Utility room fitting in Southampton

When does utility room fitting make sense in Southampton?

Families in Southampton 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.

If your Southampton 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. Kitchens in every part of Southampton are covered, and the survey visit is free wherever you are in Hampshire.

What is in a typical job?

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

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
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
Extract fan fitted to clear moisture from washing and drying
Stacking kit fitted where the washer and dryer sit one above the other

Utility room fitting prices in Southampton

These guide ranges include VAT at 20% and are adjusted for prices in the South East. We confirm your price in writing after a free survey visit. Expect costs in the South East to sit somewhat above UK averages, reflecting local labour rates.

Utility room fitting prices in Southampton
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%.

Fitting kitchens in older and newer Southampton homes

Typical homes in this part of Hampshire include Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estate houses and thatched and brick cottages. Terraces in Southampton and Portsmouth often have a narrow back kitchen, while post-war estate houses tend to have a compact rectangular room suited to an L-shape.

Water across Hampshire is mostly hard, largely from chalk sources, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common and a filter can help. Dense terraced streets can be very tight for parking, and New Forest lanes and village roads may limit the size of delivery vehicle.

Do you need approval for utility room fitting in Southampton?

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.

Homes within the New Forest or South Downs national parks, listed cottages and conservation areas may need consent for a new extractor vent or alterations to historic features.

Worth knowing before the fit

If the utility will be in the garage of your Southampton home, make sure the space stays above freezing in winter for the pipes and machines.
Plan the sockets in your Southampton utility so each appliance can be switched off at an accessible switch without moving the machine.
Leave room behind the washing machine for the hoses; pushing it hard against the wall can kink them and stop the water draining properly.
Under-stairs spaces can take a washer and dryer, but check the headroom, the ventilation and room to pull machines out before committing.

Questions about utility room fitting in Southampton

How much does utility room fitting cost in Southampton?

For fitting three to six utility units and a worktop you have bought, budget around £1,400 to £3,400 including VAT in Southampton. That reflects typical costs in the South East; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.

Which parts of Southampton do you work in?

All of them. Our Hampshire coverage takes in the whole of Southampton, including the SO15 postcode district, as well as surrounding towns such as Hythe, Hampshire. If you are unsure, send us your postcode.

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.

Also covering nearby towns

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