21 September, 2011

Brain storming

Some help please
Something that has been keeping me awake at night:
  When we first bought this house nearly a year ago, one of the things we knew we would eventually have to do is to build a mudroom.  At present, there is always a massive pile of shoes around the front door and hooks with coats and scarves etc.  Over the last year we've ummed and ahhed about where we would put the mudroom: out the back of the kitchen? (where we now have a lovely little courtyard area and a nearly impossible roof line- you have to think about where all that snow is going to go); out the side door? (where it is the perfect place for another courtyard and there is a septic tank which we can't build over the top of.)

Since doing so much work to the front of the house over the summer, it is painfully obvious that the front needs at the very least a portico, but I started thinking about the possibility of building a little mudroom/enclosed porch at the front.  If we made the porch base wider along the front of the house, and maybe echoed the bay window look????
The problem is, of course, the double bay windows, and not wanting to block out the light.  I would want it to look like it was always there- part of the house, although every image I can find of a house of this style and age has a mostly plain front door.

 We have a photo from a long time ago (which I keep misplacing), maybe the turn of the last century which shows a simple covering over the front door.  And we can't build out too far due to planning restrictions about how close we can go to the road.  And I still don't know what would be the best roof line as we would still need a bit of a lip over the entry door (nothing worse than dripping icy water on the stairs) [oh and please excuse the look of that middle window...I haven't got around to painting that yet]
The closest I could find to kind of being a visual of what I want is this photo of a dolls house...minus the balcony of course and it would need to be an enclosed room (I do love those windows though)
So, any thoughts?  I know there's some clever people out there who will have opinions....  Obviously this is total pipe dream stuff.  Not going to happen for a year or two at least, but it's fun to have a plan.  And I'm sick today with a NASTY cold so this is about all I can handle doing.  And if you come up with some good suggestions for this problem, I have another one that is driving me nuts for you.

6 comments:

  1. I'm probably the least arty person to look at your blog... but I rather like the doll's house concept. I'm also thinking of the Burra Charter, ie make it classy without trying to make it look part of the original. The Doll's House Solution appear problematic to me because of the steps leading up to your frontdoor - perhaps they could be incorporated into Mud Room shelving???
    That's me architected out.
    Maggie XXXX

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  2. checking in to see if my Mum has given some advice!!! he he!

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  3. I love the dolls house. Didn't notice the problem with the steps (Maggie's comment) but until I got to the dolls house I was thinking it a pity to put anything beside the lovely windows. Isn't there any space on the side. I thought mud rooms were for muddy shoes etc and it does take away from the elegance of the entry.

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  4. Anonymous6:25 PM

    Not totally sure what a Mud room is but I think it must be somewhere you take off your shoes and hang up your coats?! Shame to ruin the front of the house with the bay windows though I think that might be the best place for it.

    In our old house you came straight into the tiny hall off the front door and it was always cluttered with shoes so we built a porch on the front. If you look at my blog about July/Aug 2007 you'll see it. We put all shoes and coats in it.

    If you want people to enter through the back you could stick your porch there. But front seems best!

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  5. i seriously dont think putting a porch type mud room on the front (similar to the dolls house oneand in keeping with the style and era of the house) would spoil the facade and looked tacked on...if it was in keeping with the style and colours ..... try lookin on the net and seaching similar era styles...you are sure to come up with something that will look like it has been there forever..
    option 2...pay someone to relocate the septic tank...and build it there...i am sure that septic tanks have a lifetime and you might find that it is time to do it amyway..problem solved!!
    good luck XXXXX

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  6. Not at the front...out the back somewhere, but perhaps better inside the existing footprint...any possibility of another (new) door to an underused bit of the house? on either side?
    Dad's two bobs worth

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