

One thing to take into consideration is that if the flat is leasehold you may have to ask permission from whoever manages it to move the flue. My old flat required permission to even change the boiler as new style flues were more obtrusive than the kind of thing envisioned when the flat was built.

Thanks. It is looking complicated. Will check all this. Just wondering why people would put a boiler in a bedroom.

Just to throw this into the mix.. lots of people don't mind boilers in bedrooms. As long as they are serviced regularly and have adequate ventilation and room around them (ie not completely boxed in) there is no reason why it's a dreadful thing. I'm not sure about recent regulations but certainly some years ago we actually moved a boiler to a bedroom as we wanted the space downstairs!

Our boiler used to be in the bedroom, in the old airing cupboard. We put the new boiler in the loft, pipes just needed extending and a new flue plus pressure checks. Just this was around £700 for labour and a few parts (copper pipe, flue, filter system) as we bought the boiler separately on special offer. It's easier to move it up or down than across the house and sockets, windows/doorways etc may alter where it can go due to regulations. Worth getting a a quote to see if it's possible?

Agree with dairylea's post too. We wanted the space which instigated our moving the boiler, it certainly hadn't been an issue having the boiler in the bedroom and we had yearly checks for safety plus a carbon monoxide alarm in the bedroom for our own piece of mind.

We have always had the boiler in the small bedroom in the airing cupboard. I wouldn’t want it in our quite small kitchen taking up valuable space, the small bedroom isn’t used as a bedroom though, its where our overflow clutter goes.

Thank you. This is a two bedroom, one level flat so the room will need to be used and I just can't get used to the idea of having a boiler there; but perhaps they did it because the kitchen is small. I can see this being tricky as the bedroom is not next door to the kitchen.

You could get storage built around it, as long as it is accessible and you keep to required distance/air flow around it. A carbon monoxide alarm would also give you extra peace of mind.

if the boiler is over 14Kw input, it is now illegal to install it in a bedroom unless it is room sealed (which means it gets its air from the outside and not from the room itself, and obviously the fumes are expelled outside!)

Just wondering why people would put a boiler in a bedroom.

They're quite often in airing cupboards, aren't they? Perhaps there was originally a cupboard around it which a previous owner ripped out? Either way, it's not that uncommon; I saw this in quite a few older houses when I was househunting.

It is v expensive to move a boiler and involves a lot of upheaval to divert pipes etc; would involve floors taken up and holes knocked in walls, probably. And others have said, it's not always a matter of being able to choose where you want it to go because of gas safety regulations etc. Definitely get someone to look at it and give you a quote before you go ahead and make an offer, in case it's not feasible or prohibitively pricy.

Also, thinking of re arranging the kitchen appliances, e.g oven, fridge and stove. Is this doable?

You can put a fridge anywhere there's a plug socket. Electric stove and oven just need an electrician to make sure the right wiring/switches are in place, obviously. Gas ovens or hobs can be moved but again, might need floors to be taken up or holes knocked in walls in order for the gas engineer to divert or fit new pipework, so it will add to the cost of any kitchen refit.