How important is a utility room?

downshifted

Would you rather have a large kitchen (15'5 by 11'5) or a 10'5 by 11'5 kitchen plus a 5'5 by 11'5 utility room?

We could partition off one end of our new kitchen to make a utility - I like the idea of putting the washing machine etc out of the way - but it will make the kitchen smaller and fitting in a table more difficult

Thanks for your views

GoToGal

Personally, Id rather have a larger kitchen

Eric1

Does it have to be a brick partition?
Maybe all you need is a curtain.

downshifted

Thinking about it as far as I can see the advantages of a utility room would be

- the back door would go into it, easy place to keep shoes etc and stops the kitchen floor getting so dirty
- washing machine etc out of the way, not so noisy
- kitchen smaller and cheaper to heat

The disadvantages would be
- kitchen smaller - but still a reasonable size?
- cost of doing it including I guess moving some drains

poppysarah

Depends on the rest of the house. If washer is on it is annoying in the lounge? An extra door can really quieten the noise.

real1314

a 10.5 x 11.5 kitchen isn't quite big enough to take a table and chairs for an average family + guests, imho, whereas a 10.5 x 15.5 is big enough. Therefore the choice you're making is between kitchen/diner and kitchen+ utility room.

What you could consider is not having the utility across the full 11.5' perhaps, maybe having it 5.5 x 5.5 which would be enough to take a washer and dryer; back door and door to kitchen, leaving 5.5 foot of space in the kitchen? Depends on the layout of your house how this would work, but if you could starte the kitchen part of the kitchen/diner in the space near the utility it might work?

Other option to consider is a downstairs loo, your bigger utility might be able to accomodate one, and that would add value and be a useful addition.

Squish_21

I'd rather have a larger kitchen. Do you have a large garage joined to the house the washer and dryer could go in instead?

Debt_Free_Dreamer

I am about to have a utility. Could have had a bigger kitchen.

I want one because I will keep the worktops in the kitchen clear.

I can leave out the breadmaker, toasty maker etc., which are used daily and not clutter up the kitchen.

bristol_pilot

I would not make a kitchen 'obviously small' so that I could have a utility room. Another vote for larger kitchen.

nickyhutch

We have a large kitchen, with everything in it. It's not killed me not having a utility room.

downshifted

bristol_pilot wrote: »

I would not make a kitchen 'obviously small' so that I could have a utility room. Another vote for larger kitchen.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. So far, it looks like the larger kitchen is favoured - however, is 10'5 by 11'5 considered small? It still seems quite big to me