5 AREAS TO REMEMBER
1 PLUMBING
Whatever the scale of your project, plumbing is a crucial consideration. Bringing in a professional at the design stage is a smart move. “Drainage can often be overlooked in utility room design, so make sure you work with a designer who understands how drainage works,” says Helen from Burlanes. “Washing machine drainage needs a drop to drain correctly, so knowing where the soil pipe is positioned, and if this will need to be relocated, is essential.” It’s important to plan ahead for these aspects, as you may need to chase floors and walls to run pipes to the utility zone.
2 VENTILATION
With a washing machine and tumble dryer going, the utility is likely to be warm and humid. To keep the air fresh and ensure clothes dry efficiently it will need to be wellventilated. On the Planning Portal the Building Regs outline that any new utility room ‘should be provided with a means of extract ventilation to reduce condensation and remove smells.’ If you’re refurbishing a kitchen then you have to retain or replace existing extract ventilation, you needn’t provide one unless you want to. Any extract ventilation system installed must meet the specific requirements outlined in Approved Document F — Ventilation.
3 THE ELECTRICS
Your utility room could potentially accommodate a washing machine, tumble-dryer and fridge-freezer, not to mention an iron, heated clothes airer and the like. Therefore, it’s important to plan in enough power sockets. Four sockets is the bare minimum, and adding more will give you flexibility.
“In most cases, you will need to connect new wiring, which may involve chasing floors, walls or ceilings,” says Nicola from CGT Works. “If an appliance is housed in a cupboard and you can’t access the plug without moving it, you should have a fused spur installed. This will allow you to switch off the washing machine or dryer to safely remove it.”
4 UNDERFLOOR HEATING IS A GOOD OPTION
If you’re creating a dedicated utility room, you’ll need to heat it. As space is likely to be tight, it’s a savvy plan to use underfloor heating (UFH) to free up wall space for storage cupboards, rather than radiators. Electric UFH is the usual choice for retrofits, particularly for smaller spaces, as it’s cheaper and easier to install than water-based (or wet) UFH. A slim, mat-based setup won’t add much height to the floor, though it’s worth checking what the overall height build-up will be before laying the floor. Double-check the height of your cupboards in relation to this, especially if you’ve chosen floor-to-ceiling storage.
5 DON’T FORGET INSULATION
All habitable zones need to comply with Part L of Building Regs for thermal performance, which covers the insulation of walls, floors and roofs. “For utility areas in particular, the room needs to be insulated to stop damp,” says Helen from Burlanes. Insulating internally with insulated plasterboard is the most straightforward route. If you’re converting a garage, you’ll also need to lay a damp proof membrane, insulation and a new screed on the floors.
BUILDING WORKS TIMELINE
The construction timeline for your project, of course, depends on how you plan to incorporate your utility room into the existing floorplan. For example, if you’re converting a garage, a straightforward scheme could be completed in as little as two weeks, with a simple knock through from the kitchen into the former garage formed and made good within half a day. On the other hand, a larger remodel that involves alterations to loadbearing walls could take weeks or even months, especially if complex engineering is required.
Building a new wall to partition off part of your kitchen offers another speedy construction route. “In standard conditions, it takes about one day to bring in materials and start to build a partition,” says Nicola Cotti, architect and director at CGT Works. “When the main framing works are done, the electrician and plumber will need to work in two separate shifts (assuming the utility space is relatively small), so factor in around one and a half days for both of them.” Add on an extra several days for making good, completing plasterboards and plastering, plus time for decorating.
WHAT ARE THE RULES AND BUILDING REGS?
Typically, small utility room schemes don’t require approval from building control — providing they don’t entail structural changes. “However, electrical alterations need an additional electrical certificate (to your main one) from a licensed electrician,” says Nicola from CGT Works. “If you are modifying a gas pipe, for example, by moving the boiler to the utility room, you will need a Gas Safe certificate and commissioning from a qualified plumber, too.”
If you are converting an integral garage to create your new utility room, you will need Building Regs approval. The Regs cover various aspects of what can be built, including thermal performance, ventilation, fire safety and acoustics. If you’re unsure how your project may be affected by Building Regs, the LABC website (www.labc.co.uk/homeowners) provides a useful source of information.
Permitted Development (PD) allows you to make various internal changes to your home without the need to apply for planning permission. Garage conversions can often be done under PD, for example, unless the garage is separate from the house. Providing you’re not making any drastic changes to your house’s exterior, you’re not in a conservation area, you don’t live in a listed building and your PD rights haven’t already been used (for an extension, for example) it’s unlikely you’ll need full planning. However, it’s always worth checking with your local council for peace of mind.
COSTING YOUR PROJECT
If you’re starting from scratch by converting an integral garage, for instance, the basic cost will be around £8,000. However, once you start picking out fixtures and fittings for your utility room, the cost can start to creep up quite quickly. If you’re looking to keep your outlay to a minimum, off-the-shelf units from the likes of Ikea,wickes and B&Q won’t set you back more than a few hundred pounds. Middle of the range fitted cabinetry is likely to be around the £3,000 for a larger utility room (rather than a pantry-sized space), and highend, bespoke solutions cost upwards of £15,000 for more generous, standalone pieces.
If things like heating, electrics and plumbing are already in place, you could probably complete the project for a lot less — depending on the spec of the appliances and cabinetry you choose. “In London, a plumber or electrician day rate can vary from £250 to £300 per day. A good handyman to do partitioning, plastering and some small tiling and flooring can cost between £150 to £200 a day,” says Nicola. “Materials like flooring start at around £20/m2 and can be as much as £40/m2 for tiles, and electrical fittings like switches, sockets and downlights will be about £50 to £80 each.”
All that considered, you could complete a small utility room – for example one in which you add a stud wall and work to the timeline laid out in the section entitled Building works timeline on page 107 – for under £2,000.
APPLIANCES Nowadays, appliances do not tend to be overly noisy. However, we usually recommend positioning your utility room away from your main living area, any bedrooms and your home office, if you have one. If this isn’t possible, then housing your appliances within cabinetry is a good option to absorb any sound. Appliances can easily be stacked and safely concealed within bespoke units. We would always recommend having a door on your utility room, too. Helen Gulutu, showroom manager at Burlanes Chelmsford