Larger lootility or small loo and small utility?

[Friedbanana]

We live in a 3 bed Victorian terrace (with 2 reception rooms) but only 1 bathroom so I’m looking to redo our kitchen/diner (currently 6.85m by 2.6m) and adding a stud wall at the end to create a separate utility/downstairs loo. The total space would be 2.6m x 1.4m. If we separated the toilet then the toilet would have to be 1.4m x 0.8m (minimum dimensions recommended for the toilet) which would make the utility area 1.4m x 1.8m which I’m worried would be too small? Also, I’ve been looking online and saw most people expect a utility to house a sink but obviously the sink would then be in the separate toilet.

Should we therefore maximise the space by just having a toilet in the corner and the rest of the room is the utility? Attaching a couple of photos so you can see what I mean. We’re also redoing our bathroom so I can just send guests up there instead of this weird hybrid space 😅

I’ve never lived in a house with a utility room so not too sure what we should be considering. Basically we’d like a space for washer/drier, room for hanging clothes (we’ll do underfloor heating too), cupboard for mop/brush/hoover, and if there’s any room some storage for DH bike but I understand that might just not be possible in the space. I’m happy to spend on quality fittings to make it an appealing space, and round where we live there are a lot of similar character houses to ours with no utility/downstairs loo so I’m sure it will add value even if it’s not huge.

Any input will be gratefully received!!

Check building regulations, but as I understand it you’re not allowed to have a toilet in a room that opens off the kitchen. You’re supposed to have two doors between toilet and food preparation. So the toilet would need to be separate from the utility and you’d need to walk through the utility to reach the toilet.

That's not the case now. As long as there is handwashing facility in the loo, one door is fine.

That used to be the case, but now there's just a requirement for adequate ventilation.

The lootility option seems practical to me. And keep the bike outside!

I just wouldn't like a toilet opening onto a kitchen even if it is currently legal. In fact, I wouldn't buy a house with this set up. Is there nowhere else the toilet can be squeezed into?

I would have two separate sections because I wouldn’t want clean clothes in the same room as the toilet. I do t know if that’s logical but it makes me feel a bit squeamish.

Loo off the kitchen would be ok as long as you have a no poo rule.

If you’re going to send guests upstairs to use the loo if it’s a lootility it sort of defeats the purpose of having a downstairs loo. Our utility room is tiny, 1.1 x1.1 m. We have a washing machine and tumble dryer in there. Mops and sweeping brush are hanging on hooks. Loads of shelves for toolbox, cleaning stuff. If you stacked the dryer on top of the washing machine you would have enough space for a clothes airer. I’d go with separate utility and bathroom

I’d probably make it look more loo-y. So downstairs bathroom with appliances in, rather than utility room with a loo in. If that makes sense.

I think of a utility room as an offshoot of the kitchen, so having a bog in there might look strange?

Wrong! That changed years ago.

I'd have a combined lootility. Have created these in a couple of previous houses and it was the best use of the space, imho.

One of these opened directly off the kitchen (our architect designed it that way and we didn't think to query it) and never caused us any issues - although it was a massive kitchen with the lootility at an end where we had a sofa, so not near cooking/prep - nor did it prevent us selling quickly for a great price.

This is really helpful thank you so much! Do you by any chance have any floor plans/pics you could share?
I’ve spent soooo long on Pinterest the past few days 😅 however can’t find loads of inspo for the lootility!

This is a great idea! We could use floor tiles rather than an extension of the kitchen floor which will be wood

That’s amazing you fit so much in there! Do you have any pictures at all? It’s so hard to visualise!

Haha you’re right I think I’ve given up on bike storage as there’s not enough space!

https://uk.pinterest.com/ideas/downstairs-toilet-with-washing-machine/944555834323/

I never think it's very hygienic to have a loo in a utility room. I just don't like the idea. So I vote for separate.

We have a combined utility and cloakroom. It was like this when we bought the house and never felt the need to change it. In many other countries, the washing machine is in the bathroom so I don't think this is a strange idea at all. Far better than having dirty laundry near food or clean laundry catching cooking smells in the British way of putting washing machines in the kitchen.

I'd have a lootility. Having recently renovated, here are some ideas:

-If you could have the door opening outwards into the kitchen/hall or have a sliding door, you'll save 1m2 of space within the utility
-If you can stack the dryer on the washer, or attach to the wall above the washer, you'll again save floor space
-Could you put a divider or even just a folding screen between the toilet bowl and rest of the room? It would give the illusion of the toilet being a bit more separated.
-If you do have a separate one, consider a toilet/sink combo. Not ideal, but certainly usable.

We have a loo and washing area separate from each other, but tiny. It's directly off the kitchen, which isn't ideal, but noone has ever held off using it because of that- but I find that downstairs toilets are just kids and guests for a wee anyway, people head upstairs if it's a bigger job!. We may eventually have an extension done, at which point this will be sectioned off by a small corridor, but it's really not an issue.

Pictures of the areas, (unfinished as is most of our house). The washing machines are open to our kitchen and opposite a sink, but I guess that would be be one room for you and where the sink is would be where your drying/ folding area would be. Hopefully you can see how close they are- at the back of the tumble dryer is the wall that the toilet sink is on. The toilet sink is a tiny corner one, the toilet is standard sized I think.

My standards aren't the usual Mumsnet standards, so please excuse the mess!

I have a bathroom opening from the kitchen and I hate it. Do your absolute best to avoid toilet energy.

Bathrooms with washing machines etc are normal here in Sweden and fully practical! :) put bathrooms are by code always complete wetrooms though so it’s also practical in case the washing machine leaks (I think that might be how it started 🤔)

I have this saved for when I do my reno. You could quite easily make the cupboard on the right a drying cupboard if you vent and heat/dehumidify it. You could then have a loo & basin as all the washing is self contained and closed away.

I’ve done a little to scale floor plan now of what I think would be the most practical layout, with a little stud partition wall so you can’t actually see the toilet when you walk in! Am I missing anything that is usually in a utility?

We have some checkboard Victorian tiles left over from doing our hallway (tiler calculated for us and we ended up with £800 worth of tiles leftover 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️) so I was thinking we could use these and then it gives a bit of zoning separation from the kitchen?

ohhh this is so clever! I’d never even thought of a drying cupboard!

Oh no! What do you hate about it? Just hygiene reasons?

This is really helpful to see actually! I like that little corner sink, that would definitely be an option if we do end up going separate but at the moment I’m thinking of going for the one larger room.

Thank you so much for these they are all such good tips! I love that glass divider, such a good idea. Atm I’m thinking of a half stud wall to give it a bit of separation, but will wait to see what builders say about where the toilet can actually go then might have to rethink!

Door situation still uncertain, it completely depends how we design our kitchen, but that’s such a good point about saving all that space

If you are going to put a stud wall in alongside the toilet, could you fit in a sliding door?
I have a ‘pocket’ one where the door goes inside the stud wall. The width of the wall is about 12.5cm.