micro update Archives - MidMod Midwest

How to plan a great Breezeway to Mudroom Conversion

40 min readTurning your breezeway into a mudroom is a great way to connect your garage and house. This kind of breezeway to mudroom transition is perfect for many mid-century ranch houses with detached or semi-detached garages. Here’s what I’m doing!

Let’s talk about the pros, cons, and process of converting a breezeway to mudroom space.

How does your house connect to the garage? And do you wish that connection was a mudroom? Most people do!

Early mid-century houses were built without garages, so the way an aftermarket garage connects to a mid-century house is inconsistent, but it’s not uncommon to have a covered space, a porch, a three season room or a breezeway, and it’s not uncommon to want to convert that breezeway space to a more functional mudroom.

So here’s what you might want to consider if you’re trying this. It depends on your house, your needs, and even your climate region. But this is a go to space to look for a little added interior square footage.

Note: this was originally posted 2019. It has been updated and now includes a podcast episode for those who’d rather listen than read!

So … this episode and post expand on this blog post series dating back to January 2019, when I was still thinking about this as an interim thing I was doing between one official, real job and another. Before I realized that I was going to make a life out of talking to people about mid-century homes, teaching people how to create their own Mid-Century Master Plans in Ready to Remodel and creating Mid-Century Master Plans for people directly.

I was working on my own home and talking about it because I knew people had questions, so I documented my own breezeway to mudroom conversion, mostly with progress photos. It’s still one of the most popular posts the history of this blog! Because other people are really looking for this. This is a major question for anyone with a mid-century house separated from its garage by a little covered area. It feels obvious to turn this space into interior space.

In reality, a breezeway to mudroom conversion is a little more complex. And in the years since I began my own breezeway to mudroom conversion, work with hundreds of design clients has provided me with even greater insight into what works and what doesn’t.

Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 2)

3 min readGetting the glass in these windows took me three months of waiting for the right weather conditions (and free time) and about three hours of work to install!
I am SO EXCITED that they are finally in!

Remember back in OCTOBER, when I posted about putting up this fun cedar slat wall? Well, the project is still ongoing.

Getting these DIY windows in was such a simple job that I’ve been waiting to get wrapped up for SO LONG now. It took a few moving parts: having the glass cut to size and having the right weather conditions to caulk it into place. Plus I’ve been crazy busy on all previous good-weather work days working INSIDE the garage to build the mudroom part of the project.

Technically THAT progress update should be Part 2, but I forgot to post about it in November and now I just want to shout from the rooftops about my brand new DIY windows!

Continue reading “Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 2)”

Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 1)

2 min readThe big chunk of work for this fall is transforming the long narrow breezeway into a cosy and effective mudroom plus a little bonus garage storage.

This is phase one of … well many. I’ve pushed the project a little late in the season so before I get started on constructing the new mudroom structure within the existing breezeway I’ll be closing off both ends. To the street side, that means the new and permanent extension of the garage wall. On the back yard side I put up a quick temporary wall of translucent plastic to secure the garage and keep it somewhat weathertight. Continue reading “Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 1)”

Micro Update: Matching the Front Door to the Mailbox

2 min readOne of the most fun (and easy) things I did to the house last year was painting the front door. Here’s how I exactly matched the mailbox.

This is one of those curb appeal updates that gets tossed around when thinking resale. For me, it is just too-long-delayed improvement for every day life.Granted, part of the reason it was so satisfying was that I’d devoted countless hours to fixing up the rest of the exterior, but this felt like the element that tied everything together. Continue reading “Micro Update: Matching the Front Door to the Mailbox”

Micro Update: Up-Down Insulated Blinds

4 min readInsulated blinds are one of my favorite micro updates. In addition to a warmer (or cooler) house they provide privacy, controls over your daylight and a stylish update to your aesthetics. Win. Win. Win. Win.

The snap in the air this week reminded me to adjust my insulated blinds up at night instead of leaving them at half mast for daytime privacy. I love, Love, LOVE my cordless, up-down, cellular blinds. They are energy efficient, streamlined and private, and I think they could be an improvement to any home. Continue reading “Micro Update: Up-Down Insulated Blinds”

Micro Update: Instant Bathroom Window Privacy

2 min readSome home improvement projects can wait for the right time, but others really need to be addressed RIGHT AWAY!

This is a change I made to the house almost immediately but forgot to blog. There have been a lot of existing conditions here that I’ve decided to just live with “for now” because I knew I’d fix them later but the bathroom window just could NOT wait. That is my neighbor’s kitchen door and window 15 feet away from the main bathroom of my house. Continue reading “Micro Update: Instant Bathroom Window Privacy”

Micro Update: DIY Frosted Glass House Numbers

2 min readSometimes when you can’t decide on either the high, or the low, version of available products, the only option is to DIY.

When I painted last fall, I stripped off the mailbox, lights and house numbers. I’ve got the new box and lights in place but was having a hard time deciding on the right kind of numbers. The commercial options were either blah, or a little pricy for my budget.

Here’s how I split the difference and created my own solution. It highlights the original mid-century front door, enhances privacy, simplifies the entry and glow cheerily at night. Continue reading “Micro Update: DIY Frosted Glass House Numbers”

Micro Update: High/Low Mailbox and Entry Lights

2 min readFans of modernism all know that sometimes you have to pay through the nose for minimalism and great design … and sometimes you get away with the cheapest option in the shop. In this case, it was both.

I removed the original lights, house numbers and mailbox when during the painting process and could never bring myself to put them back on the house. I went through several weeks where the poor postman had to deliver to a the old box propped on the stoop. Continue reading “Micro Update: High/Low Mailbox and Entry Lights”