Home Design With Pets In Mind

From the Staff of Know Your Home/Photography Source: Hey, Djangles. Lifestyle Blog for Dog-Lovers https://heydjangles.com/12-genius-mudroom-dog-wash-station-ideas-for-pet-lovers / and Wooton Construction

In recent years there has been a big trend to include mudrooms and larger laundry rooms in newly built homes and major home remodels. Homeowners with dogs included in their family are starting to realize a dog washing station would be a fantastic addition to those spaces. If your current home does not have this feature, the good news is this project is not a difficult one. It's much like adding a tub or shower to a bathroom. All you need is a drain, basin, hot and cold water connections and your washing station is ready for you to design. A general contractor or interior designer can come up with the design plan and handle the hiring of the plumber and tiler to complete the job.

The Home Project Center by Wooton Construction has both a General Contractor in the Renovations Division and a Planning & Design Division to draw up your washing station plans. David and Davey Wooton are co-owners of the Home Project Center. David acts as the General Contractor, while Davey heads up the Planning & Design Team. Davey says, "With most mudrooms and laundry rooms typically positioned near the garage entrance into the home, it's an ideal place for your dog washing station." She goes on to say, "you can choose a step-in shower with a low curb for large or small dogs. Which, by the way, this type of shower would also be convenient for muddy children to step into as well!" For smaller dogs, Davey says, "An elevated shallow tub is another option, especially if you own a dog you can lift, and it is also much easier on the bather's back." If you have a larger dog but don't like the idea of bending to soap up your pup, you can create hidden steps that pull out below the elevated tub area or build some steps off to the side, if your space allows it. "It's a great space to be creative," says Davey.

If you currently don't have space in your laundry room or mudroom area, spending money on a home addition is unnecessary. A rarely used guest bathroom could be a good option for pet washing without losing its usefulness for humans. Wooton Construction recently remodeled a client's guest bathroom with her canine family members in mind. "The homeowner wanted a large shower where she could use a handheld spray nozzle to wash her dog on one end, then create a drying station at the other end," says Davey. She goes on to say, "since the plumbing already existed, it was easy to pull out the existing combination tub/shower and the adjacent linen closet to create the huge 8-foot-wide shower space." "We tiled the back wall of the shower to the ceiling as well as the adjacent wall creating a wet room that would stand up well to any dog splashing," says Davey.

Having a nearby towel shelf to help you dry the dog quickly before the infamous "shaking water off" move is a must. Davey says, "the homeowner chose a piece of furniture to put on the drying station end of the shower. It's such a large space, water never reaches that side, and the furniture piece remains dry." She says that adding built-in tiled niches that act as shelves in the shower would also work well for stacking towels and holding dog treats or toys.

With more and more homeowners becoming pet owners, adding a dog washing station will add value to your home. Sixty-seven percent of U.S. households, or 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey. Of the 85 million, 63.4 million families own a dog. New home buyers will see the value and practicality of having a washing station, especially if it's near the home's garage entrance. Not only is it practical for washing pet paws, but it's also great for washing off dirty shoes, not to mention muddy children. Are you interested in adding a washing station to your mudroom or laundry? Reach out to Davey and her design team to draw up plans for you. Visit the website at www.homeprojectcenter.com.