How much does it cost to add a mudroom?

Mudrooms add function and storage to your home. Once the place where farmers and people who worked outdoors removed their muddy clothes, today’s mudroom is where busy families keep their outdoor belongings as well as enter and exit the home.

A mudroom addition measuring 50 square feet that contains built-in ¹ storage lockers for a family of four, insulation, and baseboard heating costs around $12,000 to build and finish.

Pros and cons of adding a mudroom

Mudrooms add a lot of benefits to the home. They are typically the informal entry to the house, so they become a likely place to bring pets and children through. They are also a good area to organize and store coats, boots, and outdoor equipment like sports gear, snow clothes, or gardening tools. Mudrooms are usually easy to clean and care for so that dirty shoes or pets will not leave lasting damage.

Adding a mudroom, however, can either mean taking up existing space in the home or altering the footprint of your house. Both scenarios have drawbacks. Converting existing space means taking away an area that might already have a use and, therefore, reallocating other spaces as well.

Changing the footprint means making sure that the exterior matches, which can be expensive and may mean applying for special permits depending on your area. For example, in some ordinances, you cannot add a space too close to your property lines, or you may not be able to make the new addition as tall as you would like.

Size

The average mudroom is not actually very large and in some cases may be considered a “micro” addition. Typically, mudrooms are 6x6, 7x7, or 8x8-feet. If you are adding laundry equipment or a utility sink to the mudroom, it may as large as 10x10 or 10x12-feet.

The size of the mudroom has a large impact on the overall cost. Before you begin adding benches, storage, lockers, or other items to the room, consider the starting costs:

• A 36-sq.ft. mudroom costs around $3,600 - $4,000.
• A 50-sq.ft. mudroom costs around $4,500 - $5,000.
• A 64-sq.ft. mudroom costs around $6,400 - $7,000.
• A 100 to 120-sq.ft. mudroom costs between $10,000 - $12,000.

These costs include flooring, wall finishes, windows, and doors but not storage, built-in ¹ seating, utility sinks, or other features.

Lockers

Lockers or cubbies are a frequent addition to today’s mudroom. Typically, a locker or cubby is assigned to each member of the family, providing everyone with a spot to store their belongings. The lockers may be open or closed and have hooks, shelves, drawers, or even include small benches. You may purchase readymade lockers to install or opt to have lockers custom built to fit the dimensions of the room as well as your needs.

There are several styles to consider:

• Open: These lockers are more like elongated cubbies, which have hooks for hanging coats and may contain shelves and plugs for electronics. They may be mostly open but have a small pull-out drawer at the bottom. Costs for a custom, open set of cabinets start at around $1,000.
• Closed: Closed lockers are essentially large cabinets with doors that shut. They may also contain hooks, shelves, plugs, and drawers, but anything put inside is hidden from view when the doors are closed. Costs for a custom set of closed lockers start at around $2,000.
• Bench with locker: Some lockers may be built as part of or directly above a bench. The bench may include additional storage space inside and gives people a place to sit while putting on their belongings. Adding a bench to a locker starts at around $3,000 for the set.
• Small cubbies: If you do not need a big set of storage lockers, small cubbies that have hooks on the underside for hanging are sometimes an option. These take up much less space and are less costly, starting at between $100 and $500 depending on the size and options.

Any locker system may also contain shoe racks, open shelving, electronics holders, and a variety of other options that can be customized to your use.

Benches

Even if you do not have cubbies or lockers installed in your mudroom, you may still want to have benches. A bench may be as simple as an elongated chair or more complex with a lift top and storage inside.

Benches are useful in mudrooms for a few reasons. They give you a place to sit while putting on or taking off boots and outdoor clothing, and they also provide additional storage that may need to be kept out of sight. Benches range in cost from about $50 for a readymade bench that is not built-in ¹ to $2,000 or more for a custom bench with a lift top and storage. Keep in mind if you add a cubby or locker to the top half of the bench, costs start at around $3,000.

Best flooring options

Technically, you can clad your mudroom floor in nearly any material. But mudrooms are unique in that they are designed to be the first defense against dirt and clutter brought into the house. So, a mudroom floor should be:

• Easy to clean
• Require no special cleaners or sealers
• Capable of hiding dirt
• Non-skid when wet

Numerous flooring options work well in mudrooms, making it possible to find one that fits your decor as well as your needs:

Style

Ideally, your new mudroom should match the architectural and interior design of the rest of your home. The mudroom addition should be a seamless transition into the rest of your space.

Many different styles can be incorporated into a mudroom. Some of these may be a perfect match for your current décor or complement it. The style you choose may impact the final costs because some styles may necessitate more expensive finishes or materials than others.

Styles that may work in a mudroom include:

• Contemporary: Contemporary mudrooms often feature porcelain floors, open cabinets, cool or neutral colors, and lots of light.
• Eclectic: Eclectic mudrooms often feature a mixture of different styles. This may be part contemporary and rustic or feature tropical elements mixed with traditional styles. There is no one, overarching style in this case, so do what makes you the happiest.
• Traditional; Traditional mudrooms typically feature slate or bluestone floors, closed cabinets, and built-in benches.
• Asian: Asian-style mudrooms are more minimal in design, containing open cabinets, natural floors, and plenty of storage space.
• Beach style: A beach style centers heavily on colors rather than fixtures. Blue, gold, green, and white are featured prominently.
• Farmhouse: A farmhouse design is simple but practical. They usually contain white or natural wood cabinets, either open or closed, with lots of storage and practical benches.
• Mediterranean: This style of design incorporates glazed tiles and colors or materials found in that region, such as gold, rust, and azure blue, with lots of natural stone and wood.
• Rustic: Rustic designs lean heavily toward natural materials. Peeled wood benches, slate or bluestone floors, and open shelving and storage.
• Victorian: A Victorian design features built-in cabinetry with closed doors, wainscoting on the walls, and arched doorways.
• Tropical: A tropical design is mostly focused on the colors. Sunset, sky blue, and deep sea green are popular additions to this design.

Construction process

The construction process for a mudroom addition is similar to any other home addition. The biggest difference is that mudrooms are so small that they are considered micro additions. Like other additions, the plans are submitted for permits, and some kind of foundation or concrete pad is poured. The walls are framed, and the exterior of the addition is completed in materials that match the rest of the home. The interior is finished with electrical work, your choice of flooring, and wall materials. It is usual for wainscoting or some other protective material to be installed on the walls. After that, the built-in cabinets, shelves, and benches are installed. If you include a sink, then the plumbing will be hooked up prior to the finish materials.

Some mudrooms are insulated and hooked up to the existing HVAC system in the home, which increases costs. Others are given their own, separate system, like a baseboard heater, making the construction process less costly and invasive.

Labor costs

Labor costs drive a significant part of the cost of the addition. Larger spaces, new construction, and areas with a lot of custom-built furnishings cost more in labor than spaces that have readymade furnishings or that convert existing spaces. For the average 50-sq.ft. mudroom, labor costs will be around $5,000. This includes framing, electrical work, carpentry, flooring, and cabinetry installation. Adding other, more specialty work to the room increases costs accordingly. This includes adding plumbing or HVAC to the room. The farther away the mudroom is from existing plumbing lines and ducts the more the price increases.

Enhancement and improvement costs

Sink

It is common to add a utility sink to mudrooms. This provides a place to wash up before entering the main house. This can add around $400 to the cost if plumbing lines are nearby, but the costs increase the farther the pipes need to run.

Pet Washing Area

Some people may also add pet baths or a small, waterproofed area with a spray to wash pets off before they enter the home. This can add between $500 and $1,000 to the costs of the room, depending on how elaborate the set up is.

Laundry Room/Mudroom

Sometimes it is possible to combine a mudroom with a laundry room. This can save space in smaller homes, particularly if you are converting an existing space. Adding a laundry room to the mudroom increases costs by about $2,000, assuming that the shared space uses the same flooring and other finish materials.

Additional considerations and costs

• In small spaces, an alternative is to convert an existing closet into a mudroom by removing the doors and adding cubbies, hooks, and storage for each member of the family.
• While mudrooms can be any color, the most common colors are white, brown, beige, and gray.
• Mudrooms are designed to be easy to maintain. Choose materials that can be quickly wiped down to keep the space looking great.
• Not everyone will use a mudroom. They are meant to be the main entrance for the family from outdoors. Pay attention to its location. If it is far from where you usually enter, then the space will be wasted.
• Adding a mudroom increases the square footage of your home and, therefore, its value when it comes time to sell. Note the size and placement of other mudrooms in your neighborhood to ensure yours adds value.
• Mudrooms are designed to be easy to clean and contain dirt. This can save you money on cleaning costs for the rest of the home because there will be less dirt tracked into the main living area.
• It is usually recommended that you install an energy-efficient door between the mudroom and the rest of your home to keep outside air away from your main living area.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Built-in: An item of furniture, such as a bookcase or set of cabinets, that is built directly into the structure of the room. Built-ins are therefore customized to the room and not detachable

² Slate: A fine-grained rock, typically bluish-gray in color, that can easily be split into thin layers and is commonly used as a roofing material