Our DIY Mudroom

Our DIY Mudroom

diy mudroom with fireclay tile and plaster walls
our small entryway turned into a mudroom

It’s hard to believe we bought this house four years ago. It somehow feels like a lifetime and a blip at the same time. We’ve done so much work on this house, everything from kitchen renovations, converting our deck to a living/dining room, bathroom renovations, and converting our garage to a bedroom/bathroom. We also installed a hot tub, replaced all the windows, replaced the roof, installed solar panels, built a massive garden with raised beds in the backyard and a perennial garden in the front. One of the last projects was a DIY mudroom. The initial space was more of a covered entryway, but living in Vermont, an enclosed mudroom made much more sense. Though it’s a small mudroom, it opens up to a larger area that we converted into tons of built in storage using IKEA cabinets (I’ll share that space soon).

Enclosing this small space also made our house much more air tight and efficient. We now have two doors to help keep the space cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This DIY mudroom was done in several phases over the course of a few months. We started it in the fall, then had to wait for some electrical work over the winter before we could do the finish work this spring. It’s the perfect place to store dog leashes, muddy shoes, and extra things like hats and bags. Here’s a look at the before and after along with all the details of how the space took shape.

DIY Mudroom Before and After

replacing siding, new windows

We had to replace the vinyl siding around the entire house. Underneath the vinyl was clapboard siding that wasn’t in great shape, so we had to rip off both layers before installing nickel gap cypress. We also replaced all the windows. We removed the stone raised flower beds in front of the house because they had poor drainage and were pushing water towards the house, especially in the winter when snow would pile up on the foundation. Putting in a pea gravel drip edge was a major project but worth the effort.

ipe staircase, copper lights, new doors

We used the existing footprint of the entryway to create the mudroom. Craig built walls and installed windows on both sides. We also removed the old lights and front door. We installed two doors from Home Depot, and moved the lights from the original location to the new front of the house on the mudroom. I wanted to let in as much light as possible so we went with this wooden front door and then this wooden panel glass door for the mudroom entry into the house. We removed the stone steps and installed and ipe staircase with a metal grate to help with snowfall in the winter.

mudroom exterior copper lights and wooden front door
A view of the mudroom exterior during the winter

handmade copper lights

I had to share a photo of the mudroom exterior in winter because I am absolutely in love with these light fixtures. Craig found them from this shop on Etsy (they’re made in New Hampshire). The picture barely does them justice but they are absolutely beautiful and so well made. For the price, you can’t find anything that even compares. They are nicer than any expensive light fixture (and we looked at SO many). They’re handmade with copper and you can customize the finish (we had the candelabras done in black). We also have the double light on our back deck.

We decided to do plaster walls in the mudroom entryway, and Craig prefers doing plaster over painting. Vasari plaster is expensive but it’s the good stuff. We were going for a Scandinavian/New England look with lots of warm wood tones, texture (plaster) and a pop of green with the Fireclay tile in Hunter Green. For grout we decided on a dark charcoal from Home Depot that looks almost black.

Small Mudroom Ideas

small mudroom entryway with fireclay tile in hunter green

When we were trying to decide on a tile for the mudroom floor there was something about this matte green color we both loved. I really liked the idea of doing color for a small space. It was a bold choice since we haven’t done a ton of color in this house, but we love how it turned out. The straight set pattern gives it a clean and modern feel. We had our toddler help with putting the spacers down and she had fun (for the most part, ha).

We installed pine trim around the windows and doors. Instead of painting the trim, Craig used wood filler and then sanded it down. The trim looks really nice unfinished. I found these shaker hooks years ago from the Container Store and have used them for so many different things. In this room we had to cut them down to fit but they’re great for hanging things.

small mudroom entryway with wooden and glass door
plaster walls and wooden windows and door in the mudroom

We found this stump side table at a yard sale and it’s perfect for this small mudroom space (here’s a similar one). In the winter we have doormats down for snow, rain and mud. This space serves as an entryway to our front room which has a lot of built in storage that we installed using IKEA Pax wardrobes. I will share that space in the near future!

perennial garden landscaping

We installed these pavers and perennial garden along with the pea gravel drip edge last year. It’s still early in the season so I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything fills in throughout the summer. We have hydrangeas, black eyed susans, nepeta, russian sage, coneflower and other pollinator friendly perennials.

Our DIY mudroom was one of the last projects we tackled at this house but also one of my favorites. Even though it’s a small space, it really sets the tone as you enter the house and provides a great landing spot to collect shoes, bags, and dog leashes. It’s nice to have a place to set things down before you walk into the house, as you used to walk directly into the front room from outside.

modern home exterior with perennial garden landscaping

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2 responses

  1. Lynn Caplen

    Beautiful job Jess and Craig of course. I love the vibe. Wish I was there…..

  2. Lynn Caplen

    I simply don’t know why they said I have a duplicate comment. Oh I know lol it’s because I love it and said you did a fabulous job. I do get the vibe th you were going for . I love it. Let’s see if they say that again and not send this. lol
    xo
    Lynn

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