UK - can someone explain why houses are still being built in the UK without a dishwasher?

We bought my new build apartment with a dishwasher included thankfully! (UK) but it comes under the mortgage payments. We had to buy a dishwasher separately for our last place and left it to our buyer

I wouldn’t say it’s behind. It’s just different. I lived in Germany for a while and you had to provide pretty much your whole kitchen when you moved.

Aircon would be stupid for two weeks in the summer and fans work just as well. A lot of houses were build before the invention of dishwashers and washing machines. Some houses were build before bathrooms which is why they are downstairs where they used to be a shed outside. There’s not the space unless you want to pay for it.

Why should they provide dishwashers?

The biggest issue is space. In the US and Australia, the houses are vast and they have lots of space for a laundry room leaving space for a dishwasher in the kitchen. In the UK, that’s rarely the case. If UK houses came with laundry rooms, then there would be space in the kitchens for dishwashers.

Aircon hasn’t been a thing because it’s never been needed. UK was always cold so there hasn’t been a need for air con in people’s homes. The focus has been on heating. However, with climate change, it’s been getting hotter. Hopefully we’ll see a change in the future where it comes as standard but I don’t see it any time soon.

Closest used to be built as standard. Many older council houses and older homes in general had closets in bedrooms. The newer builds don’t due to lack of space and cheaper builds. It’s cheaper to not include closets and it just be a standard room.

Sadly, a lot of this is now seen as luxuries that they don’t have the space or money for.

Space is a premium here. Any new builds the developers are going to want max money for as little as possible expenditure.

They try and sell it as ‘low cost living’ or other marketing bullshit to hide the fact that the property isn’t suitable to house a cat, let alone a family 🤣

No space for a dishwasher, no wardrobes, nowhere to dry your clothes/no space for tumble drier, back garden size of a stamp if you’re lucky to have one at all etc. We’re told to be grateful for what we have, but in reality it is shit, and once you’ve lived in a bigger property with mod cons, it’s hard to go back.

I don’t agree that every house needs a dishwasher, it’s a personal preference but I do think that aircon is becoming more and more important. All new houses are required to be built with electric car chargers. I lived in the US for a long time and can see a lot of illogical norms in either country

Space. No laundry room so washing machines are in the kitchen, which takes priority over a dishwasher when you only have space for one appliance. Our washing machine is under the stairs just to make room for a dishwasher. Aircon is expensive for the few weeks a year we might need it. We need heat way more than aircon 😂.

They are not behind... Talking about this specifically.

Different countries have different ways of living.

To me it is insane the lack of air conditioning, but here people think that is good weather. 🤣😅 Climate change is to blame, it didn't used to be like this. More and more places will start installing it and hopefully be on construction codes, because the temperatures we are reaching indoors are insane.

There are countries on which you have to paint, install your own floor and kitchen when you move in as a tenant. Other countries have only communal washing and drying areas by default, unless you are a millionaire you get your own washing machine. 🤣

I lived in the UK for a few years and never had a dishwasher. And we washed the dishes in soapy water and let them dry without rinsing them to save water lol

A dishwasher is a luxury not a necessity. I grew up with a dishwasher in the kitchen as my family had the space but where I am now there isn’t enough space, we have a kitchen sink and a drying rack and while a dishwasher would be nice it’s not necessary as we’ve been doing perfectly fine without one the last 10 years living there. UK is also known to have hard water so we get a build up of scale which could affect dishwashers so that may also be a valid reason not to have as standard.

You just buy your own? We have aircon and a dishwasher in our house, that we bought 😂

It's just a different way of living I guess. I've never had a dishwasher. I'm 34 and been in the UK my whole life. It isn't a necessity, its a luxury if you have space and can afford another appliance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not having one. Closets again there generally isn't space in most houses but most people have wardrobes or drawers they take with them anyway and aircon has never been needed here for the small amount of hot weather we get. We aren't behind we just live different

When my house was built in 1903 they weren’t thinking where the dishwasher could go 😂 it’s personal preference, so you buy your own, it’s your own white good to buy and install. Most kitchens have the facilities to install one.

No dryers, washer in the kitchen, now no dish washer. I would hate it there. Didn't plan on going anyways 🤣

I didn’t get a dishwasher till I was 28. It’s definitely still a luxury.

When you buy it’s a blank slate so you can buy the appliances you want instead of cheap white goods that you cannot then dispose of.

I do wish we had aircon though, every summer our house hits 35c in the bedrooms. It’s miserable.

As someone originally from Canada but in the UK now, like everyone said it's a space thing. Most places only have space for the essentials (washer, oven, fridge). I guess I'm weird because that's what I love about here and I've always hated dishwashers 😂 when I do the dishes then I know they are clean. And I love the fact that the houses here are quaint , I find it more cozy then big, modern houses with all the bells and whistles haha again that's just me

I can't quite remember whether our integrated dishwasher was included in the price of our new build. I know the washing machine and fridge-freezer weren't. In regards to wardrobes: our builder used to do this in the past. They now only give houses over a certain price range a built in wardrobe, in the master bedroom only, included in the price.

You can wash the dishes by hand? A dishwasher is definitely not a basic necessity 🫢 it takes a lot of water, really hot as well, plus the soap/tablets.

When we move to the house we’re currently at, we had to bring fridge, washing machine and dishwasher if we wanted them. Not furnished is not furnished for real here.

I live in the south as well, and the Aircon is definitely not necessary either 😂

Also, it’s quite rude to say the UK is behind. Based on not having aricon or dishwashers by default? Huh…🧐

And forgot to add that we have a closet in our bedroom

I would die without my dishwasher…

So do the US all tend to have aircon including the northern states?
I always find it a bit odd they don’t hang their washing out to dry in hot states like Florida.

A lot of our houses are older than the invention of a dishwasher. Couldn’t do without mine though🤣

i’m in the us and i have no dishwasher 🥲but tbh we don’t have many things in this house that i feel should be standard.

It’s soooo much easier to just wash by hand lol

UK houses are generally smaller and getting smaller. I’m grateful I bought an older ex-council house as they w bit are more spacious. Ours came with a dishwasher, laundry room but no air-con and built in wardrobes/cupboards. The necessity to have air-con is a recent thing in the UK due to climate change.

I’ve always had a dishwasher and washing machine where I’ve lived, whether that’s owned or rented, new build or older. But in general our houses are a lot older and smaller. The building I work in was built in 1420 (and we have a dishwasher!) 😅

I'm quite picky with my appliances, so I like to have the choice to buy the ones with the features I like. Also, some people just like washing by hand 🤷🏾‍♀️
It's not being behind, just a different way of living, you can't move to a different country and expect to find the exact same things that you had in yours. It's just different, and you move house or flat,you can just bring yours🤷🏾‍♀️