Why add a mudroom to your custom home?
Once excluded from new builds in favor of open floor plans, mudrooms are increasing in popularity as homeowners want additional space to store their stuff. It also confines the mess of dirty shoes, drippy umbrellas and sweaty sports equipment to one area. Depending on the size of the space, it may also function as a pet wash area and/or laundry room.
A Drop-off area
Almost every house has the “front” door that’s mostly for show and some other door that is an informal entrance. Your mudroom should be as close to one of those secondary entrances as possible. Depending on the layout, many mudrooms sit adjacent to doors that lead in from the garage or backyard.
Convenience
Adding Pinterest-worthy bench seating or even an accent chair will encourage household members and guests to slow down and take their shoes or muddy boots off.
Storage Options
Mudrooms often have wall-to-wall storage of all kinds: bins, baskets, hooks, cubbies, cabinets and more. Popular trends include cabinetry, bookshelves and storage benches. You can customize cubbies to accommodate sports gear, book bags, outdoor toys or gardening tools.
Other Useful Purposes
Many mudrooms double as laundry rooms. Soiled clothes can go directly into the washer or hamper without having to be tracked through the rest of the house.
“Mud” is quite literally the name of the game, so expect this space to get dirty. Most mudrooms have easy-to-clean flooring like tile or LVP. You’ll want to stay away from materials that aren’t water-resistant, like carpet and hardwood.
These days, the first thing many of us do when we enter the house is wash our hands. A utility/laundry sink — and perhaps some extra counter space — can make a great handwashing station just inside the door. If you're the outdoorsy type, you may consider adding a foot washing station in your mudroom, which can also serve as a dog washing area. Pet owners often use the space to store pet food, toys and other items as well. We have even seen pet bed under counter tops to give Fido his own space too.