what to do in this office/mudroom space?
ANC J
3 months ago
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Comments (15)
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 months agobpath
3 months agoRelated Discussions
What would you do with this mudroom/laundry space in a remodel?
Comments (17)I typed out a whole response for you yesterday, but then lost it somehow. I was going to recommend the same thing as forbamblues. Is this powder room the bathroom that your guests will be using? If so, I'd much rather have the door off the kitchen than having them traipse through my mudroom. For one thing, I wouldn't want my guests having to see that clutter, and for another, they will then be walking all the way through your kitchen rather than just utilizing the top corner of the space (outside your work triangle). I'm also going to be the oddball here and say I'd actually prefer my W/D to be on the first floor b/c that's where I spend all my time. Right now, my laundry is in our basement. Aside from the obvious walk up/down two flights of stairs, the other reason I don't like it there is because I hate having to go up and down the stairs all the time (from the kitchen/family room) to switch out loads of laundry. The same thing would happen if I had the laundry upstairs near the bedrooms - constantly having to go upstairs to switch out the loads. Perhaps my viewpoint is a bit jaded by the amount of laundry I do as a family of six, but I'd rather have the laundry nearby so when a load is done, I can more quickly get to it. That said, I do see the benefits of having the W/D near the hampers upstairs! If, however, you find that you don't have it in your budget to move the W/D, this would be my suggestion. Close off the door from the mudroom to the powder room and move your W/D over to that wall where the door is now. You'd have to also take out the closet on the side wall, but then you could add cabinetry above the W/D to store what is in that closet. Then in the space where the W/D is currently you could put cubby/lockers. As for shoe storage, we have a cubby system that dh built in our mudroom for our four kids. It looks very similar to the second photo that Melissa posted with the open storage underneath. I bought baskets from IKEA that my kids use for their shoes, but we don't' have an issue much with mud/rain/etc as they typically leave their boots or sports cleats in the garage. However, if you have to deal with that often, I'd suggest just buying an indoor/outdoor rug and put it underneath the cubby space to catch the dirt and water. They are very easy to keep clean (I have one in my entryway). In my own space, I just pull the baskets out every once in a while and vacuum with a handheld vacuum underneath the cubbies to get up all the dirt/dust/etc. BTW, am I the only one who has this nice divided space for my kids to leave their backpacks/coats/shoes but they still manage to leave their crap all over? There are days I walk in the mudroom, and despite having a basket RIGHT THERE for their shoes, they still leave them all over the floor b/c they are too lazy to pull out their basket! Or they leave their sweatshirts/jackets/etc on the bench instead of hanging them up. Drives me nuts! Good luck with your remodel - you have a great space to work with!...See MoreDebating removing 1st floor office for decent mudroom - resale???
Comments (5)Thank you for all of your thoughts. Housefairy - I really like the idea about contacting our realtor. Agreed about the permits as well, we would definitely not move forward without them. The way the house is configured we have a small living room attached to the dining room The living room is just the right size for a piano and couple of chairs, so I'm content to keep that space in order for our piano to not have to be in our family room. Fahrenheit - for our family this would by far be the most functional. And I like your point about office space constantly changing. I've been wondering if the whole office of the main two story hall-way that is in every house around here will soon be out of style. But perhaps that thinking is just self-serving since I'm thinking of removing mine! hcj- my home is notin' special. Just part of a builder track where you have models A,B,C or D to choose from. So I do believe most of the homes in the neighborhood have some sort of 1st floor office space. Realistically, we will probably be here at least 5 years, but most likely more like 10. I don't see my husband changing his job anytime soon and if we stay in this area, we won't move. We have put in a lot of sweat equity already and it might take me a long time to get the energy to start over! (This is the third house we have remodeled in the last 10 years, so I'm beat!) Without a doubt, by taking away the office I would be so thrilled with my mudroom. It would also solve a lot of annoying elements of our home. 1)We could create a front hall way closet, as there is not one now. (silly designed builder homes) 2)We would have a space to store our vacuum on the first floor. 3) We would be able to enter from our garage without tripping over shoes or someone doing laundry. And 4-10) everything that an incredible laundry room would give us. I guess a call to the realtor might be helpful. Of course 10 years from now the market will expect different things...but a good realtor might be able to see how things might change. Thanks again everyone for your thoughts....See MoreThinking about removing office to make decent mudroom - resale??
Comments (8)My children are growing quickly. I have a small laundry/mud room sitting between the kitchen and back door. I do wish it was bigger, but even more I wish I had a home office. It's not just the computers ( and we have 3 now, not counting laptops). There are also 2 printers, and 2 photo printers and scanners. I can't even count all the electronics we have now, DH LOVES them, and I love him. Don't forget docking stations to sync your iPhone and iPod, and photo card scanners........ Now that the kids are older, it would be great to have a special place for them to do homework, besides the kitchen table or hidden away in their rooms (or basement). Keeping the computers in a central open place is part of child internet safety. If helps parents stay vigilant. Unless you plan on selling our home very soon, I wouldn't worry about resell issues. But if you [plan on staying there a long time, think about what you may need in the not so distant future too. Your kids will be doing homework on the computer by 2nd grade. And with 3 kids I can already fill a lot of bookcases. An office space would be heaven. But I'b have to sell and move first. How about a mudroom in your finished basement instead?...See MoreWhat do people without mudrooms do with backpacks and briefcases?
Comments (14)We have very little closet space -we maximized the space under the stairs for jackets and shoes/gym bags. But there were 4 bags that were left out unless we took them upstairs. The credenzas behind the sofa (pictures posted previously) are working for us now. We don’t have much wall space-lots of windows to take advantage of a great view-so an armoire isn’t an option either. Thanks!...See Morehousegal200
3 months agoLyn Nielson
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3 months agolast modified: 3 months agoANC J
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