Utility room fitting in Jarrow

Thinking about utility room fitting in Jarrow?

When a new kitchen is being planned in Tyne and Wear, moving the laundry to a utility often makes room for deep drawers or a dishwasher in the kitchen itself.

If the kitchen in your Tyne and Wear home is a narrow galley, a separate utility can take the appliances that would otherwise crowd the worktop and storage. Kitchens in every part of Jarrow are covered, and the survey visit is free wherever you are in Tyne and Wear.

What is in a typical job?

Here is what usually goes into utility room fitting, adjusted to your Jarrow kitchen after we have measured it:

Extract fan fitted to clear moisture from washing and drying
Free survey visit to check water, waste, power and outside wall positions
Utility sink and tap plumbed in, with new supplies and waste where none exist
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

Guide prices for utility room fitting in Jarrow

Use these ranges to plan your budget. They include VAT, reflect costs in the North East, and are firmed up once we have seen your Jarrow kitchen. Labour rates in the North East are generally lower than in London and the South East, so these ranges are a little below the national guide.

Guide prices for utility room fitting in Jarrow
Typical project	Guide price
Utility units and worktop fitted (fit only)Three to six units, laminate worktop, panels	£1,100–£2,700
Utility room supplied and fittedUnits, worktop, sink, washer and dryer connections	£2,700–£6,300
New utility plumbing for a sink and washing machineSupplies, waste and valves where none exist	£360–£900

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%.

Local homes and their kitchens

Across Tyne and Wear you will often find tyneside flats, Victorian terraces, 1930s semis and post-war council-built houses, and each shapes the kitchen differently. Tyneside flats often have a narrow kitchen in the rear offshoot, while 1930s semis and ex-council houses tend to have a small square kitchen at the back.

Hardness varies across Tyne and Wear, from fairly soft around Newcastle to harder in parts of Sunderland, so check with your supplier before choosing a filter. Back lanes behind terraced streets can help deliveries, but upper Tyneside flats have their own internal stair, so long worktops need careful handling.

Regulations for kitchen work in Jarrow

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.

In conservation areas and listed buildings, such as parts of central Newcastle and Tynemouth, a new external vent or changes to historic features may need consent.

Tips before you start

Plan the sockets in your Jarrow utility so each appliance can be switched off at an accessible switch without moving the machine.
If your Tyne and Wear home has an open-flued boiler in the utility, ask for a spillage test by a Gas Safe registered engineer once an extract fan goes in.
If the utility will be in the garage of your Jarrow home, make sure the space stays above freezing in winter for the pipes and machines.
A worktop over appliances needs support at each side and a gap above the machines, so they can be slid out for servicing.

Questions about utility room fitting in Jarrow

How much does utility room fitting cost in Jarrow?

Utility room fitting in Jarrow typically costs £1,100 to £2,700 including VAT for fitting three to six utility units and a worktop you have bought, based on prices in the North East. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.

Do you work near Jarrow as well?

Yes. As well as Jarrow itself, we cover the rest of Tyne and Wear and nearby towns such as Hebburn and Wallsend. 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.

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.

Can a worktop go over a washing machine and dryer?

Yes, and it is one of the most common utility layouts. The worktop is supported by units, end panels or a rail at each side rather than resting on the machines, with a small gap above them for vibration and so they can be slid out for servicing. Standard front-loading machines usually fit under a standard-height worktop, but we check the appliance heights against the plan first.

Utility room fitting in neighbouring towns

The same service is available a short drive from Jarrow, including: