The Deathtrap - Safety First for the Charming Cottage

As much as we loved living in this house, there was one feature that freaked me out - or as I thought of it, the Deathtrap!  The entry from the driveway is a tight little 3x3 square foot space with a few steps up to the kitchen and lots of steps down to the basement.  Even with a glass door, you can't see into the landing and when you open the door, you can pitch someone standing there down the steps (ask me how I know!).  

Side entrance - aka the death trap!!! 😂

And to close the door, you have to go up a couple of steps to get out of the way of the swinging door.  Such an awful design!!  But it's the door we used all the time, because it was so convenient for bringing in groceries, taking off wet coats, etc.

I really, really want to change this.  But does it make sense for an investment?  Probably not.  Once fixed, does this mean the house will sell for a more?  Probably not.  Will it create a big, spacious mudroom?  Probably not.  In fact, there isn't a real cost benefit analysis that makes sense.  But when I think about the safety factor, it's totally the right thing to do! (and this is why my profit margin isn't the same as a typical flip).

So forget about profit - we're going to fix this and here's the plan.  

This house has a one car garage, which is a fabulous feature in Maine.  We can't block access to the garage, which limits how big we can make this entryway.  

So our plan is to make it 2.5 feet deep and a little over 6 feet wide.  It will ensure the door opens safely.  It will also provide space for a little mud bench and hooks for coats and backpacks.  So it's not a big glorious mudroom, but it's 100% better than what is there now.  

 Ideally, I'd like to add a small window on either side.  This bump-out faces south, so it gets lots of sunlight.  Yet I can see the homeowner wanting to peek up and down the driveway, so windows would be a plus.  But of course windows limits space for coat hooks., so there is a trade off.  There are so many decisions to agonize over!!! 

An added benefit?  It will look pretty cute on this plain facade! 

In the meantime, I'm feeling pretty good about our plan and hope to get started soon (or maybe once it's warmed up a bit)!  

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