Mudroom mayhem, part 2

This fall, facing we tackled the unfinished mudroom and pantry,

With the help of a friend, a whole section of rotted wall was replaced and a new window went in. Tig built out a second layer of studs and insulated with Rockwool.

I helped Tig put up the interior walls that would define the new staircase to the basement (see picture above), the alcove for coats and boots to the right, and a pantry to the left.

With the basic shell of our mudroom complete, our next project was to tackle was the ceiling, which we clad in shiplap. We chose shiplap, which we painted white.

After the overhead lights went in, we were on to painting and tiling.

We chose dark gray tiles from Home Depot (the brand was Florida Tiles). I’m pleased with how durable they seem.

This little nook above is where our coats and boots will go, before we enter the kitchen area.

The picture above shows the location of my future washing machine (right-hand corner). No more schlepping outside through the front door, around the house and to the back deck to do laundry!

This corner is also a little piece of heaven. For the last six months, the recycling center has been a floating area, moving to a different place every few weeks. From wood shed, to van, to mudroom, to pantry, back to van… It was maddening! Tig gave me the green light to put it back into the mudroom. It might still move around, but at least it will be in one room.

The Furnace

But in the meantime, we also had our furnace replaced this fall. Our old furnace, a 1950’s vintage ThermoPride, had a cracked exchanger which was discovered last fall. That left us without central heat last fall and this spring. We used our wood stove in the meantime. This September, we replaced it with a Conforto KLR-100.

It’s beautiful, shiny and efficient.

Incidentally, the furnace people saw all the work that Tig had done to shore up the structure from the basement. One guy said that they’ve been inside to a lot of basements in town, and that many of the homes look beautiful on the outside, but the joists underneath were…questionable. He then complimented Tig on his diligence in making the house structurally sound. Props to hubby!