I think a sketch of the room with dimensions of it andbthe table will help. But with what you are trying now it either needs to be turned 90 degrees and have one end touching the window wall, coats and shoes move to the right of the door, OR left in current orientation and pushed up against the peninsula? Probably still need to move the coats and shoes in that case.

What other non bedrooms do you have? For instance do you have a family room and the living room? If you only have one of those is it by any chance long enough to have seating at one end and dining at the other? And this could be a usable breakfast bar and mud room

Trying different things

This looks amazing. I would just get rid of the stools. You might be able to swag the light over with a hook?

Look great Lindsay! Does it feel comfortable when you are sitting or is it pretty tight?

If you can use the space on the left side of the doorway for high and low coats than I would consider a tall closet unit like the one I posted to take advantage of the vertical space where the buffet table is for shoes, hats, mittens, misc. you can even add a shelf and leave a few shelves missing for a few feet to give you a counter height space there too.

Whatever rug runner you choose, make sure it lies totally flat and doesn't become a stumble hazard.

Perhaps you could create winter coverup habits that would enable you to make full use of your mudroom: layering. If you had appropriate hooks for the outer wear but created an indoor cache of sweatshirts and sweaters that would be worn between indoor clothes and outer coats -- store them on hooks in a sideboard:

https://www.worldmarket.com/product/double+shutter+doors+holbrook+sideboard.do

then, with the middle layer of clothing warm, the outer coat being cold would not be as chilling a problem.

Another alternative that might be useful for when the children are home for the weekend or holidays and in and out a lot:

You might keep a small kerosene heater that runs on K1clear kerosene running at those times you want warmth for your breezeway. Another plus, it could provide emergency heat in a power outage.

https://www.worldmarket.com/product/double+shutter+doors+holbrook+sideboard.do

I like the stools. As a plus, they could serve as individual tv tables if your children have sleepovers and are permitted to eat while watching movies or playing video games.

oh I hope I dont sound like I don't like the stools, it just seems clear that the peninsula is not used for eating, so we might as well clear as much clutter out of the room as possible

I think it’s so hard to tell from pictures. The chandelier also can’t be moved :/ it’s a rod and it can’t be moved unless I got a new one.
And the space between the table and the buffet table is so tight.
I almost think I need a small buffet table.
I had friends over today and everything just felt tight....
I am going to get an estimate on how to enclose the breezeway for a mudroom. My husband is very handy so could probably do some of it.. we would put siding up where the windows are now, and a door, and probably tile floor, and make a proper huge mudroom. I would love to take the dining room wall down but demoing brick would be a huge expsense I’m sure.
I don’t even know how much the beeezeway would cost to renovate!
Thank you all for all your input.

I love the peninsula and wish we actually used it to eat!

Now that is a good decision. So worth the money. Great resale value.

The chandelier can be changed from solid tube to longer chain that will swag...

AND....The table under the window against the wall is the best solution...space wise....

Leaves room for stools and out of the way of the console table....

There is a lot to be done to make the breezeway work as a mud room...framework....siding....insulation...electrical ...heating....real doors.....plus the slab may not meet standards required as a foundation.....and the space needs to be air tight...to keep it warm...losing the windows will make it pretty dark as well ....worth doing and handy to add lots of storage.....but worth doing right ...

Yes. Worth doing right. Don't do it weird like my neighbors. But do it! And guess what? Spending more money to enlarge the opening is the worst idea not because of the money because someday you may have smelly cleats and a box of bees in your mud room which you will neither smell, see, nor fear if you can shut the door on them. Plus knocking down the wall eliminates usable space for cubbies and hooks. So start dreaming and saving!! In the meantime do what WORKS. And dont feel bad about it.

My totally uneducated ballpark is 3-5k and 3 months of grumpy weekends. totally worth it :)

My handy husband thinks less :)

3-5k is not as much as I thought it would be. I have been envisioning this past week. I am trying to find some pictures online of what it might look like.. We would not heat the area, we could leave the door open occasionally from the dining room to the breezeway, add siding, a door and maybe tile floor and a nice rug. I dont think it will be too pricey!

Following. Deciding the same thing with our breezeway. Please share the estimate you get to convert it.

I would plan for windows, you may be able to score some nice wood ones at a salvage yard. I would also plan for A heat source if not an ideal heat source. IDK how efficient they are but you can buy electric radiant mats for under the tile. I have one in my bathroom and when set to toasty toes it is quite expensive to run but maybe it is better when set to heat a room to 55? Or maybe an electric radiator is more efficient? Also you must insulate the outside walls, but do keep the brick!

Whatever you do...make it legal....this type of side project when poorly done is just the type of thing that makes future buyers want a price deduction ...or at the very least ....they may be suspect of the quality of the rest of the house...also before ruling it out I would look for an inexpensive wall heater to install in the new walls....after all the whole point of doing this is because it is too cold to use as is.....leaving the door open will just cool off the house ....not heat the mud room...plus if it is cold in there ....you will be back to everyone quickly dumping their stuff to rush into the house ....

The exterior wall of your breezeway isn't very wide. Do consider a 6' sliding glass door instead of siding or you could end up with a cold, dark cave instead of the useful attractive room you want.

A 6' double or triple pane sliding glass door (up to 74% more energy efficient than a single pane sliding glass door), that is properly installed could not only end any problems with cold air seeping in through and around your door, it would let in sunlight -- and any warmth (visual and temperature) from the sunlight. It could very well end up having enough insulation value to match any insulation you might put in a 4" wall.

https://www.pella.com/doors/designer-series/

To add siding, you'd probably need to rebuild part of your wall anyway (where windows are) and insulate the wall and finish it -- both inside and out -- and still add a door pf some kind, preferably one w/o the Florida windows. It is likely the cost of a single 6' sliding glass door could end up being competitive with the materials and labor for rebuilding that outer wall and finishing it both inside and out.

And I can all but guarantee that you will like the glass door more. Also, you could add insulated drapes to a sliding glass door -- adding light and privacy and temperature control.

IF this breezeway/mud room is the path you and your family most use to go in and out most often, warming your floor -- adding an insulating layer between the concrete and any new flooring -- would be well worth considering.

If you're thinking of changing tables, consider getting a couple of smaller square tables that you could use individually in two different places -- giving you more space around each table when they're separate -- but which you could use together should you need to seat more people in the same room at the same time.

Suzebell great advice! I have other neighbors who did this and although the new owner keeps it a bit shabby I will take a pic. consider french doors too! And one on each side.

Another thought ... if you decide to seriously invest in remodeling the room, especially if you're wanting to do the construction this winter, consider whether or not you would want to expand the length of the room the depth of that top step; if so, extend the roof and build a new exterior wall before removing the old.

Alternately, you might put a full rebuild on your spring "to do" list and just make what you have usable for now -- even if that means adding a screen near the end of the room opposite the door to hide stuff hung on hooks and piled on a table or shelves.

If what you do this winter is to be temporary, there are kits you can get to cover the windows w/plastic sheeting and then heat the plastic w/a hair dryer to remove wrinkles. It wouldn't look great -- you might even want to add a curtain rod near the ceiling to hide your windows behind insulated drapes -- but it could help you make a cold room a bit more usable through a cold winter.

In the plastic tablecloth on rolls section in WalMart, you can usually find really thick clear plastic sheeting (the kind that makes for a really good picnic table tablecloth) that would likely trap the cold air even better.

Jeez imagine if all you need are two 6ft doors, insulation on the garage wall? And a heater??

Wellll......the proposed quality doors...are pretty expensive...and pretty heavy and inconvenient to open......aaaaad....the in floor heating pretty expensive to buy ...install...and to run.....as well as not so good for warming the room...these little shortcuts will probably eat up most of the 3-5k budget....

This is just a mud room..so more added walls will offer more space for storage pieces and coat hanging racks.....maybe doors with glass at the top fornatural light?

A double pane sliding door begins at about $700. With an internal grill ... more like just under $1,000.

https://www.homedepot.com/s/Double%2520pane%2520sliding%2520patio%2520door?NCNI-5

One centered 6' -- or even 5' -- sliding double pane patio door w/Hardie Board Siding on each side should cover that exterior wall (which appears to be about 9' wide?).

Looks like there are 3 doors to replace?

Maybe the garage door is ok?....

Don’t think just adding siding will work without framing that will allow insulation..the whole section of walls...(windows and door sections)....will most likely have to be removed and replaced with regular construction to become a real interior space...that part will be the cheapest part of all...

I don't care for internal grills. I'd go plain glass or external muntins. Anyway the light will be great.

This is what my neighbors did-French doors front and back. And you do want some wall for cubbies for sure.

Greenfish, this IS great, I will show this to whoever remodels the breezeway thank you! I think this could be affordable, and will also let light in.

I think this more affordable that 3 windows and a door on each side?

do you have any pictures of inside your neighbors breezeway??

I don't-I dont know the new owner. Sorry! Good French doors can be pricey but it is something to look in to anyway :)

lindsay-I saw a nice one today! This one had two French doors as well. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow:)

Here it is. Doesn't look like it was converted from an old breezeway but still something to think about!

Hi all! I am back and we are finishin my breezeway! we have added electric, a heating/cooling unit. My husband will start framing out the walls and will also do the flooring. We want to have two doors in the front and the back. 6' glass doors. Since you were all so helpful before, any suggestions on design of the breezeway? We are keeping the exposed brick. The garage, is a fully seasoned room now too, its a gym studio! Any suggestions for how to lay out the mudroom?

WOW! I was thinking of you recently and almost went hunting for this thread! It’s going to look great! My main advice was always not to make this in to a sitting room. Make it a pretty but functional mud room. Think about your needs before making any design choices. Congratulations!!

Would you take this door out?

I think so. Maybe replace it with an interior door? Maybe with glass? Frosted glass if you want to forget the mess? French panes give you will light and feeling of open space with the benefit of some separation between spaces

I would wait on that until you have gone thru a winter season...see how the temperature is maintained with your changes..also if you will be keeping all the spaces warm around the clock....what the added utilities cost...and if you may not prefer to just turn the heat on in the gym when you use it ...for instance.........also are you thinking of no door there?..

If it’s possible to use screen French doors or sliders that open up the windows at the end that would make a huge difference.

However I think just a lower storage bench that can hide everything all the way down

Taking away all the little things shoe holders etc.

And then either painting or washing the brick and updating The sconce.

If you have a crisp straight indoor outdoor rug, that also could brighten things up as well

And lastly it seems like Ferns or low light loving plants could be helpful too

Here are some photos that have a few illustrations
they’re not exactly
Hope it helps...

One other thought is that a couple of solar tubes would Make it feel more like a greenhouse.

THank yoU!!!

ALL.... it’s coming together so beautifully!

Also a before and after of the outside!

Looks great!

Wonderful! It looks amazing.