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Remodeling Your Garage Into A Mudroom

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Talk to any avid outdoorsman or mom of active kids, and one thing would likely top their domestic wish lists: a mudroom entrance.

Unfortunately, most homeowners are reluctant to implement a handy mudroom if it means cutting into other essential spaces, such as a kitchen or a den corner.

That’s why a garage mudroom is an ideal, real-life solution. Here’s how to make it happen.

Mudroom Prerequisites for Garages

Creating a garage mudroom is a super easy way to keep your home organized and clean, especially in regions with inclement weather.

The primary advantage of having an attached garage is the direct access it provides to your home, allowing you to enter and remove the mess of dirty outdoor gear before stepping into the main living areas.

This seamless transition is the essence of a garage mudroom’s convenience and functionality.

Planning Your Garage Drop Zone

When planning a garage mudroom, consider the following elements to ensure it meets your needs effectively:

  • Location: Ideally, the mudroom should be located at the entry point most frequently used by family members. This is typically the door that leads from the garage to the house.
  • Storage Solutions: Incorporate various storage options such as built-in cubbies, lockers, shelves, bins, drawers, and hooks. Putting these in will help organize items like shoes and umbrellas. A bench for sitting while removing footwear is also a practical addition.
  • Flooring: Choose durable, easy-to-clean flooring materials that can withstand moisture and dirt. Tile, concrete, and vinyl are popular choices for mudroom floors because they are resilient and simple to maintain.
  • Drainage: If you live in an area with a lot of snow or rain, consider installing a floor drain to manage excess water that may drip off of outerwear.
  • Ventilation: Good airflow will help the space dry out more quickly and reduce odors. If possible, include a window or exhaust fan in your mudroom design.
  • Lighting: Adequate lighting is important in a mudroom. Overhead lighting, combined with task lighting, can make the space more functional and welcoming.
  • Maintenance: Choose finishes and materials that are easy to clean and maintain. Wall finishes should be able to withstand scuffs and be washable.

For those with a detached garage, the concept of a mudroom can still be applied. You can create a dedicated space just inside a side or rear entryway of your home.

This area can serve the same purpose as a mudroom in an attached garage, helping to keep the rest of your home clean and organized.

If your home does not have an existing space that can be converted into a mudroom, you might consider a small addition.

This addition doesn’t need to be large; even a modestly sized space can function effectively as a mudroom with the right design and organization solutions.

Consider Your Mudroom Storage Needs

Before planning the space, it’s important to first understand your mudroom storage needs

Will you merely be tucking away boots, or do you need to store all of the other detritus of daily life – from laundry and gardening supplies to sporting gear?

Likely, you’ll need the latter, which is why a garage mudroom makeover is a savvy choice for many homeowners.

They’re comparatively large in square footage just waiting to be put to use in a meaningful way. Even better?  Keeping recreational items in your garage helps contain clutter outside of your immediate living space.

Garage Mudroom Ideas for Storage: Sorting Your Stuff

Once you’ve assessed your space and cleaned it out, it’s time to choose tidy storage solutions for your belongings.

Going with one type of storage mechanism misses the point entirely: different types of goods require different forms of storage.

For example, coats, jackets, and backpacks can be inexpensively kept off the floor through the simple addition of a shelf, a cabinet, or wall hooks to hang on.

Just make sure to keep them at a height that’s easily accessible for smaller children.  This also helps you maximize vertical space – a smart move on the part of any space-challenged homeowner.

Mounted shelving is another way to use your walls; this is the perfect way to tuck away seasonal gear, such as hats, gloves, and scarves.

Other items, such as umbrellas and soccer cleats, may not be used as frequently and can be tucked away in enclosed storage spaces, such as heavy-duty cabinets.

Just remember to keep like with like and to label everything.  A truly functional mudroom is well-organized, accessible, and easy to maintain.

Some families also find it useful to designate baskets or storage closets for each family member.  This way they’ll know where to look before turning to you for help finding their tennis racquet.

After all, you could probably live without ever again hearing the words, “Mom, I can’t find my lacrosse stick/ski boots/fishing pole!”

Think Up … and Down for Floor Space

We’ve already established the importance of using vertical space, but don’t forget about your floors.

When planning a garage mudroom, it’s important to select flooring that can hold up to everyday wear and tear – particularly since it will be used four seasons out of the year, and subjected to everything from sand and gravel to snow and ice.

Make sure it can be mopped with ease and is relatively scratch-proof (we recommend tile or vinyl plank flooring).

Speaking of down, don’t forget places for people to sit.  If there is no place to stop and remove footwear, your home’s inhabitants will inevitably make their way into your house with their shoes on, defeating the purpose of your mudroom.

A simple bench works fine, although choosing one with storage functionality adds an element of usefulness.

Clean Up on Your Garage Mudroom Idea with Ayars

Do you have the desire to create a garage mudroom but your picture is still a little muddy? Let the team at Ayars help sort it out, and you’ll be on your way to living a cleaner, more clutter-free life.

Schedule a Consultation

How To Begin A Living Room Remodel

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How to Begin a Living Room Remodel

 

Renovating your living room:

It’s exciting, but it can be a bit overwhelming, too. Where should you start? How much can you afford to spend? How do you know whether that contractor with the impressive portfolio will really show up when he’s supposed to? And what if the sofa that looks so gorgeous on the showroom floor makes your own house resemble a bordello? Relax. We’re here to make it simpler for you. Follow our step-by-step guide to renovation, and get ready to kick back in a new living room that suits your needs, your style and your budget.

Research and Plan

One of the keys to a successful renovation is plenty of forethought, knowledge and information — especially if you’re making structural changes, or working with several professionals and a big budget. Take your time to plan before you begin, so that you are less likely to have regrets when you are finished. “Designing a room or a remodeling project is a journey or a process,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour, “and it takes time to develop ideas and do things right. In other words, you need to know your destination and how you plan to get there.”

Consider Your Lifestyle

“To start,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour, “try to envision how you see yourself and your family getting the most use out of the space. Will the space be used for parties? Intimate gatherings? Do you want or need one large seating area or several different seating groups?”

Think long-term. Remember to plan not only for this stage of your life, but for the next phases, as well. If you’re newlyweds planning to have children in a few years, take those future kids into account when planning your renovation, so that you don’t have to redo everything. Ask people who already have kids what works in real life and what doesn’t; what they wish they had in their living rooms; what has caused safety issues or got broken so many times it had to be thrown away.

On the other hand, if you have older parents (or are a senior yourself), be sure to design your space so that it is safe and comfortable for yourself and your guests as the years go by.

Consult the Pros

Once you have a sense of what functions you want your new living room to serve, gather lots of information. There are unlimited resources online alone.  If you need any help figuring out which websites to visit, please feel free to ask your designer.  They would love to help you out with that.

Crowdsource

And don’t forget to talk to real people. Ask your friends and neighbors to recommend local professionals, and be sure to inquire as to whether there are any local pros you should steer clear of. Find out what other people are glad they included in their renovations, and what wasn’t worth the money.

Determine Your Living Room Needs

Before you begin your living room remodel, think about what you need to lounge, entertain and work.

Before you can start planning your renovation, you need to know what your ultimate goal for your remodeled space is:

  • Are you renovating your living room mostly to enlarge it?
  • Are you remodeling to update it?
  • Are you renovating to sell your home down the line?
  • How do you plan to enjoy your living room day in and day out, year after year?

“Ultimately,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour, owner of General Assembly, “the best way to identify what is going to work best for your family is to think about how you really live. Are you the type of people who like to spend a lot of time together watching movies around a TV? In that case, make sure it’s comfortable to watch. On the other hand,” she says, “if you spend most of your time reading, you might want to find a way to hide the TV when it’s not in use.”

If you are going to use your living room for entertaining, think about what types of gatherings you usually host. Do you like to invite one or two other couples for a quiet night of wine and cheese in front of the fireplace? Or throw big stand-up fetes where everyone mixes and mingles? For seated events, pick large, cushy upholstery; for stand-up shindigs, keep the chairs and couches smaller-scale to leave as much room as possible for moving around. If you entertain formally, be sure you have storage space for less-fancy items such as your kids’ toys and your stacks of magazines, so that you can stash them when company comes. And if your events tend to be boisterous and messy, you’re going to want couches and carpets that are stain resistant.

Top Living Room Design Styles

Think about what secondary functions your space has to serve. Is your living room going to be just a living room, or will it be a living room and office? “More and more,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour, “we are combining rooms that used to be separate, such as a living room that doubles as a home office or a music room. If your home has limited space, designing the living room so that it can serve multiple functions is invaluable.”

Make a list of everything you want to do in the space, so that you can plan accordingly. If you need to put your computer and printer in the living room, you’ll require ample electrical outlets, and you might want an armoire in which to hide the electronics when it’s quitting time. If the living room will double as your children’s playroom, make sure your space planning includes toy storage and furniture that won’t be ruined if someone spills a juice box.

If you need the space to do double duty as a guest room, make sure you budget and plan not only for a pullout sofa, but also for a coffee table that’s easy to move away so that you can actually open up that sofa when guests come to spend the night.

Identify Your Living Room Style

Do you consider a sleek, modern living room sexy or do you think minimalism looks cold and forbidding?  Does an eclectic assemblage of treasures from around the world feel exotic and exciting to you or is it just jumbled mess?  There’s no right answer to these questions, but finding the answers (and the styles) that are right for you is one of the most important things you’ll do when planning your living room renovation.

Take some time to look around you – at your own home, at your friends’ homes, at the rooms’ design pros put together – and find the style that resonates.  Then you can put your own twists on the style to create a living room that reflects your personality and individuality.

Here’s how:

Look At Your Home

If you’re embarking on a renovation, you clearly want to change some things about your current space, but there are probably elements that you do like.  What are they?  Think about which room in the house is your favorite, and why:  Is it the bedroom, because you love its romantic floral wallpaper?  Do you love the kitchen you redid last year, because it’s sleek and industrial?  When you’ve identified the elements that make you feel most at home, you can incorporate them into your new living room.

Do Some Design Research

Gather an armload of decorating magazines, and rip out any pages that make you linger.  Then analyze:  What do the pictures you love have in common?  Is it a minimalist sensibility?  A Victorian vibe?  A riot color?  A monochromatic palette?

When you can identify the elements you are drawn to, be sure to make note of what unites them.  That consistent element is probably the key to your personal style.

Get Out of the House

“Open your eyes to the details around you,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour, owner of Maison D’OR Interiors.  Not just on the Internet and TV, but in real life.  Go to new restaurants.  Visit museums you’ve never been to.  Take a tour of a local historical mansion.  “All of these places have design elements that you might want to incorporate into your living room redesign,” Vautour notes.

Do you like the rococo room at your local historical preservation society?  You may not want to go quite as over-the-top with the gilding and carving as folks did 200 years ago, but maybe a touch of gold leaf on a lamp would appeal to you.  That shiny new eatery downtown may be too sleek to live in day after day, but perhaps the super-cool lighting fixture you noticed while waiting for your appetizers would look great in your house.

Eliminate the Negative

And pay attention to the restaurants you’ve walked past after peering in the window because you thought it looked uninviting, and the magazine pages you’ve flipped quickly while thumbing through those magazines because you just hated them.  What turns you off again and again?  Distressed-finish furniture?  Too much ornamentation?  Don’t let them clutter your thoughts.  You may not know what you like yet, but you certainly know what you don’t like.

Keep or Toss: 4 Questions to Help You Declutter Your Living Space

Do you want to get rid of everything you own and start from scratch? Or do you want to incorporate some favorite pieces from your current living room into your new one? Or, perhaps, you wish you could have a clean design slate, but have to retain as much as you can in the interest of your budget. Whatever the answer, here are some smart ways to triage your current living room belongings. Ask yourself the following questions.

Does It Work in the Space?

“I love considering existing pieces as a source in my shopping,” say interior designer Jamie Vautour.  “But I look at what someone has with the same critical eye as when looking for new items.”  She suggests looking at a piece, whether already owned or not, through the following criteria:  First, is it the right shape and size, and second, is it the right style?

“You have to be fairly tough and non-emotional in saying goodbye to pieces that really won’t work in your design,” Vautour says, “but if you feel you must use a piece for sentimental reasons, then at least be sure to consider it upfront so that your other selections make that piece feel more relevant rather than left over.

Is It Valuable?

If you can’t stand that $20,000 Biedermeier chest, you should have to live with it, and you can have a reputable antiques dealer resell it for you.  But if something is valuable and you like it well enough, this twice about swapping it out just for the sake of having something new.  “A practical way to decide whether to keep something based on value is to research it to the best of your ability – see what it would sell for on eBay or Craigslist,” says interior designer Jamie Vautour.  “If the value of the object or furniture is low, then get rid of it and upgrade.”

Do You Love It?

That chair that you fell in love with at a chic furniture store.  The rug you shipped back from your Moroccan vacation.  The throw pillow that always makes you smile.  If there’s something in your living room that you absolutely adore, hold on to it.  Incorporating things that are meaningful to you is what will make your new living room feel like home.

 

Can You Tweak It?

If you love the shape of your almost-new sofa but hate the color, consider having it reupholstered.  If the milk-paint finish on your rustic coffee table won’t work with your more sophisticated design plans, maybe you can have it sanded and refinished in a glossy cherry or mahogany.  “Older tables, chests or any case good can be brought back to life with new lamps, mirrors or a coat of paint,” says interior designer Jamie Vaultour.  “And upholstered pieces can easily be updated with a new fabric.”

Ultimately, these changes are worthwhile only if you love the shape of the piece, or if it’s in the otherwise-excellent condition.  If you were never that crazy about that coffee table, or if the springs on the couch are shot, it may be better (easier, snazzier and more economical) to shop for something new.

Budgeting Your Living Room Remodel

So, just how much is that living room renovation going to cost?  The answer to that question ranges from a few thousand dollars for a paint job and new flooring to a few hundred thousand dollars for major construction and magazine-worthy interior design.  But whether you are planning to give your space a minor facelift or a major overhaul, it’s important t know how much things are going to cost before the first demolition sledgehammer is swung.  Otherwise, you could run out of money midway through the project.

To start honing in on a realistic budget for the changes you have in mind, go back to the wish list you’ve created for your renovation and prioritize it into “musts,” “maybes” and “someday down the line.”  Then do some research about how much each element – or at least the “musts”- might cost.

Consult the Pros

To find realistic numbers for architecture, construction and design services, talk to a few professionals you might consider working with.  Share your ideas for the project and ask them how much their service for such a plan might run and how much you can expect to spend on materials and subcontractors’ work, as well.  Remember that after you’ve paid your designer to find the perfect fabric for your sofa, you’ll have to pay for the fabric as well as the upholsterer’s time and talent.  Talk to a few different pros so that you have a sense of how prices might vary.

Remember the Rugs

As for decoration, says interior designer Jamie Vautour, “Create a spreadsheet and prioritize the ‘must-have’ items, like the sofa that is an investment or the chandelier you’ve been coveting, and then work around that.  And be sure to put in a contingency line item in for those amazing finds or extras you for