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If you have a utility room…

120 replies

TakeMe2Insanity · 28/09/2025 20:24

How big is it? And what do you have in it? What do you wish you could have in it?

OP posts:
fishtank12345 · 29/09/2025 00:39

TakeMe2Insanity · 28/09/2025 20:24

How big is it? And what do you have in it? What do you wish you could have in it?

Ours is a small space that has fridge, extra small freezer, tumble dryer , hoover on wall. That's the main things.

Blingismything · 29/09/2025 10:12

I forgot to say that we converted our original pantry to a downstairs cloakroom, the door to that is in the utility room.

MN2025 · 29/09/2025 10:24

TakeMe2Insanity · 28/09/2025 20:24

How big is it? And what do you have in it? What do you wish you could have in it?

When we purchased our current home in January 2025, it had a utility room but all that was in there was a tumble dryer and washing machine as well as a trouser press and chest freezer (bungalow) - bearing in mind it hadn’t been touched since the property was built in the 60s.

When we re-designed - we built an extension to the back of the property for the new kitchen and created a small ‘open’ plan utility corner that had a washer/dryer stack - The original kitchen and utility was reconfigured to create an additional large bedroom with an en-suite.

Btowngirl · 29/09/2025 10:29

We’ve got a washer, drier, all the pet stuff including where they eat. Quite a bit of storage for back stock of kitchen items and a nice high up cupboard for all our medication etc. I feel it was really overlooked to not put a sink in there and I would also like the addition of a tall cupboard for hoover/broom/mop/ironing board. I’d like to add an iron holder on the wall and a pull out line for hanging any delicate washing up to dry.

Belladog1 · 29/09/2025 10:33

I moved into my rented house in April and I was thrilled it had a utility room. It houses my laundry basically, so washing machine and tumble drier. It has fitted cupboards and a sink (currently with a ginormous spider in, so that won't be used again). Its just somewhere to do my washing and ironing and keep the airer in. It's about the size of a single bedroom. There is a door off it that goes to the downstairs loo

JaninaDuszejko · 29/09/2025 11:08

Ours is a good size (maybe 2.5 x 2.5m) but has 4 doors (to the kitchen, garden, garage and downstairs shower room) so not a lot of wall space. It has a washing machine, fridge, freezer, sink below a large window looking out to the garden. There's floor space for a clothes dryer and the counter space has boxes for the recycling then wall cupboards above. It's not the best designed but the previous owners just put in some of the units from their old kitchen, I'd have a stacked washer dryer and tall cupboard for the ironing board (we could put it in the hallway cupboard but never can be bothered) and much more storage space rather than the counter space that just accumulates rubbish.

MardyAnn · 29/09/2025 11:18

Ours had a fridge freezer, four floor to ceiling cupboards and the washer and dryer stacked with a pull out shelf between them and a cupboard over the top of them.
Originally we were going to have a sink but this way gave more storage and the sink hasn’t been missed. We do have a ‘dirty’ sink in the garage though for washing boots etc.

PaddingtonBlah · 29/09/2025 11:41

Ours isn't particularly roomy, galley style. It has a back door which can't be covered, with worktop and sink on one side with cupboards and shelves over and washing machine, tumble drier and cupboard underneath. On the other wall we have a 2x4 Kallax for shoes and sports kits etc, a tall freezer and an airer that stays up all the time. The cupboards have all cleaning equipment, pet stuff, first aid and medicines and occasional use stuff like party plates and birthday candles.

I'd love more space for drying clothes and the ceiling height for a Shelia's Maid.

lifetheuniverseandeverything42 · 29/09/2025 12:05

Building one as we speak. It is 1.5x2.5m and will have a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer, a toilet, laundry sink and a bit of space for a clothes airer and charger for the vacuum. If it fits we might put a ceiling pulley airer in at some point to save floor space but it might be tight. Just glad not to have the washing machine in the kitchen (although it’s currently in the shed whilst we have building works).

user2848502016 · 29/09/2025 12:07

We have our washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer in ours, plus storage for shoes, lesser used kitchen stuff, mops etc. Recycling boxes on the counter, food storage space, slow cooker, bread maker. Clothes airer for drying the occasional thing

user2848502016 · 29/09/2025 12:08

Ps would love a sink in there if I could, a second sink would be really useful

Cadenza12 · 29/09/2025 12:12

Sink, washing machine, dishwasher, extra fridge and freezer. Recycling. Dog food and shoe rack!

chunkybear · 29/09/2025 12:28

Washing machine, tumble dryer, drying racks, sink, cupboards. Coat hooks and shoe stands. Ours is a 2.5m long entry where we keep the coats and shoes, the main utility with everting else is about 3mx2m

iwantabreakfastpantry · 29/09/2025 12:56

Our utility had a sink (with cupboard under and above), boiler, full height pull out cabinet, full height cabinet that houses mop, broom, vacuum, with inbuilt shelves for other stuff. Free standing pedal bin for dirty rubbish and non-recyclables so our in-kitchen under counter pullout bins hold clean recycling, hence no smells.

We have a separate boot room.

Our laundry room is upstairs and has a stacked washing machine and tumble dryer, cupboard above to store detergents etc. Has an inbuilt extractor and dehumidifier.
Floor space for large heated airer, dual fuel tall ladder radiator for more drying space. Shelves on which a box of laundry tablets are kept (easy to grab), store an iron and hold a plant. Wall hooks to hang ironing board. Small sink. Basket for ironing.
Several hooks on the back of the door for shirts that need ironing or have been ironed.

The footprint of each is small but collectively probably a good size

LibertyLily · 29/09/2025 13:18

We've had decent sized utility rooms with space for a few appliances, butler sink, floor standing (oil-fired) boiler, laundry baskets/drying racks/ironing board and pet stuff (one had the dishwasher too) at previous houses but our current cottage is a downsize property so we've had to compromise a bit here.

When we bought it last year, off the long galley kitchen there was - a square windowless utility, separate loo and lobby area, all dating from when the Georgian property was extended/last renovated in the mid 1960s. Back then you had to have a lobby between the kitchen and toilet, which is no longer the case, so the lobby was wasted space imo.

Having relocated the kitchen, we've reconfigured these four small areas (kitchen, loo, lobby, utility) to make a roomy snug and a lootility that has sufficient space for - toilet, basin, washing machine (possibly with stacked tumble dryer, although we've never bothered with one before), wall-mounted boiler and storage for laundry stuff.

When we convert the integral garage (originally two small Georgian reception rooms) next year, we'll add some built-in storage which will be a kind of 'housekeepers cupboard' with all the crap - brooms, buckets, hoover etc - that won't fit in the lootility.

yellowcone · 29/09/2025 13:24

Ours is quite big, downstairs toilet with sink separated with its own door not just in the middle of the room , the boiler , a door that goes to the side of the house and is where we keep the bins , a cloakroom area with bench , hooks and cubby holes for shoes ,then the utility area with cupboards , one big tall larder style cupboard , big drawers , some open shelving , tumble dryer , washing machine ,sink for cleaning muddy boots and soaking laundry , a ceiling airer and pole for hangers to hang washing for drying or steaming, we also feed the cats in there .

yomellamoHelly · 29/09/2025 13:30

3m x 2.5m. Had one a third of the size to start with, but it was constantly overwhelmed with stuff. (Kids were younger at that point.).
Serves as a laundry room and stores all the cleaning stuff, also lots of shelving for laundry baskets (was the thing that was most lacking in the previous arrangement). Boiler, tools cupboard and downstairs toilet next door. Also have bulbs, etc. in here and a bike on the wall. Knew I didn't need a sink in here (can get water from the toilet sink). Did wonder about a spare fridge, but decided I wanted the storage space more, and actually haven't missed having one. (Again, kids older so our needs have changed.)
Ideally I'd also have a lovely big cupboard to store the spare sets of bedding. Might sort that out i a year or so.

Ohthedaffodils · 29/09/2025 13:39

Washing machine, tumble dryer, boiler, cupboards for detergents etc, shelves. Best of all is the cupboard of doom which houses hoover, ironing board, steam cleaner, carpet cleaner, spot cleaner, all mops, brushes etc.

JaninaDuszejko · 29/09/2025 13:47

Reading through these a lot depends on what the storage in the rest of the house is like will determine the set of functions of your utility. Also, what your preferences are on e.g. mixing pets and their toilet facilities / laundry / food storage /gardening things.

Ineedanewsofa · 29/09/2025 13:53

Boiler, washing machine, separate vented tumble dryer, under and over counter cupboards, tall cupboard for iron board, broom etc, shoe and coat rack for boots & wet weather gear, downstairs loo (as a room within a room). If I had more space I’d have a proper boot area with cupboards, rather than the rack and a sheila maid up on the ceiling. My friend has an enormous ‘bootility room’ and it’s honestly the dream!

Lougle · 29/09/2025 13:56

Ours is a council house. Small utility. We have a washing machine & dishwasher underneath a worktop with a sink. Tea/coffee making paraphernalia and microwave on the worktop. We also have a fridge/freezer. A couple of cupboards, and an IKEA unit on the wall to hold recipe books, etc. mops/brooms, etc.

BadActingParsley · 29/09/2025 14:03

It's small, partly because the boiler is in it in a big cupboard - and there's an outside door, and 2 other doors and a small loo in its own room.

We've got a very big deep sink (big enough to wash the BBQ racks in), the washing machine and tumble dryer as I don't like the noise of them in the kitchen. A cupboard for cleaning stuff etc.

What it's missing which we just couldn't fit in is somewhere to air/hang clothes.

It's a fairly clean space - so no muddy boots or shoes etc. The back door isn't used much though it's sometimes handy if the dog is really muddy. We used to lock the cat in there sometimes if he needed confining for whatever reason - and it was also where we fed him.

SeagullSam2027 · 29/09/2025 14:05

Around 20m2. Contains washer, drier, double sink, worktops and the rest is fitted out as storage. We have a separate boot room, walk-in larder, downstairs bathroom and plant room. Gardening equipment and pet food are stored elsewhere.

Traceysgoingtobelivid · 29/09/2025 14:18

My current utility houses, sink, boiler, tumble dryer, Sheila’s maid and a door to a separate wc and door to outside, it is the most used room in the house as we use it as our boot room also and it’s just too small so we are making an unused double bedroom upstairs into a full on laundry room, the washing machine and tumble dryer are going behind sliding doors with loads of storage for washing baskets and all associated paraphernalia. The rest of the room will have a large work surface for sorting washing with units above plus clothes hanging rail and ironing board and the old utility will become the boot room with a sink for cleaning muddy boots etc. It will work really well and suit our lifestyle much better than the current layout.

Jewelledslice · 29/09/2025 14:45

Ours is about 3.5m x 2m. It has a row of kitchen cabinets on one side, coat rack and boot storage on the other. Then there's an upright freezer, tumble dryer and washing machine. It's compact but does what it says on the tin.

I'd love one with a sink and space to dry clothes! But then I'd love a kitchen big enough to put the freezer too!