Are you looking for a useful upgrade for your Halifax home that will increase its resale value when you put your home on the market? Consider adding a mud room and upgrading your laundry room. Both of these rooms meet a need and segregate clutter, which makes a home look bigger.
Consider The Mud Room
Rather than having the family or the dog track up your beautiful hardwood floors with rain and snow and throw coats on the living room furniture, a mud room is a great first stop into your home. Often built near a rear entrance, this functional room often has waterproof floors equipped to handle wet, muddy boots and shoes, plus storage for coats and sports equipment
A mud room can emerge from what was formally a porch, hallway, entryway, or other space near the door. In the past, it was often considered part of the laundry room but now the trend is to have it exist as a separate entity. You don’t even need a lot of space to work with to make a great stopping point when entering the house. An unused wall near the door can often be transformed into a more functional area with hooks, shelves, or cubbies. For the best functionality, you may need to have an architect, contractor, or other professional design the space, especially if you need structural modifications.
An ideal mudroom features:
• A floor covered in tile or other material that will withstand dirt
• In-floor heating to not only make the area comfortable once people take off their boots or shoes, but also to prevent mold and mildew from the dampness.
• Efficient design, that includes plenty of storage space for shoes, boots, and more
• A bench or seat to sit on when putting out a removing boots
• Cubbies for storing backpacks and sports equipment, as well as hats, gloves, scarves, and other outdoor paraphernalia
• A utility sink, a bonus for walking the dog or even providing a quick drink of water when you are your kids are playing are working in the yard
• Charging stations for cell phones
• Good lighting to make the space inviting
What you put in the mudroom is only limited by your space, imagination, and budget. If you prefer that family members and guests go shoeless in your home to preserve your floors, a mudroom is a good place to not only store shoes but also slippers for people to put on.
Request Your Complimentary Copy of My
“Preparing to Downsize” Report
Consider The Laundry Room
For laundry rooms, the popular trend is for the washer and dryer to be on the second floor. Assuming that your bedrooms are on this level, a second-floor laundry room will alleviate carting the bulk of your dirty laundry up and down stairs. your laundry room get also be the station where you iron or steam your clothes
Here’s what a good laundry room has:
• Piping and appliances arranged to facilitate good workflow.
• Counters overhead front loading machines placed side by side tto will give you space to work and fold clothes.
• Alternatively, stacked machines to increase floor space – if your floor can support the concentrated weight before stacking them.
• Water-resistant flooring and a drain in the center of the room to accommodate overflow.
• A utility sink in the laundry room for hand washing will also provide a place to fill buckets when it’s time to wash the windows or clean the bathroom.
• Cabinets or shelves to accommodate detergents and other washing and ironing supplies. depending on where it is located in your home,.
Why Upgrade?
Wondering why upgrading either your laundry room or your mudroom are good before-you-sell projects? Though buyers like open floor plans, they still seek some definition of where certain activities will occur in their homes. Also, open floor plans can lend themselves to looking like a warehouse of coats, shoes, toys, mail, and more, while the designated spaces for items help family members become more disciplined to manage potential clutter. While mudrooms organize the gear needed to get in and out of the house, laundry rooms offer incentives to keep bedrooms and bathrooms more clutter free.
Looking to sell your home? Give me a call today.
Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
