This might be the sweetest room of all

When you’re thinking about a renovation and new beautiful spaces in your home, the word Mud might not be the first thing that comes to mind. 

But if you’re a parent, grandparent or pet owner, you know all about mud. You know about grubby hands and feet, spilled ice cream, muddy paws, grass-filled socks, wet clothes, smudged faces, pet worms, sand, water, smelly backpacks, sports equipment, dirty shoes, damp towels, bug spray, skinned knees and bloody noses. 

The adults in your life can get messy, too, especially if gardening is a beloved pastime. Those gardening tools and gloves and muddy clogs all need to come inside at some point, sometimes several times a day. Family traffic (and guests, too) can kick up lots of dust (and mud).

A mud room for all these glorious messes could be exactly what your renovation needs to include. Maybe a mud room should even be the first step, the basic room that preserves all the others.

Older homes tend not to have a mudroom entry ‒ usually just a door leading to basement stairs. Newer homes tend to have tight space, limited closets, and laundry facilities away from any entrance. Even the way the doors swing often impede space.

However, with some thought, planning and a well-established process by a professional renovator like Lagois Design-Build-Renovate, a mud room can become the brightest, most functional room in your house. 

It will need to be approached with an overall holistic design. It will have to consider your family’s traffic patterns. No matter how beautiful it might look when it’s finished, if it’s not used, it has no value.

Here are some questions to ask when you’re thinking about a mud room:
  • In winter, will you need to shovel snow around to the back of the house to access it?
  • Will you actually walk around to the side of the house, or will you always enter through the front door?
  • Would your mudroom enter into dining or family room space, and would that make sense for everyday traffic flows?
  • Would guests walk through the mudroom to the outdoors or to the basement?
  • Will laundry facilities be included in the space? If so, is there space for folding and hanging clothes, ironing, storage?
  • Could the laundry area be kept separate from the actual traffic flow areas?
  • Will you want a dog shower?
  • Would you like durable counter space and a deep sink, especially if you are a gardener?
  • Should there be a place to dry sports equipment?
  • Would you like a freezer or fridge in the room? Pantry storage?
  • What about an area for recycling bins?
  • Would you like to have a powder room or shower integrated into the room?

Other things to consider for a mud room:

  • Durable, cleanable finishes.
  • Slip-resistant floor.
  • Child safety (such as rounded corners).
  • A counter or bench to set grocery bags or mail.
  • A bench for dressing children or tying skates.
  • A key rack.
  • A device-charging area.

Most of all, take your time to think it through. It could be a life-changer, so you’ll want to get your mud room just the way it suits you and your family.