Utility room fitting in March

Is utility room fitting right for your March kitchen?

Larger households in March sharing a lot of laundry often want a stacked washer and dryer, a hanging rail and a clear worktop for folding.

If your March 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. We cover all of March, including the PE15 postcode district, and travel out to neighbouring towns across Cambridgeshire.

What is included in the work?

The exact scope is agreed after the survey, but a typical job in March covers:

Worktop over the washing machine and dryer, supported clear of the appliances
Utility sink and tap plumbed in, with new supplies and waste where none exist
Extract fan fitted to clear moisture from washing and drying
Washing machine supply, waste and isolation valve, tested for leaks
Base, wall and tall units fitted, levelled and fixed to the wall
Free survey visit to check water, waste, power and outside wall positions

What should you budget for utility room fitting in March?

The figures below are guide prices for March, including VAT and adjusted for typical costs across the East of England. The fixed price comes after we have measured up. Prices in the East of England usually run above the national guide, mainly because labour and parking cost more.

What should you budget for utility room fitting in March?
Typical project	Guide price
Utility units and worktop fitted (fit only)Three to six units, laminate worktop, panels	£1,300–£3,200
Utility room supplied and fittedUnits, worktop, sink, washer and dryer connections	£3,200–£7,600
New utility plumbing for a sink and washing machineSupplies, waste and valves where none exist	£430–£1,100

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 around March

Typical homes in this part of Cambridgeshire include Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estate houses and fenland bungalows and farmhouses. Terraced houses in Cambridge and Peterborough often have a narrow galley at the back, while Fen bungalows tend to have a simple square kitchen beside the living room.

Water across Cambridgeshire is very hard, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common and a filter or softener is worth thinking about. Fen roads and farm tracks can be narrow for delivery lorries, and city-centre terraces often have permit parking and no rear access for long worktops.

Regulations for kitchen work in March

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 houses in historic centres such as Cambridge and Ely may need consent for internal changes or a new vent, although a straightforward kitchen fit needs no planning permission.

Worth knowing before the fit

In a March flat, check with the freeholder before a new dryer vent or extract fan is cut through an outside wall.
Measure the washer and dryer heights, including any stacking kit, before ordering wall units or shelves to go above them.
Leave room behind the washing machine for the hoses; pushing it hard against the wall can kink them and stop the water draining properly.
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 March

How much does utility room fitting cost in March?

Utility room fitting in March typically costs £1,300 to £3,200 including VAT for fitting three to six utility units and a worktop you have bought, based on prices in the East of England. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.

Do you work near March as well?

Yes. As well as March itself, we cover the rest of Cambridgeshire and nearby towns such as Wisbech and Ely. The process is the same wherever the kitchen is.

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.

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 neighbouring towns

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