Proper Design Makes For Quick and Easy Mudroom Repair

This Ranch House- Mudroom.

It isn’t always fun or glamourous. Sometimes you don’t need design skills or creativity. You just need a saw and a piece of ply wood. After all, it is called a “mudroom”; how fancy can it be?

The Damage

After some strong rains from the east this summer, we needed to do some repair work. The single door was not keeping water out when the rain blew from that direction. The floor boards needed replaced and we needed to add a storm door.

Our vinyl flooring, installed 13 years ago, worked just as we’d hoped. When the water came in under the door, our flooring wasn’t damaged, only the plywood below. When repair time came, we simply rolled the vinyl back from the wall and door, replaced the damaged floor underneath, and rolled it back into place.

Now with the new storm door in place, this water damage should not be a reoccurring issue.

Sorry for the poor photo, but this is real life. The trim needs painting and the window was fogged with condensation. The deck needs sweeping too. 🤷‍♀️

The Initial Design

My part was done years ago when we added onto the main house and with the addition came a mudroom. I was tired of boots and coveralls landing on my kitchen floor because there was no where else to go with them. Our old kitchen sink, countertop and lighting were repurposed in the new room.

A mudroom is a space for using. Of course, I wanted it to look nice, but the main goal of the room was functionality. Honestly, most of the time, you can’t even see the floor! With rugs in place and a multitude of boots and shoes in trays or lined up all over the place, open floor space is hard to come by.

The same is true for the walls, I still like the sage green color, but with the jackets, coats and hats hanging on the walls, it is hard to know the room is even painted green without looking above eye level. This is where I chose to paint the mural/message. It is muted, but still adds character to the room. In a room full of cowboy “stuff” it just seemed fitting.

The mudroom features lots of hooks for hanging and cabinets and shelves for storing.

A couple other decor pieces made it in the room. Hey- a cowgirl uses it too!

I’d encourage everyone to create a mudroom in an existing space, or be sure to include it in any addition or remodel plans. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just functional.

Our family couldn’t live without our mudroom, or if we had to, we definitely wouldn’t like it!

Things get piled in here and it is rarely clean, but that’s the point of a MUDROOM.