Utility rooms-can we have a “things we have learned”

[JudgeRindersMinder]

There are brilliant threads on lessons learned for installing kitchens and bathrooms. I can create a utility room in my new house (way too excited by this ) and would appreciate any tips about things that definitely work or don’t work in utilities

Ours is called the futility room, as trying to keep it tidy is futile.

I saw photos of one (possibly on here) where both the washing machine and the tumble dryer were lifted off the floor with a drawer and a pull out shelf underneath so you could put the baskets on the pull out shelf. A genius idea I thought

Make sure you have a tall cupboard that fits in a brush, mob and bucket and hoover. We stacked the W/m and dryer to make more width space. A sink is very useful. Ideally some kind of drying rail for shirts on hangers - not quite managed that one in ours. Oh, and we re-sited the boiler, it's now an outdoor one which frees up LOADS of space.

We have staking washing machine and dryer with drawer. Super helpful

Would like wall mounted drying racks, but not really got the space

YY a big tub sink for soaking, rinsing, pouring away stuff you don’t want in the kitchen sink. Or if you have a dog, big enough to bath them in.

I’d like a bench over the top of the w/d and built in units to hide all the stuff that gets stored in there.

A thin tall cupboard for storing the ironing board with a shelf at the top for an iron. Basket sized shelves for somewhere to hide store ironing until you get around to it.

Ooooh. Following this as hopefully having an extension with a great utility room. Storage storage and more storage for me. For the shoe cleaning, the random kitchen drawer stuff, the dog stuff. Also room to store kids swim kit, rugby/hockey/cricket/tennis as I find it pointless washing it and traipsing it upstairs only for it to come straight back down.

We're lucky not to be contstrained by space so I'm considering having a wall mounted iron and board that I can fio down.

We're lucky not to be contstrained by space so I'm considering having a wall mounted iron and board that I can fio down.

I thought that was a good idea. But I actually hate being banished to the utility room to iron.

I’m determined to have a ceiling mounted pulley in mine-I hate clothes horses hanging about the house

Number one: have it on the floor with the most bedrooms.

If you don’t stack the washer and dryer (makes me nervous for some reason) here is a tip. Make sure they are adjacent and the doors of each open outwards. So it’s then really easy to move the laundry from the washing machine into the dryer. Ps we didn’t do this!

Storage. Mine is a dumping ground for all the crap because I didn’t really consider storage. It would have cost peanuts to have the kitchen fitter to do a built in floor to ceiling cupboard to house the freezer, ironing board, brushes, hoover when I was having the kitchen fitted.

Now it’s just Loads of random shelves that don’t match and nowhere to put the bulky stuff and I’d have to pay a joiner £££ to do it.

@Changingwiththetimes

We're on a farm so I'm aiming for a "mud decontamination unit".

In the back door to boot room. Remove outer clothes.

Through door to shower. For dogs, farmers and muddy children. Remove all clothes.

The next room will be the utility room so the mud doesn't even cross my kitchen threshold.

To be fair this is slight fantasy land as it involves the "mud decontamination unit" back door and then a smarter back door for non mud day to day ness!!

@butwhatcanwedo that is a genius tip!

Ours is small but I spent a long time planning it so works very well.

Top tip would be a pocket door into kitchen which means the door disappears so when I'm flitting between the two rooms, its as if theres no door. Make the space much more flexible.

We have one run of units / appliances so have : tall cupboard for Hoover/ ironing board / sweeping brush etc with shelf above for iron / shopping bags etc. Another tall cupboard next to it with open shelves (large one at bottom which houses dirty washing basket, 5 smaller ones above with 1 x basket for each member of family where clean washing is folder & sorted straight out of dryer). Washing machine & dryer with worktop over and small wall cupboards high above. In the wall space between wall cupboards and worktop, we have a wall mounted microwave, drying rack and shelves with stacked boxes. Hooks on the opposite wall, wall mounted wooden holders (for greeting cards, rolls of wrapping paper etc).

We have a second under counter fridge in utility room which is very well used for drinks and cooling food quickly.
The sink in utility room is great for washing muddy stuff or painting stuff

@butwhatcanwedo

If you don’t stack the washer and dryer (makes me nervous for some reason) here is a tip. Make sure they are adjacent and the doors of each open outwards. So it’s then really easy to move the laundry from the washing machine into the dryer. Ps we didn’t do this!

What a great idea. Mine are next to each other but the doors open the same way so the dryer door is always in the way when I’m unloading the washing machine.

@carrie74 @Caspianberg I have a pulley maid. Works a treat

[quote flowerycurtain]@butwhatcanwedo that is a genius tip! [/quote]
It really is!!

wouldn't be without my utility room, so useful.

@Redcrayons check your dryer manual, (if you don’t have it it’s probably online) usually you can change the door opening direction of a dryer.

I did mine and it wasn’t too difficult. I had the WM and dryer stacked at one point and the doors opened on the same side, but now I have the machines side by side with worktop over (gives me a place to fold laundry), so I swapped the dryer door around.

The utility on the house I grew up in was all but very practical.

It was basically the corridor to the garage but had a run of units - washing machine/ 800 mm sink unit with big generous sink / tumble dryer.

Paired appliances so doors orientated to allow you to quickly shovel stuff from one to the other.

Wall units above.

Ironing board on the back of the door. Iron and paraphenalia in one of the cupboards.

Door out to garden & whirlygig just a few steps away.

I’m wary about stacking appliances - a close family member had them like that & if either need a repair it is always a total ballache so I’d advocate for side by side as far as possible.

We have a 4 string wide indoor washing line in ours. Stuff dries overnight in there in the winter, it’s fab.

Storage. Anywhere there's room for a cupboard DO IT.
Pulley for laundry. Up in the ceiling out if the way. Amazing.
Under floor heating- don't bother. Our builders forgot the underfloor heating and were gutted to realise after the floor tiling was done. However the boiler, megaflo and the tumble dryer are in there and it gets really warm without heating so in fact it's a relief as it would have been on the same circuit as the kitchen and become unbearably warm.

This is my thread. You know when you have been on Mumsnet for while you meet your people. You are my people. I am planning my final move - in my 50's divorced 1 teenage child, pet. My new home - all I dream about is the largest utility room ever. EVER.

My needs include:
large tall cupboard for mop, steam cleaner, hoover.
Closed cupboards to include space for all kitchen appliances not used daily - basically all except kettle and coffee machine. Each appliance to have own shelf.
Storage for pet bits - litter, food, toys
Washer and dryer - side by side preference
Room for dryer (the manual kind)
Room for pet needs (eg litter tray, food bowls etc)
At least double sink (ideally stainless steel - easy to clean). I clean a lot
Room for at least an extra freezer