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Renovating Homes
A few easy tips to achieve a functional multi-purpose space
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When builders brought mudrooms back into modern home design, they weren’t mucking around. Today’s multi-purpose mudrooms are mired in versatility.
Just like the old back porch of days gone by, a mudroom is where dirty boots and wet outerwear are removed before entering the house. As the open-concept home was developed in the 1990s, the need for places to stash modern stuff became obvious. Therefore, mudrooms became an item of discussion among new home builders about 15 years ago, says Chris Klaassen, partner with Alair Homes Chilliwack. Now, everyone wants one.
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“It’s primarily families who really see value in a mudroom. In most cases, this area is directly linked to the garage or wherever people’s daily entrance is,” he says.
Between backpacks, lunch bags, sports equipment and multiple pairs of shoes, the mudroom is the perfect zone to drop off and pick up, coming and going. Klaassen says homeowners also appreciate this space for items they’d rather not keep in the garage.
“Think of ski pants, coats, boots and rarely used outdoor gear that you drag out three or four times a year. Storing them in the mudroom, which is humidity-controlled and cleaner, keeps them in good condition,” he says.
Mudrooms can include open hooks and shelving, which allow items to dry, and closed cupboards and drawers, which will hide clutter. If the mudroom itself has a door, clients tend to go with open storage, while an open mudroom will likely have “locker” doors and drawers.
The muddiest mudroom users just might be the family mutt. Joy Yu, a senior interior designer with Vancouver-based VictorEric Design and Build, says dog washes are a big request among clients.
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“As a dog mom myself, it would be a dream to not have to carry my muddy 75-pound Labrador up a flight of stairs to my shower,” she says.
In her mudroom designs, Yu has incorporated pullout bins for food, pot fillers for water bowls and installed a low or half pocket door to keep damp doggies out of the main living area.
A plumbed sink with adjacent counterspace is another versatile feature for homeowners to rinse out items or wash things like garden implements. Some homeowners request utility closets and laundry facilities so the mudroom becomes a central working zone. With modern laundry rooms now relegated to the second floor, where most of the household laundry is generated, incorporating a stacked washer and dryer unit into the mudroom can be a must-have, especially in a larger home.
Yu says the typical mudroom is about 36 square feet in size. According to Klaassen, the ideal dimension is more like eight feet in width and 12 to 14 feet in length. This allows for storage on both sides and space for a bench. “People want them as large as they reasonably can without wasting too much space,” he says.
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He emphasizes the need for good ventilation.
“It can be something simple like an opening window, which also brings in light. But on the HVAC side, it’s making sure there’s supply and return air for any musty-smelling clothing and smelly shoes,” he says.
The mudroom can be that one place in your new home to get down and dirty with your building budget. Because it’s not a showpiece area, economical materials such as painted MDF and vinyl or tile flooring can be good choices rather than the custom millwork used throughout the rest of the home.
“People are less concerned about the mudroom looking perfect. You want something durable because the mudroom takes a lot of abuse. Banging doors, dropping groceries, and you want easy-to-clean materials that can handle moisture,” Klaassen says.
If the mudroom is next to another space, like the kitchen, some of the same finishes can bleed over into the mudroom to make the two spaces cohesive, Yu explains. “As long as the style isn’t wildly different from the rest of the house, the sky’s the limit.”
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