Upstairs laundry - possible?

pimento

We're buying a house that is much smaller than the one we currently have and although it's just about perfect, the kitchen is smaller and the washing machine is currently in the kitchen (integrated).

I would like to be able to move the washing machine to make another cupboard space available but the only place I can think of to move it to is upstairs.

Bedroom 2 will be my husband's office. It's a large room (13' x 11') and has an alcove (presumably for a wardrobe) that backs directly onto the bathroom.

Is it sensible/feasible to put the washer behind a sliding door in the bedroom/office? I assume there will be plumbing available due to the proximity of the bathroom.

Is there any reason why this isn't a good idea?

Thanks for any advice or opinions.

peachyprice

Two things come to mind, how you're going to get the bloomin' thing up there! and vibrations and noise while it's in use.

My ex MIL had a machine in an upstairs bathroom, that was very noisy when in use, it was like a jumbo taking off when it went into a spin, but it was only over the kitchen so not liveable. That was an old Victorian house with bare floorboards though.

JimmyChanga

As peachyprice said, on wooden joists on spin mode it can sound really noisy.

pimento

Yes, I hadn't thought of that. The bedroom is directly above the kitchen and the house is four years old. Does that make a difference?

My shower pump sits on a thick, rubber mat. Would something like that make a difference?

Fire_Fox

Consider fire risk and flooding risk. Do you usually do laundry whilst home and awake, or would you run errands or go to sleep whilst the washing machine is running?

Cisco001

I don't think it is good idea.
If there is not enough cupboard space, I would rather get a cupboard to store stuff in dinning room or living room.

pimento

OK, thanks everyone.

Fen1

A lot of kitchen units don't go all the way up to the ceiling. There can be several feet of space completely wasted in the kitchen because of this. The area above a door can also have shelves or a cupboard fitted.

Rationalize what you actually need in the kitchen. Food and utensils that you use every day need to be kept in the kitchen. Rarely used baking tins and novelty Christmas china don't.

pimento

Fen1 wrote: »

A lot of kitchen units don't go all the way up to the ceiling. There can be several feet of space completely wasted in the kitchen because of this. The area above a door can also have shelves or a cupboard fitted.

Rationalize what you actually need in the kitchen. Food and utensils that you use every day need to be kept in the kitchen. Rarely used baking tins and novelty Christmas china don't.

Funnily enough, I'm thinking of taking the current L shaped kitchen and making it a U shape.
The only problem is that the window is about six inches lower than a standard kitchen worktop. I was wondering whether I could put the sink under the window and put a back onto the sink unit making the window a kind of well.

I'm not explaining is very well...

A bit like this:

http://www.vamzteam.com/countertop/c1f94/window-sill-lower-than-countertop/low-window-sill-behind-sink-and-counter-kitchen.html

EssexExile

There's nothing wrong with having the washing machine upstairs, lots of people do it. Better quality modern machines don't shake about as much as old ones but it will still be noisier than on a solid floor.

Getting it there is hard work & when you buy a new one check the delivery policy, some won't go upstairs. If you have a sack barrow & a couple of healthy blokes it's do-able.

I don't see why fire risk is any worse upstairs & leaks are rarely catastrophic, we have baths & loos upstairs & tanks in the loft after all.

DigForVictory

The lady in the bungalow over the road sleeps on the same floor as her washing machine & tumble drier - I think where the drying will happen is more of an issue as lugging a load of wet clean laundry downstairs lacks appeal.
Anyone with an office likely with technology may have views on damp etc.