Convert a Coat Closet to a Mudroom — Remove the Door, Add a Bench
The coat closet by the front door holds six coats nobody wears and a vacuum. With the door gone and a bench inside, it becomes the drop zone the house never had.
To convert a coat closet to a mudroom, we take the door, track and casing off the hall closet, finish the opening square, and build a bench with a shoe shelf under it, a hook rail and a cubby shelf above into the closet box. JMB Builders does closet-to-mudroom conversions across the Twin Cities metro in one to three days, scribed to the closet walls, ready for paint. Priced per project, quoted from photos.
- Priced per project
- Door and casing out, opening finished square
- Bench, shoe shelf, hooks and cubby built inside
- Beadboard or shiplap back
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most entries have a reach-in closet a few feet wide and a couple of feet deep, and a floor in front of it where the shoes and bags actually land. Turning the closet into an open mudroom nook means removing the door, the track or hinges and the casing, and then either casing the opening as a square, open frame or pulling the jamb and wrapping the drywall around the corner. The shelf and rod come out. What is left is a box the right size for a bench.
Inside the box we build a bench at seat height with an open shoe shelf under it, a beadboard or shiplap back on the closet wall, a hook rail at coat height, and a shelf above for bags and hats. The bench is a plywood box on a toe kick, scribed to all three closet walls and screwed into the studs. The face frame and trim are poplar and MDF, and the new casing or the drywall wrap is tied into the baseboard on each side.
If the closet opening is narrower than the closet inside, the header stays and the nook is a little tucked in, which most people like. If you want the whole closet width open, that is a reframe of the opening with a new header, and that is its own job. Flooring inside the closet is usually different from the hall; we patch it with matching flooring or tile you supply, or a threshold covers the change.
What you supply
- Photos of the closet, door open and closed, straight on and from the side, with the opening width, inside width, depth and ceiling height
- Whether you want the opening cased square or the jamb removed and the drywall wrapped
- Bench with a lid or open shoe shelf, beadboard or shiplap back, how many hooks and who uses them
- Flooring or tile to patch inside the closet if the floors do not match; or we quote a threshold
- Hooks and baskets in the style you like; we install them
- Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A sketch of the nook with bench height, hook height and the shelf drawn to your closet
- Removal of the door, hardware, track, casing, shelf and rod, and haul-away
- The opening cased as a square frame to match your trim, or the jamb removed and the drywall wrapped and finished
- A plywood bench box on a toe kick with an open shoe shelf, scribed to the three closet walls
- Beadboard or shiplap back panel, a hook rail with your hooks mounted, and a cubby shelf above
- Poplar and MDF face frame and trim, baseboard tied in on both sides, filled and primed
- Flooring patch inside the closet with flooring you supply, or a threshold
- Painting when you want it done, quoted as its own line
- Photos of the finished nook in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Casing the opening square vs. removing the jamb and wrapping the drywall
- Bench with an open shoe shelf vs. a lift-up lid or drawers
- Beadboard or shiplap back vs. a painted drywall back
- Cubby shelf above vs. lockers or dividers inside the nook
- Flooring patch inside the closet vs. a threshold
- Paint-grade poplar and MDF vs. a stained hardwood bench top
- A light switch, outlet or the doorbell transformer inside the closet that has to be moved by an electrician
A photo of the closet with the door open and a tape measure across the opening, and one of the hall side, is enough to sketch it and quote it.
How long it takes
Door and casing out, opening finished and the bench, back and hooks built: one to three days on site. A drywall wrap adds a day for mud and sanding. Painting after, on your schedule.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Cased opening with a bench
The door comes off and the jamb stays, cased as a square opening to match the room's trim. The bench, back and hooks are built inside. The quickest conversion.
Drywall wrap, open nook
The jamb and casing come out and the drywall is wrapped around the corners with corner bead, so the closet reads as a nook in the wall. Cleaner look; a day more for finishing.
Bench with dividers
Vertical dividers inside the nook to give each person a slot with a hook and a cubby, like small lockers. Works when the closet is wide enough for two or three slots.
Full-width opening
When the closet is wider inside than its door, the wall beside the opening comes out and a new header goes in so the whole width is open. Quoted as a closet reframe plus the bench.
Convert a Coat Closet to a Mudroom — Remove the Door, Add a Bench: questions, answered
Can you turn my hall coat closet into a mudroom bench?
Yes. The door, track, casing, shelf and rod come out. The opening is either cased square to match your trim or the jamb is pulled and the drywall wrapped. Inside, we build a bench with a shoe shelf under it, a beadboard back, a hook rail and a shelf above, scribed to the closet walls. Most conversions take one to three days on site.
Should I keep the closet jamb or remove it?
Keeping the jamb and casing it as a square opening is quicker and cheaper, and it looks right in a house with cased openings. Removing the jamb and wrapping the drywall gives a cleaner nook with no trim around it, and takes a day more for mud, sanding and paint. Both leave the header in place; the opening does not get wider either way.
Can the closet opening be made wider?
Yes, but it is a reframe, not just trim. The wall beside the opening comes out, a new header goes in over the wider opening, and the drywall is patched. On a bearing wall that needs a temporary support and the right header size. We quote it as a closet reframe with the bench built after; send a photo of the wall and where the closet is in the house.
What happens to the floor inside the closet?
Closets often have a different floor than the hall: carpet, old vinyl or no finish flooring at all under the bench. If the bench covers it, only the strip in front of the bench shows. We patch that strip with flooring or tile you supply, or cover the change with a threshold at the opening. The bench toe kick hides the rest.
How much does it cost to convert a closet to a mudroom?
It is priced per project from the closet size, whether the opening is cased or wrapped, the bench and back style, and the flooring patch. There are no prices on this site; the quote comes from your photos within one business day. A photo with the door open and a tape measure across the opening is enough.
Where do the coats go once the closet door is gone?
On the hook rail, which is the point: the coats people wear every day go on hooks in the open, where they get hung up, and the rest go to a bedroom closet. Hooks go at adult height with a lower row for kids. A shelf above holds hats and bags. Painting is quoted as a separate line — or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All built-ins pages
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