Is this a foolish idea? re: mudroom vs. den/"keeping roo

[Pilsy]

Hi! You all have such great eyes and ideas. I hope you can help with a renovation decision. Sorry this is long! 

We live in a colonial with what we call a "keeping room" off the kitchen. It's about 11' x 15', and it's where we keep our "kitchen" table. The kitchen itself technically has space for a table, but not one big enough for the family (maybe a bistro size), and even that would mean we'd have almost nowhere to land when we walk in the kitchen door. 

To say I desperately want a mudroom is an understatement. It's so frustrating to have a pile of shoes in the kitchen all the time, and I can't keep up with the dirt that inevitably gets spread around, because - even if people come in and take off their shoes - they're all over the kitchen before they can do so. Don't get me started on backpacks and winter gear.

The kitchen needs a cosmetic renovation at the very least, and given its size, I would love to expand it. Would it be a terrible decision to do away with the keeping room entirely so I could use part of the existing kitchen for a mudroom and then use the rest of the existing kitchen and all of the keeping room for a nice, big kitchen? I'm thinking maybe 11' x 8' for the mudroom and 19' x 11' for the new kitchen. (I would do a slightly smaller mudroom, but this size would prevent moving any windows.) 

It will be expensive, of course, but my real question is whether getting rid of a room is a big deal. I know the current keeping room is part of our room count, and I don't think a mudroom would be. When we were in the market for a home, I didn't pay attention to room counts beyond bedrooms and bathrooms. Overall space size and function (or potential!) mattered more to me. Is there a general consensus on this? Am I significantly and negatively impacting resale value if I trade a small kitchen plus a keeping room for a mudroom and a larger kitchen? 

Thanks for your thoughts! 

[sandandsea]

I think a mudroom plus a larger eat in kitchen sounds perfect and ideal.

[munkii]

Getting rid of bedrooms is a bigger deal than ancillary rooms, imo--but this may be regionally dependent. I'm sure more people would find value in a mudroom and larger kitchen than what you have now. I don't think you're wrong at all in considering this.

[starryfish]

I agree with your plan. I would totally do it!

[amandakisser]

I would totally do it too. The previous owners of our house REMOVED the mudroom in favor of a larger kitchen (with an extremely poor layout). When I learned this I almost cried - I'd much rather have a mudroom than more kitchen for my family to clutter with their stuff.

[aprilsails]

Do it. Having a mudroom and drop zone is critical for my sanity. I went 8 years without one and it is amazing in our new home.

[pumpkin]

I think your plans sound great and super functional, with functionality being key. I’d totally do it and it sounds like it’d make your life easier.

[lightbulbsun]

I think that sounds like a good plan. We have a closed in breezeway between our garage and main house, which is about 9'x20', and was called a family room when we moved here. We converted it into a mud/laundry room and it works so much better for us, and we've never missed the family room function.

[winecat]

I'd do it. I'm one person and hate that I don't have a mud room.

[mrsukyankee]

Just say 'yes'.

[Pilsy]

Thanks, all!

I'm so excited, I began drawing up ideas in Excel. We might have too many doorways and windows in the keeping room for it to function well, but I'll get a pro involved and see what's possible.

[Deleted]

Would do this 100%.

[libbygrl109]

I would kill for a mudroom of any kind and a bigger kitchen, so I would definitely do this.

[boiler717]

I think it’s a great idea!

[Pilsy]

So, my H and I agree the doors and windows in the keeping room are going to present an issue when it comes to squeezing in plenty of cabinets.

My latest idea is to lengthen our garage by 8' to make room for the mudroom, and then use both the existing kitchen and the keeping room for a long, narrow kitchen. Stairs from the garage into the basement limit where we can put the entry into the house, so I stayed up until midnight, sketching out ideas. I'm obsessed!

I hope to be back with some real plans for your critique soon. Thanks for the encouragement!

[froggy76]

I think it sounds like a no-brainer. Definitely post plans and we'll give feedback! A kitchen with lots of windows on one end can be a good place for a long island. Working within the existing footprint of the house will probably save you a lot vs. extending your garage.

[Pilsy]

Aug 31, 2020 10:37:44 GMT -5 froggy76 said:

I think it sounds like a no-brainer. Definitely post plans and we'll give feedback! A kitchen with lots of windows on one end can be a good place for a long island. Working within the existing footprint of the house will probably save you a lot vs. extending your garage.

Yes, I keep trying to plan around a long island! I'm worried we don't have the room width to accommodate the open space recommended for that. With cabinets running along one wall, and a 36"-wide island, I can only get 36" between cabinets and the island and the island and the wall/windows. Can you have seating at an island if the clearance from the island to the wall is only 3'? 

If we lengthen the garage, I can leave some of the kitchen appliances where they are (or so close as to avoid moving plumbing). I need to get a pro in here to give me ideas and set me straight regarding costs, but I think it's going to require paying to lengthen the garage or paying to move a lot of plumbing and windows. I can't dodge both of those. Argh. 

I would expand the existing kitchen, but we have an odd roof configuration where the kitchen meets the garage, and we've been told our options there are extremely limited and also very expensive. I should post pics so you can all see. 

I'd really like to improve access to the house from the garage while tackling all this other stuff. Right now, I have to go from the garage down into the basement and up into the keeping room. Or I can just walk outside and come in through the kitchen. I'd really, really like to situate things so I can get from the garage into the mudroom, and then into the kitchen. 

Thanks so much for your thoughts!  Why is this so fun? At least until you're in the thick of construction and paying the bills...  

[froggy76]

Pilsy, that sounds too tight for an island. I think the width of my future kitchen is about the same and I've pretty much given up on the idea of an island. If you look at my renovation post, we are planning to move our kitchen to where our family room currently is, and the room is only a little over 11' wide, so all the floor plans I tried with islands ended up looking cramped, even with a skinny island (30" max). We have low windows at the end of our family room, so we are planning to raise them up and put the sink under them. That gives us another wall of cabinets and countertop too.

One of my main objectives with my remodel has also been to improve the back entrance. Our garage is detached, but it's still a maze to go from the driveway to get into the house. So I feel your pain!

This stuff is fun, but overwhelming too!