UTILITY SINK IN THE MUDROOM

One of the things we are certain that we want to do is put a utility sink in the mudroom/pantry.  It just seems fitting that a mudroom have some sort of utility sink in it. 

There is currently a washing machine in there, we will be doing away with that.  If there had been room in the 1-800-GOT-JUNK truck, we would have gotten rid of it then.  As you can see in this picture, it's a great spot.  It literally is to the right of the door as you come in from the porch.  What a perfect spot to have a large sink.  We figure that since there is already plumbing there for hot and cold water, as well as a drain for the washer, it will be pretty easy to have a utility sink installed. 

This is the kind of sink we want.  They are commonly found in industrial/commercial locations, like restaurant kitchens for example.  They sell plastic versions at the big box stores like Home Depot or Lowe's, but you can often find these stainless beauties at a restaurant supply store.  We are lucky to have one chain here in Houston, Ace Mart and they sell these in all sorts of configurations.  Single bowl, double bowl, etc.  They are suprisingly affordable as well. The one we found fits perfectly in the spot where the washer is now, and sells for $200.  Not bad for a free standing, stainless steel sink that will last for years.

You might wonder why we wouldn't want a washer out there.  Well, for the foreseeable future, since this is a weekend home for a few years anyway, we can bring dirty clothes home to wash and then return them out there.  This will allow us to use have a place for rinsing off dirty boots, rinsing out large pots, washing hands before coming into the house if I'm outside gardening, even craft projects that might require a bigger sink (and keep me from dirtying up 2nd Man's kitchen!).  It is, after all, what a mudroom was originally intended for, cleaning up before entering the house.  We also love the contrast of the stainless up against that old wood.  I'm thinking some stainless steel metal shelves above it would be a great place for storing cleaning supplies as well.

Now we just need to get working on the infrastructure of the house so we can start going forward with all these great ideas!  I'll document every step of the way, so check back often!

UPDATE: 09/2011 - Here is a picture I added of the area with the washer gone.  As you can see, we still have a drain pipe, and hot water and cold water pipes, just ready to be hooked up to the utility sink.  We won't put that in until the floor is done.  Black and white checkerboard.  More details as it happens!