Downstairs WC/utility room or "family room"?
mushti2112
7 years ago
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7 years agohortonhearsawho2013
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Utility room, downstair WC, cloakroom - layout help needed!
Comments (14)mate...i Iive in nz. in Christchurch we had a wood burning fire , where we live now..way at the top where the lions were on the weekend...no heating needed!!!! we do have double glazing and our house faces the sun, and the sun gives off heat here in the winter so it warms it all day unlike some peoples winter sun! but go with whatever is the best for your furniture . ...and budget !...See Moreswap the utility and downstairs w.c. / shower room
Comments (4)Hello, I personally think it is a great idea and suits your needs very well. I would also (as mentioned) above, getting the plans redrawn to ensure you are happy with everything. You could use a service who will offer a few option on the layout of the space. We offer a layout service that does that where no major works are needed - at a fraction of the cost of an architect so also make sure you shop around when looking to get plans redrawn. If you had sliding doors on both sides of the new utility room you wouldn't have any issue getting to it from upstairs with linen or with food shopping from the front door etc but it wouldn't have to be used as the main entrance to the kitchen. Best of luck with your project. It's a good idea. Gina...See MoreMoving downstairs toilet and utility room
Comments (5)You really need someone to look at it rather than speculate. It may be that the drain passes down the side of the house and so putting a toilet in the current dining room might well be possible. It is possible you might be able to get enough fall on a pipe if you have space under your floors. You also have the option of using a macerator. Normally the macerator option gets a poor reaction on Houzz, quite possibly from people who have never had one- I had two in a previous home and they did the job. Lastly, the fact that the builder didn’t move the toilet doesn’t infer anything about the feasibility- it might not have occurred to him and it might well be possible....See Morewhere could I put a downstairs WC?
Comments (10)Hi Lauren, I'm not sure if my initial thoughts will work on a practical point of view but I've given more details below. Other things to consider or talk to a professional about is Building Regs, I think you may be required to consult building control as you're adding a toilet in a room where there isn't one. Drainage Where are your existing waste/stack pipes currently located? Ideally, any new runs need to connect to an existing inspection chamber (manhole) without bends or you may be required to fit a rodding eye or new inspection chamber if a change of direction is needed. This gives direct access for rodding (in case of blockages). This is normally something that Building Control will sign off on if you have notified them of work. If you come to sell the house in the future you will probably be asked for the certificate so is usually recommended. Option for New Toilet My first thought would be to use a bit of the space in the cupboard under the stairs where there is limited headroom room to put the W/C sink in there so that you only take minimal space from the family room. Depending on the headroom you could put the toilet where the sink is too. BUT unless you have a bathroom above it and the waste coming downstairs first, this could be a big job. This is what I was thinking anyway... but think it's going to be too much work. Is the wall between the kitchen and the family room a supporting wall? The other option would be to nick a bit of space from the kitchen and the family room so you don't have to take as much from just the family room. If it is a solid wall, the best place is probably going to be where you have it in your drawing in the family room, and you can probably get away with 90cm if it's just for a WC. Opening up between the kitchen/diner would give you a lovely large space....See MoreMrs D
7 years agoianthy
7 years agomushti2112
7 years agomushti2112
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
I appreciate that it is difficult to know without seeing the layout of the house so here's a rough drawing to scale that I have done of the proposed new layout to help - light blue line = existing glass doors to kitchen, red line = proposed new glass doors to lounge, black lines = existing walls, dark blue lines = proposed new studwork walls and lighting layout (probably will use downlights for maximising the light and lamps in the reading room as well).Hope this gives more of a clear idea of what we are planning to do - I say "utility room" but actually our idea is to do something similar to what OnePlan suggested utilising the understairs cupboard off the WC as a utility cupboard with the washing machine/tumble drier in and then hang a drying rack from the ceiling.
The cloakroom area would give us a valuable space for shoes and coats as currently you walk straight through into the main body of the house and mess gets everywhere (we have a small dog that gets very muddy)! The floor will be tiled the same as the hallway through the cloakroom and WC and wood flooring laid in the reading room with the fireplace.
It's a very good idea to ask local estate agents Man About The House so thanks for that suggestion.
PROOnePlan
7 years agoHaving the loo in the recess and a sink / basin that can accessed from front and side ( it in loo bit too ) could work ?
And give you more space in the walk though /seating area ?
This is a get quick scribble while I have my coffee break !!!
- PRO
OnePlan
7 years ago mushti2112
7 years ago
I think I've left out a couple of critical pieces of information on the floorplan!! :-( sorry. Have updated it to show that the hallway from the front of the house leads up to the staircase and you turn left in front of the stairs into the cloakroom. Have also thought about making it one larger utility room, bringing the new wall forwards a bit to make the space 2200mm x 1300mm and incorporating the reduced headroom under the stairs to fit the washing machine in? What do you think?
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