Mud Room Renovation

"Okay, it's time." "You can do this." "It's just for a day, then things can go back to normal." These were the encouraging words I kept telling myself when preparing for this room renovation reveal. Why? Because it's the Mud Room. The room we enter through after being outside and dirty all day. The room we lock the dogs in when we're too lazy to clean them. The room we use as overflow storage. The room that

Here are the functions we needed this room to serve: laundry room dog shower storage entryway We decided to compartmentalize the room into different sections to fulfill each of these various functions. This would help give each area an identity. Below is the full scope of work: build entryway hallway/soffit replace interior doors replace exterior door new flooring repair drywall add beadboard to ceiling build storage lockers build dog shower build additional storage replace washer & dryer build wall around washer & dryer install sink replace trim paint...everything replace light fixtures The first change we decided to make was to create a more legitimate entry way into this room. We constructed a small hallway so we could fully close off this room (ideal for hiding the eternal pile of laundry on the floor), yet still be able to access the powder room and screened-in porch (which were originally entered through this room). This also provided us a space to build in a soffit for the dryer vent.

Once the wall was constructed, it was time to start the demolition work. The drywall on the walls and ceiling was in pretty rough shape. We opted to repair the walls, however wanted to take a more creative route for repairing the ceiling. Instead of the standard drywall, we installed a 2" beadboard to the ceiling.

Once the walls, ceiling and flooring were complete, we could start focusing on how we would break out this room. On the far end wall we built storage lockers. This area would serve for storing shoes, dog leashes, beach bags, and all other items we use frequently. Be sure to check out my Storage Lockers post for full details on their construction.

After a good deal of negotiations took place in my head, I mustered up the energy to do some laundry, organize the shelves, and give the dogs a bath. I'm telling you, enjoy these pictures now, because never again will the Mud Room be this clean...ever. I've shared bits and pieces of this renovation already. If you haven't seen them, make sure you check out the full details for the storage lockers and dog shower. During our initial tour when we were considering buying this house, this room was a complete "Whoa! I wasn't expecting that!" It was huge and we thought of it as a blank slate. Although the overall feel of the room was pretty dated, we saw a lot of opportunity in making this room a multi-functional space. Moving on...The center of the room has been solely dedicated for all things dog. Dog bed, dog food and of course dog shower.

   

I mean seriously, you'd think since we dedicated a whole section of the room to these two fur balls, the least they could do is look a bit more appreciative. Is it too much to ask to just smile and fake it for a quick photo?! You can get the full scoop of the dog shower in my Mud Room Update post. I promise, they were much more excited back then. Apparently the lip stick has worn off.

However, the one thing I did know I wanted in this section of the room was a wash bin sink. This required us to go with a stackable washer and dryer set to leave room for a sink. It's pretty basic, but does the job.