Utility room fitting · England
Utility room fitting in Dorset
Homeowners and landlords across Dorset can book us for utility room fitting: utility rooms fitted with units, a sink, washer and dryer connections and a worktop over the appliances.
Thinking about utility room fitting in Dorset?
Landlords letting larger family homes across Dorset sometimes add a utility so tenants have room for laundry, coats and cleaning kit without filling the kitchen with appliances.
If your Dorset home has a back lobby or a rear porch with a little spare width, a few units and a stacked washer and dryer can make it a working utility.
What does utility room fitting in Dorset include?
After the survey visit we write the scope down. For utility room fitting in Dorset it usually covers:
- Free survey visit to check water, waste, power and outside wall positions
- Base, wall and tall units fitted, levelled and fixed to the wall
- Worktop over the washing machine and dryer, supported clear of the appliances
- Washing machine supply, waste and isolation valve, tested for leaks
- A vent to outside for a vented dryer, or a drain hose for condenser models
- Stacking kit fitted where the washer and dryer sit one above the other
- Utility sink and tap plumbed in, with new supplies and waste where none exist
- Extract fan fitted to clear moisture from washing and drying
How much does utility room fitting cost in Dorset?
The figures below are guide prices for Dorset, including VAT and adjusted for typical costs across the South West. The fixed price comes after we have measured up. Prices across the South West are broadly in line with UK averages.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Utility units and worktop fitted (fit only)Three to six units, laminate worktop, panels | £1,200–£3,100 |
| Utility room supplied and fittedUnits, worktop, sink, washer and dryer connections | £3,100–£7,200 |
| New utility plumbing for a sink and washing machineSupplies, waste and valves where none exist | £410–£1,000 |
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%.
Kitchens in homes across Dorset
Across Dorset you will often find thatched cottages, Victorian and Edwardian villas, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows, and each shapes the kitchen differently. Edwardian villas in Bournemouth often have a separate kitchen and scullery, while 1930s semis and bungalows tend to have a compact room at the back.
Most of Dorset has hard water, so limescale on taps, sinks and boiling water taps is common, and a scale-reducing filter can help. Flats in converted villas may have no lift and shared hallways, and narrow village lanes can make delivering long worktops difficult.
Converted villa flats often mean fitting a full kitchen into a small room while keeping neighbours and shared services in mind. Many bungalow owners choose to open the kitchen into the dining room, so the layout and new lighting need planning together.
Rules for utility room fitting in Dorset
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.
Thatched and listed cottages may need listed building consent for internal changes, and owners of flats in converted houses usually need the freeholder's consent before work starts.
Before you start
- Stacking the dryer on the washing machine saves width, but it needs a stacking kit that suits both machines and enough height for the pair.
- Under-stairs spaces can take a washer and dryer, but check the headroom, the ventilation and room to pull machines out before committing.
- 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.
- A utility in a garage needs to be dry, lit and kept above freezing already; converting the garage itself is a separate building job.
- Leave room behind the washing machine for the hoses; pushing it hard against the wall can kink them and stop the water draining properly.
- Measure the washer and dryer heights, including any stacking kit, before ordering wall units or shelves to go above them.
Questions about utility room fitting in Dorset
How much does utility room fitting cost in Dorset?
Guide prices in Dorset are about £1,200 to £3,100 including VAT for fitting three to six utility units and a worktop you have bought. The final price depends on the size of the kitchen and what is moving, and is set out in an itemised written quote.
Do you cover the whole of Dorset?
Yes. We carry out utility room fitting across Dorset, including Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth and Christchurch. Every job starts with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote.
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.
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.
Utility room fitting in towns across Dorset
Choose a town for local guide prices and postcode coverage:
- Utility room fitting in Bournemouth
- Utility room fitting in Poole
- Utility room fitting in Weymouth
- Utility room fitting in Christchurch
- Utility room fitting in Dorchester
- Utility room fitting in Bridport
- Utility room fitting in Blandford Forum
- Utility room fitting in Swanage
- Utility room fitting in Sherborne
- Utility room fitting in Shaftesbury