Utility room fitting in Brighton

Thinking about utility room fitting in Brighton?

Families in Brighton often want the washing machine out of the kitchen, so the noise, the wet laundry and the drying racks have a room of their own.

In a Brighton house where the garage is already used for storage rather than the car, some people fit a run of units and the laundry along one wall. Homes right across Brighton are covered, as are nearby places such as Hove, Portslade and the villages in between.

What does the job involve?

Every kitchen is different, so we confirm the scope in writing. Most jobs of this kind include:

Washing machine supply, waste and isolation valve, tested for leaks
Utility sink and tap plumbed in, with new supplies and waste where none exist
Stacking kit fitted where the washer and dryer sit one above the other
Worktop over the washing machine and dryer, supported clear of the appliances
Base, wall and tall units fitted, levelled and fixed to the wall
A vent to outside for a vented dryer, or a drain hose for condenser models

What should you budget for utility room fitting in Brighton?

Use these ranges to plan your budget. They include VAT, reflect costs in the South East, and are firmed up once we have seen your Brighton kitchen. Labour in the South East generally costs more than the UK average, which lifts these ranges a little.

What should you budget for utility room fitting in Brighton?
Typical project	Guide price
Utility units and worktop fitted (fit only)Three to six units, laminate worktop, panels	£1,400–£3,400
Utility room supplied and fittedUnits, worktop, sink, washer and dryer connections	£3,400–£8,000
New utility plumbing for a sink and washing machineSupplies, waste and valves where none exist	£460–£1,200

Fit-only and supply-and-fit ranges cover units, worktop and standard sink and appliance connections, with new plumbing where none exists as a separate line; extract fans, dryer vents and new circuits are quoted on top. Prices include VAT at 20%.

House types around Brighton and what they mean for a kitchen

Typical homes in this part of East Sussex include Regency townhouses and flats, Victorian terraces, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows. Regency and Victorian houses split into flats often have small kitchens in former reception rooms, while 1930s semis usually have a compact kitchen at the back.

Seafront flats without lifts, permit parking and steep streets in the coastal towns can make delivery and waste removal slower, so access needs planning. East Sussex has hard water, so limescale builds up on taps, kettles and boiling water taps, and a filter or softener is worth considering.

Building regulations, electrics and gas in Brighton

Fitting a utility room needs no planning permission in England, though a new dryer vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's consent. Adding sockets to an existing circuit is not notifiable, but a new circuit is, under Part P. Approved Document F sets an extract rate of about 30 litres per second for a utility room, so a new fan should be sized to meet it, and if an open-flued boiler shares the room, a Gas Safe registered engineer should carry out a spillage test once a fan is fitted.

Listed Regency buildings, conservation areas and homes inside the South Downs National Park may need consent for a new external vent, and flat owners usually need freeholder consent.

Before you book utility room fitting in Brighton

Plan the sockets in your Brighton utility so each appliance can be switched off at an accessible switch without moving the machine.
Measure the washer and dryer heights, including any stacking kit, before ordering wall units or shelves to go above them.
Before choosing a dryer for your Brighton utility, check whether there is an outside wall close enough for a short, straight vent duct.
If there is no water or waste in the space, new plumbing has to reach it, which is simplest close to an existing kitchen or bathroom.

Questions about utility room fitting in Brighton

How much does utility room fitting cost in Brighton?

Utility room fitting in Brighton typically costs £1,400 to £3,400 including VAT for fitting three to six utility units and a worktop you have bought, based on prices in the South East. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.

Do you work near Brighton as well?

Yes. As well as Brighton itself, we cover the rest of East Sussex and nearby towns such as Hove and Portslade. The process is the same wherever the kitchen is.

Does a condenser or heat pump dryer need an outside vent?

No. Condenser and heat pump dryers do not need an outside vent, so they can go where a vented dryer cannot. They collect water in a container that has to be emptied, or they can be connected to the waste so they drain automatically, which is easy when the dryer sits beside the washing machine. They still give off some warmth, so the space needs air around it. A vented dryer needs a duct to an outside wall.

Can a utility room go in a garage or under the stairs?

Often, yes, as long as the space already exists and is usable. In a garage it needs to be dry and protected from frost, with power and a route for water and waste. Under the stairs, check the headroom, the ventilation and whether a door can open fully. We fit units and connect appliances in existing spaces; converting a garage into a habitable room is a separate building project.

Does a utility room need an extractor fan?

Yes, in most cases. Washing and drying put a lot of moisture into a small space, so extract ventilation is strongly advised: Approved Document F sets a rate of about 30 litres per second for utility rooms in England and Wales, and the building standards in Scotland and Technical Booklet K in Northern Ireland cover ventilation too. An extract fan ducted outside is the usual answer, with a window helping but not replacing it. A vented dryer needs its own duct as well.

Utility room fitting near Brighton

We also carry out utility room fitting in these towns near Brighton: