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Original poster

Utility Room Ideas

52 replies

Iluvthe80s · 18/01/2018 22:35

Hi everyone after the best part of a year, work on our extension should be starting next month. Single story wrap around. Very excited as we've been living in house that people take the mickey out of for over 10 years! Anyway, part of the new extension will incorporate a utility room. This makes me very happy! 2.5m by 2.25m approx. Does anyone have any suggestions/images of what i should consider. Def washing machine and tumble dryer (ideally stacked) and large sink. What else should i be considering? Thanks all

OP posts:
Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 19/01/2018 06:46

DilysMoon I'm looking forward to having a separate utility . It will make my life so much easier at the moment our wAshing machine and tumble dryer are in an outhouse by back door. Going outside to use up to twice a day average is grim in this weather. Having it as a separate space will be lovely

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Believeitornot · 19/01/2018 06:49

2:5m by 2.5m - I wouldn’t stack the appliances because it’s better to have more worktop for folding etc.

We’ve got a brand new utility; it’s 2.8*2.4m. On one long wall the washing machine, tumble dryer and sink. Plus some drawers and wall cupboard. Other long wall are two tall shallow cupboards.

I haven’t started using it yet but it’ll be a mud room too - it has a back door to the garden. I’ll have our wellies etc in there and spare coats.

It’s at the back of our garage and we also have a WC between the utility and garage.

Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 19/01/2018 07:44

Believeitornot sounds lovely cannot wait to get ours finished!

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Maggiewashere · 19/01/2018 07:54

We have friends with a utility/boot room. It has a pipe from the boiler going through it so it's always toasty. There's a bench with coat hooks above for wet anoraks and room for boots and shoes underneath. I'd love that in my house.

whiskyowl · 19/01/2018 08:22

My new utility is around the same size, and I managed to fit in an L-shaped run of cupboards with dryer, washer, full height freezer and sink, as well as some wall cupboards for storage.

namechangedtoday15 · 19/01/2018 09:22

Mine is v small compared to that- about 3m x 1.5m but I planned it within an inch of its life!!

Washing machine and dryer with work top over, wall mounted microwave (and wall units mounted above).

Then floor to ceiling shelving which has space at bottom for (dirty) washing basket, then 6 shelves open shelves above which each have a basket in. 1 for each member of the family (for clean, folded washing) and 1 for towels / bedding.

The floor to ceiling broom cupboard (with shelves above) for broom, Hoover, ironing board & iron.

On other walls we have :
Coat hooks (for bits and bobs)
Document rack (for all the papers / post we accumulate)
Ikea wooden magazine type racks - they hold rolls of wrapping paper/ birthday cards etc for emergency kids parties
Notice board
Wall mounted airer

We have a window & fan (I am almost sure this is compulsory now under building regs - may be on account of boiler being in there). Also have pocket door between that room and kitchen which is fab & means we didn't loose space when a door would fold back.

Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 19/01/2018 16:42

Whiskyowl-we probably have the space to fit a run of L shaped cupboards then, which is interesting. We have a rug a similar size at home, so we are using that to try and plan stuff out!

namechangedtoday15 that sounds like organised bliss!!!

Maggiewashere that does sound nice!! Espcially the toasty bit!

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fresh · 19/01/2018 17:06

You could have slimmer cupboards on the side opposite the washing machine/sink etc. You can do this either by buying a load of DIY shed kitchen wall cupboards (which are 300mm deep) and stacking them on top of one another (support the bottom row on cabinet legs, add plinth, fix all cabinets back to the wall) or you can buy Ikea PAX slim-depth wardrobes (which are around 350mm deep) and just put shelves and drawers in them. Slimmer cupboards mean you can see everything much more easily. Disadvantage of the former solution is that it's tough to get a tall cupboard for brooms/vacuum cleaner/etc this way, whereas you can adapt a PAX wardrobe to do this.
I used the first method in our last house, had 6 x 600w tall cabinets in a stack of 3 wide and 2 high, and then 6 x 600w smaller lift-up door cabinets above. This held masses of stuff. In our current house (smaller utility) we have 2.5m of PAX slim wardrobes. Some have drawers below and shelves above, one has just shelves. Vac goes in a different cupboard.
I'm trying to find a picture of the stacked wall cupboards - will post if I do.

fresh · 19/01/2018 17:11

Like this - wall cupboards stacked.

Utility Room Ideas
fresh · 19/01/2018 17:14

Blush at how untidy the utility room was...

EggsonHeads · 19/01/2018 17:21

Clothes drying rack suspended from the ceiling. Somewhere to hang your ironing board. Somewhere to store your vacuum, mop, broom, chemicals, iron. Space for four laundry baskets (three to separate out washing tat you bring down stairs into vomited whites and special care and one for clean laundry pending ironing).

Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 19/01/2018 21:36

Fresh thank you for the ideas. Those cupboards look great

EggsonHeads yes I want a suspended drying rack for definite!!

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Pantah630 · 19/01/2018 21:37

Fresh slightly way off thread, that is my plan for a larder cupboard, using floor to ceiling shallow cupboards.

fresh · 19/01/2018 22:25

Pantah360 it also has the benefit of being really cheap Grin

fresh · 19/01/2018 22:26

I mean Pantah630!

stayathomegardener · 19/01/2018 22:38

All of that and I also have the following.
Cupboards for flower vases, oasis, secateurs etc.
Dog paraphernalia - food, treats, bowls, towels, shampoo, toothbrushes, coats, leads, toys, medications.
Separate drawers for spare light bulbs, batteries and sellotape/string/glues.

mum2015 · 20/01/2018 10:45

Really great ideas for utility room. Which type of tumble dryer you have and does is not cause condensation?
I have a heat pump condensing type one from John Lewis which I have kept in conservatory and it causes lots of condensation.

Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 20/01/2018 19:17

mum2015 ours is currently in out house. Its one of the scary ones that are risky of catching fire, so while the dodgy part was replaced, we will be getting rid once the extension is done. So i wonder which tumble dryer to get too!

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SkyIsTooHigh · 20/01/2018 22:44

Ikea also sell tall shallow cabinets eg this one, though the wall cabinet solution does look good.

mum2015 our vented tumble dryer doesn't seem to cause condensation. It's cheaper and quicker to run than a condenser too, I believe.

Original poster
Iluvthe80s · 20/01/2018 23:31

Thank you Skyistoohigh

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Fourmagpies · 21/01/2018 08:56

We've just done ours though not complete yet and have:
Washing machine
Tumble dryer
Boiler
Sink with spray tap
Cupboard underneath for laundry stuff
Our appliances aren't stacked so we have additional workspace if needed (and sockets so could plug in slow cooker out there)
Tall cupboard which has cleaning and misc bits in

We going to have some more storage, it'll be a mud room too as has access from front and back of house. I might put some hooks for kids school bags etc. We're also going to have our family calendar and noticeboard out there (removing the clutter from the kitchen). Also we'll be getting a dog at some point and will have room for dog bowls etc out there.

Fourmagpies · 21/01/2018 09:00

We have a fantastic Bosch condenser dryer - ours isn't vented but it can be, I think most these days can be either, no condensation at all, it has a drawer that collects the water and you have to empty every time. I'm in love with it after not having a dryer for a couple of years as our old one died and we were waiting for the extension to be done.

bhdhnghjn · 21/01/2018 10:36

I dream of one day having a utility room Grin

House (mansion) I used to work at doing their ironing had a amazing one, hanging rail meaning clothes that are drying or ironed went straight on hangers (saves time folding then carrying upstairs to put away) and also had a shelf system where every member of family had a basket, again makes sorting washing and putting away easier

If I had a utility I would have all the above

QuitMoaning · 21/01/2018 10:43

Our new utility has corner cupboard which is cavernous, Washing machine, tumble dryer, sink, fridge/freezer which has all the drinks in and spare milk (teenager gets through 12 pints a week!) and a hanging rail which is brilliant

Also lots of other cupboards (square 2.7m). No heater but it has no outside walls and is toasty

BubblesBuddy · 21/01/2018 10:58

My TD is a Miele and it discharges into the drain with the washing machine. No condensation at all. I did not have condensation with my old AEG either which was a condenser. I just emptied the water container. If the JL one produces condensation in the room, why is it not going into the container as it should? I also think stacked is best. You can easily take out the dry washing and fold. It is also easier for de fluffing and cleaning out airways.

I don’t think you need a lot of work surface for folding. I tend to fold in my hands standing up. I don’t fold like shop packing though. I have work surface over the boot storage and paper recycling baskets but I don’t really use it for folding. I have the plug in vac standing on it and the chunky steam iron. Recycling takes up a lot more space now and we really needed an area for that to be included for the paper. We seem to have a lot of paper!