Transforming the Laundry Room into a Budget-Friendly Mudroom!

Our first house project was transforming the laundry room into a budget-friendly mudroom.  We had a list of the projects that we wanted to accomplish.  It seems that we put the ones that make a big impact at the top of the list, like kitchen makeovers, bathroom makeovers and removing walls to open the space. 

We had those discussions and somehow, our in the “wrong location” laundry room took precedence over all the other plans.  This was not one of the big projects we talked about doing right away, but this was the one project that needed to take priority, because of the location of our laundry room.

Our laundry room was located in the tiny area at the back door.  It was not in a room off of the back door, it was right as you walk in, which means all my guest would see our washer, dryer and maybe a few undergarments hanging to dry.  We also did not have a closet or an area to serve as an entryway/mudroom.  We have 2 doors in the back of the house the main backdoor where the laundry room was located and the garage door entrance.  Both of the entrances are landing in the same area and nowhere to hang a coat, place your shoes or set my purse, this was a HUGE problem.  

I forgot to snap a before photo with the washer and dryer sitting in the corner of this tiny room.  In all the excitement of doing a project, I forgot a few before photos.   We had 2 half bathrooms, one located adjacent to the back door and one near the front of the house.  We decided to convert the tiny half bath in the front of the house to the laundry room and this space would become the mudroom.  

The work began and again I forgot to take a before.  Mr. DD began by tearing out the cabinet and sink and smashing the mirror because it was glued to the wall.  He said he felt like Chip Gaines after breaking the mirror.  We had an electrician come to move the 220 line as we continued the slow progress of moving the laundry room.  

Wallpaper removed, walls prepped and painted, 220 line installed, plumbing installed, the platform built, dryer exhaust installed.  

Toilet removed, sewer line capped, header built, closet frame built.  

I wanted a small closet to organize all the things needed in a laundry room.  I searched online for linen closets and nothing would fit in the tiny space that utilized the entire area.  

A grand idea entered into my mind of taking an old door, cutting it in half and making skinny french doors to serve as the doors in the laundry room closet.  Mr. DD measured the door I found and built the header and the closet frame around the door size.  This is why we make a great team.  I dream up and envision the idea and he makes it happen.  

The top of the closet has a shelf to hold extra laundry products and a hanging bar.  

The bottom of the closet holds a laundry bin, a shelf for everyday laundry products and a pull out drying shelf.  

I found inspiration for the laundry shelf from Sawdust Girl.  You can follow that link and see how she made hers.  We used her idea and made one that flipped up due to the closet only being 13 inches deep.  

Washer and dryer installed, trim completed and laundry room ready to use.   We were able to re-use all the floor trim and crown molding to make this space look like it was always a laundry room.  The only evidence is in the laundry closet under the floor we installed to cover up the sewer cap.   

This is a tiny space that now serves as a functional laundry room.  It is not one of those glamorous laundry rooms that I have been pinning for inspiration.  It serves a greater purpose than another bathroom to clean.  

 

Mr. DD also had to remove the door to the laundry room and reverse the door so it would open out into the hallway instead of into the laundry room.  There was no way that I was going to open the door in, shut it behind me and throw a load of laundry in with a closed door.  NO WAY that was happening!  I don’t like tiny closed spaces!  

You don’t even want to know what I had to do to try and get a full shot of the awesome DIY french doors.  You can also see the DIY laundry room sign I made from leftover oak trim.    

NOW back to the Mudroom:

Washer and dryer moved, plumbing capped, dryer vent removed, wallpaper removed, walls prepped and painted, and the hole from outside dryer vent patched, sealed and cemented over to match the existing exterior of stone and cement.  

Mr. DD found a stone from our landscaping in the yard and cemented in over the sealed hole.  He used the cement we had on hand, and you can see the gray cement stands out.  I need to get a bag of the proper color and go over the area to make it blend with the exterior stone wall.  

Now it was time for the decorating.  I found that antique cabinet from Facebook Market Place.  It was the perfect size for a small space and for holding my gym bag, purse and a few jackets.  The floor shelf was in our office at the old house.  The shelf was Randy’s dads and he received it from Canton City Schools.  The wall shelf I made from old wood bed rails.  The rails were found on a curb along with the headboard and footboard that I will be turning into a bench.  

The cost of this mudroom transformation was $85.  $75 for the vintage cabinet and $10 for the hooks for the wall shelf.  

Everything else in this space was items we already owned or made, like our river rock shoe tray that I made years ago for our back entry/ office.  

I love how this space transformed from an outdated and poorly located laundry room with bird wallpaper border and picket fence/birdcage wallpaper into a functional mudroom with a more modern twist of a birdcage theme.  

I will be sharing in a few weeks how I made the repurposed bed frame wall shelf.  Make sure you subscribe to get my weekly newsletters for all the updates we make to our home.  I would love to share with you our journey of turning this house into our home.