Putting the washing machine upstairs

[Fluffyghost]

We are mid purchasing a chalet bungalow that has been owned since it was built in the '80s by the same family.
The Kitchen is quite small and in need of some updating with only one appliance space. It is however functional and therefore not on my list of immediate concerns. The problem I have is that I would very much like to keep my dishwasher.
Upstairs is a reasonably sized toilet room, which is a horrific blue and has a bidet. My initial thoughts were to turn it into a shower room however due to the windows I'm not sure a shower would fit which leads me to the potential of turning it into an upstairs toilet/utility room.
1 of my friends thinks this is genius, another thinks I'm insane.
Has anyone done this and if so how has it been for you?

In the US it’s common to have a washing machine and dryer upstairs. Why take washing downstairs to take if back up again.

If you can separate the utility and bathroom then go for it. I wouldn’t want the washer just in the bathroom.

You can get slatted doors which work for a utility being more of a cupboard if space is limited, I would just have a leak alarm installed on the off chance if it’s not on the ground floor

My friend did that. She said it was actually very handy having the laundry on the same floor as the wardrobes/clothes.

Some people from other countries are appalled that we wash clothes in our kitchens - it's just convention.....

It might worry me how loud the wash cycle might be? How strong is the floor?

If I had room upstairs I would definitely have washer and dryer up there.
It's stupid to have to lug dirty washing downstairs and clean washing upstairs when you can just deal with it all upstairs.

We have a stacked washer dryer in the loft conversion, specifically in a cupboard on the landing. It’s very common around these parts where the housing stock is mostly Victorian terraces and not all are blessed with a basement. IMO it’s daft to waste limited kitchen space on a washing machine and it’s also much more convenient to have the washing on the same level as your bedrooms.

We turned a spare room into a laundry with stacked washer/drier, sink, Shelving, hot water cupboard all along one wall, wardrobes along another wall, sorting bench along a third wall. It only leaves a Small space in the middle of the room but it works well for us.

I wouldn't be keen because in my experience washing machines tend to leak/overflow and that would potentially mean a whole new ceiling. They are also really heavy and difficult to get upstairs. It would also potentially impact on sleeping children in the evening and for early morning washing.

I don't know why we don't do it in the uk. Upstairs laundry makes so much sense.

@idontlikealdi

I don't know why we don't do it in the uk. Upstairs laundry makes so much sense.

Because drying washing outdoors was common?

@flashbac not in winter!

We turned our first floor toilet into a utility space with a stacked washing machine and dryer when we did a kitchen refurb. No way would I want to give up cupboard space in the kitchen for these appliances! To me, the place where you prepare food just doesn't work with doing the laundry.
The noise is fine, not noisier than if the washing machine was in the kitchen, probably less noisy as it's tucked away. It's handy to have it close to the bedrooms.
Ideally I would want to have a proper utility room on the ground floor, but we just didn't have the budget for a kitchen extension. So what we have now is the next best thing.

[quote idontlikealdi]@flashbac not in winter![/quote]
If the sun's out why not

We did this. Works a treat. Have quietish appliances and never woken any of my kids up. If anything I suspect they find the white noise relaxing?

we have.
it's great.

washing machines are heavy though keep that in mind when heaving a machine up there. also vibrations could be an issue with old wooden beams.

I’ve had my washer & dryer in the bathroom for nearly 40 years - it was suggested by the plumber fitting the combi boiler in the huge old airing cupboard when he took the hot water tank out.

It is a big room though (12’ x 10’) & the electrics are tucked away a safe & legal distance from bath & basin.

It is in the Victorian rear extension above the kitchen; it can be noisy sometimes but there are no neighbouring bedrooms. (I’d recommend building a strong platform for it, so it’s not sitting directly on the floor.)

In that time we have had a couple of minor leaks, plus one major one, but that was 20 years ago when the machine still had a hot fill hose, which had perished the rubber washer - nothing since then.

It’s brilliant in the winter when nothing goes outside. I have a drying rack over the stairs and just finish stuff off in the dryer, then fling it all on a handy double bed for sorting and folding.

Carrying heavy baskets of wet washing downstairs to the line in the summer is the only negative, but I’m in Lancashire, with a very small enclosed back yard, so that doesn’t happen that often anyway

If I did it I'd want a strengthened platform / floor to prevent vibrations and a spill tray so any leak is routed into the drains. The tray would need to be bigger than the machine to get the leaks from the hoses at the back. A quick look found this:
vevor.co.uk/products/washing-machine-drip-pan-80x75cm-galvanized-furnished-drain-compact-1-2mm

Which if the washing machine is in a cupboard or utility would be practical. Not pretty for a kitchen though!