Any possibility of adding some type of heat to the space? What foundation is the "unheated" space on? I would think if it was at least somewhat heated (no freezing shoes) then the space would be more useable. What type of heat do you have in the house?

HI Debra, I could heat the 'unheated space'. It is pretty small though, and with two doors and a window it really functions as a pass-through. There isn't enough room to really hang all the 'stuff' and there is not enough room for someone to sit down and take off their shoes.
I am of the opinion that the cost of heating the space still wont get me what I really want which is mudroom space, and a separate laundry room and powder room.
Can I have it all?

I agree that carving out space in the laundry room for a separate powder room would be nice, even if you need to walk through the laundry to the powder room. (I have a somewhat similar laundry / mud room that must be walked through to get to the powder room.)

Consider a stacked washer and dryer. (I switched from side by sides to a stacked set and I am so happy with the additional space.)

Potentially, you could cut off the end of the shared room and have the toilet where it is now and a smaller sink where the dryer is now and a door between. If you did divvy out the end for the powder room, you could put a stacked W/D set in the upper right corner and put a utility sink under the window (where the powder room sink is now). That would give you the section where the washer and utility sink are now for storage.

Alternatively, maybe you could turn the toilet 90 degrees and relocate the powder room sink to the right of where it is now, also turned 90 degrees. Wall off that area as a powder room with a door in the middle. If you again switch to a stacked washer and dryer, you could squeeze in a small closet.

Add a wall going from the toilet across the room in front of the window to the other side and add a sink there. Put a door with a frosted glass door in that wall right in front of the window. That would give you a private powder room space on that floor and leave the rest of the room as a laundry slash mudroom. Add a heat lamp to the existing mud room. That is the most time saving and inexpensive way I could see it done. It would look better but cost a little more if you turned the toilet around to face the door and added a sink along the window wall then added a doorway to the bathroom alongside the door going into the washroom. That would make the bathroom a competely seperate room so guest wouldn,t have to enter the washroom to get to it. In the current mud room I think I would just add a large dog heating mat to the floor where the shoes are and only have it on when its freezing. Double hang coats on the wall next to the door that goes into the house since it looks like thats the deepest wallspace and add ceiling to floor built in shelves for shoes ect. all along the wall on the right side. As long as this isn,t the formal entrance to the home that should work well to maxamize the existing space. I live on a farm so lots of boots as well as shoes and my mud room is only 4 feet wide and its the most functional room in the house as far as space usage is concerned. I probly easily have over 100 coats in my double hung coat nook by the door.

I'm not sure how much plumbing you are up for, but here are a few ideas.

Wow! Thanks for all the great feedback.
I am leaning towards putting the powder room along the back wall as many of you suggested. I would use a pocket door and align the door opening with the window in that wall. When the door was open all you would be able to see would be the window- no viewable fixtures and light can flow so that seems like a good plan.
I think I will probably go with a tweak of tracey.erin's last picture. If I move the stacked washer and dryer to the upper right corner the folding shelf can be under the window and the other wall, the windowless one, can be used for hooks, shelves, etc.... that seems to maximize storage space. Of course it does increase the cost of plumbing and electrical, so I need to think it through, but for now I think it would be worth it.

Do you really need a laundry sink if you have the bathroom sink close by? You could put in one of those larger bathroom sinks in needed. I'm moving my laundry off my kitchen and there will be no sink and I don't think I will miss it.

I like your plan to go with powder room along the back wall with a pocket door.

For the laundry/mudroom side, here are a couple ideas for how to incorporate a stacked washer and dryer.

[Contemporary Laundry Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-laundry-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_753~s_2103) by Lethbridge Interior Designers & Decorators Jennifer McCarthy

Love the pull-out folding shelf between the washer and the dryer. Such a great idea.

If you don't want to stack, there's this option. Obviously, don't block the window! The window would be above the folding table and you could do counter-to-ceiling cabinets next to the window along the wall.

Debra, I agree I can live without the laundry sink and would probably compensate with a bigger powder room sink. I do have to do a lot of soaking which is why I want one- 2 boys, live in Maine where we have fifth season called 'mud' and they play lacrosse and football, in other words they play on mud fields in spring and fall. The person who decided football pants are white is a sadist.
I think I will be drawing up plans this weekend and will decide between stack or no stack.
Geokid, I love the 2 last photos you posted. I agree that pull out shelf in the stack unit is ingenious and I love the side by side units with the doors configured to look lik cabinet fronts- clever.

While I like the look of the last picture with the fake cabinet fronts, I would want the doors to slide back and out of the way (like entertainment armoires often use). I think the doors will be in the way when they are open and you're standing there working at the appliances.

Not that you need laundry advise...when I need to soak something I just do it in the washer on the soak cycle. If you can do that it would free up the sink. I hear you about the mud. Track and field (thrower in the field) athlete here and after most meets I have to put not only my DDs clothes and shoes in the washer but mine also. I get covered in mud and soaked from rain just walking to the throwing circles. Can you bleach the white pants?

Wow, tracie.erin! You did a fabulous job with the layouts! Those bathroom layouts were exactly what I was attempting to describe and you did a fantastic job planning out storage.

I love planning spaces so I took some time and drew up three ideas for you.
This was my first idea, with the thought that it would be nice to have the most used room at the forefront.

But soon realized you'd have a larger folding area if you used the top of your washer and dryer for folding so I made a few changes utilizing the last photo GeoKid shared as inspiration.

Then it dawned on me that having the two sinks basically side by side and the fact that moving the toilet would be costly I thought I should remove the bathroom sink and use a double sink with a large deep side for soaking and small shallow side for washing hands when something is soaking.
This last one is my favorite. Even though it doesn't give you two separate rooms I feel, because of the W/D being hidden you get the best use of the space without having the added cost of moving too much of the plumbing and electrical.

This post was edited by justgotabme on Wed, Sep 18, 13 at 21:03

I really like the last option. It's easier to wash your hands in the mudroom, than to soak your laundry in the powder room :)

While I posted this on the kitchen forum, I think it makes more sense with this last plan... {{!gwi}}From Farmhouse plans

Thanks justgotbme those are great ideas. Hopefully my husband will actually be in the same state as me this weekend and we can discuss. Too much travel for work lately is giving our family the blues!

Oh I know just how that is localeater. My hubby works in California four days a week. We live in NE so there's travel time added. He's only home 2.5 days a week. I hope you find a way to make this room work for your family.