A mud room makes outdoor living all the sweeter

Much as we love the outdoors, it can present a few challenges to a clean and organized home, because mud is part of seasonal living in Ottawa.

Outdoors means dirt, wet dog, muddy kids, toys, flies, mosquitoes, spilled ice cream, sand, grassy clothes. In winter, it means wet mittens and socks, snowy sports equipment, sopping boots, winter coats, hats, and scarves.

But a mud room can keep the house clean, uncluttered and organized in all seasons.

Traditionally older homes do not have a mud room entry other than a door leading to basement stairs. Newer homes often ask too much of a mud room entry. Typically, space is tight; there are limited closets, laundry facilities within the same area; door swings that impede the space, and so on.

Yet the mud room is one of the more valuable rooms a home can offer, a room that could often benefit from more thought and planning. A mud room needs superb design, whether as part of an overall holistic design by Lagois or as a specific mud room entry design we create for you.

If you’re considering a mud room, consider your family’s traffic patterns. It’s one thing to create an awesome mud room, but if it’s never used, or ends up just being a catchall room, you’ve defeated the purpose.

Questions to ask when you’re considering a mud room

Will you need to shovel snow around to the back of your home to access the mud room?
Will you actually walk around to the side of your home or will you simply enter through the front door?
Will the mud room enter into dining or family room space? Would this make sense for everyday traffic flows?
Will guests walk through the mudroom to the outdoors or to the basement?

Other mud room considerations

Will laundry facilities be required as part of the space? If so, is there space for folding and hanging clothes, ironing, storage?
Can the laundry area be kept separate from the actual traffic flow areas?
Will you want dog showers?
If you’re a gardener, do you have durable counter space and a deep sink?
If there are sports enthusiasts in the family, will they need to dry their equipment?
Will you want freezer or fridge space? Pantry storage?
Could the mud room be integrated with a walk-in pantry? Powder room? Recycling?

Ideally, a mud room should be naturally well-lit by windows, skylights, or sun tunnels to create an open, airy, inviting space.

Still more mud room ideas

Consider sturdy, durable, cleanable finishes
slip-resistant floors
child safety (such as rounded corners)
cubicles to keep children and family organized
a counter or bench to set grocery bags or mail
a bench for dressing children or tying skates
a key rack
a cell-phone-charging area

The secret? Perfect mud room design

With any successful project, proper professional planning and execution is important, and this is where Lagois Design·Build·Renovate comes in. We design every renovation holistically, with a process that allows for a lifestyle for all abilities, ages, stages, and interests. It is a process that always takes into account your budget and timeline. We help you figure it all out so it suits you, your home and your family perfectly.

Let’s see. How might it look with a mud room? Imagine this: Here you are, coming home. You’ve had a challenging day at work; you’re frazzled; you have bags of groceries in one hand, mail in the other, muddy boots, messy, sweaty kids coming in from a sports event…

And then you walk into your tranquil, sun-filled “mud room”. You set down the groceries. You place the mail on a nearby counter. The kids have a place to hang up their backpacks, wash their hands and put their dirty clothes in the washing machine. Not only that, but all their baseball equipment is ready to go for the next practice.

For sure, a mud room can only make life better.