Kicking Off Our Mudroom Makeover: Dust, Demo & Cost so Far
We’re officially kicking off our mudroom makeover, and the first step was anything but glamorous. From demoing a closet to adding new electrical and patching the floors, here’s a look at the messy (but necessary!) progress before the built-ins go in.
Last week, I shared our mudroom built-in design plans, and I am so excited to see them come to life. This project is going to completely transform the feel and function of our entire living room. It will finally give us a proper drop zone for all the shoes, bags, and chaos that come with a busy family of four.
This Escalated Quickly…
Over the summer, I’d been tossing around the idea of adding built-ins to the front of our living room. When our contractor came by for another project, I casually asked what he thought about removing the coat closet and building a custom mudroom wall in that space. He looked around and said it would be a relatively simple job—demo, electrical, patchwork—and the demo could be done in just a few days.
Oh, and he had an opening in his schedule coming up before he started on a huge project. You know I couldn’t let that pass.
He also recommended a carpenter, who stopped by the same week and said he could build the custom lockers and cabinets, and he had availability right away. So just like that, we were locked in and ready to roll.
Juggling Real Life With a Renovation
With school starting and our schedules already packed, I definitely paused for a moment thinking, “Do I really want to live through a renovation right now?” But I also knew that with the timing aligning perfectly, it was worth going for it.
To prep, we cleared out our entire coat closet—shoes, jackets, internet equipment, speaker system… all of it. Most of it went down to the basement temporarily.
The trickiest part was relocating our internet setup. The wires had to be moved from the top of the wall down into the new cabinet zone, which meant we were without internet for a couple of days. Since both Finn and I work from home, we made alternative plans—he went into the office one day, and I worked from a coffee shop. We also used hotspots here and there, which worked well enough for emails and light tasks.
This post dives into more details on what to do to prep your home for a big renovation.
Demo Day: Loud & Dusty
Our contractor is great about keeping the mess contained. We’ve used him for all of our major home reno projects. He and his team put up plastic sheeting to help block the dust, which I highly recommend if you’re working in a lived-in space.
On Day One, the team:
- Removed the closet doors and walls
- Hauled away all the debris (trash removal was included in the cost)
- Patched the hardwood floors where the wall had been
They tore out the entire wall that made up the front closet, which really opened up this small room in a way I wasn’t expecting. We were lucky we had saved extra flooring from when we first moved in, which made the patch job much easier. It is always a good idea to hang onto leftovers from big renovation projects!
And here’s the fun part – our home was built in 1921, and when they opened up the walls, I got to see the original plaster and lath construction, And there were old newspapers tucked into the walls for insulation! If you remember, I saved some vintage newspapers from our first renovation and framed them for our entryway. I will likely add them to the new mudroom once it’s all finished.
Mapping Out the Electrical Plan for Our Mudroom Space
Before the electrician came in, Finn and I sat down to map out our electrical needs. We decided on:
- One outlet inside each locker (for device charging and our Dyson vacuum)
- Outlets in the right-hand base cabinet for our internet and speaker equipment
- An outlet above the cabinet for a potential lamp or our skylight calendar
- A hardwired picture light above the counter, with a new wall switch
Print out your design plans, write notes directly on them, and tape them up in the work zone. This gives the team a clear visual reference for outlet placement, light locations, and measurements. You can even mark the walls with painter’s tape if needed.
Drywall, Mudding & Paint Prep
Day Two was all about electrical. That took the full day.
Day Three was drywall and mudding—only about a half day of work—but it needed two full days to dry. The team came back later that week to sand everything smooth and paint the patched areas.
I picked up new paint for the ceiling and walls (Benjamin Moore, “Ballet White”) myself. We also had to remove two can lights in the ceiling, since the new built-ins would’ve blocked them.
Oh, and did you catch my new picture frame light? It will eventually illuminate two wall shelves that I can’t wait to decorate! I also shared a roundup of my favorite picture lights if you want to add one to your space.
The Total Cost for Demo + Prep
The total cost for this phase of the mudroom makeover was $5,000. That included:
- Closet demo and debris removal
- Electrical work (outlets, rerouting, new switches)
- Hardwood floor patching
- Drywall, mudding, sanding, and painting
We supplied the ceiling and wall paint separately, but everything else was covered in that number.
When you’re in the midst of a renovation, be sure to change your air filters weekly to keep the air in your home cleaner.
What’s Next?
Now that the space is fully prepped, our carpenter is working off-site on the custom built-ins. Next week’s update will be a big one—install day! I can’t wait to share how the custom cabinets, bench seat, and shelves completely transform this wall.
I’ll be sharing updates in real time over on Instagram Stories, and I’ll be back here soon to show you the next stage in this mudroom transformation!
