On Jul 2, 1:41*pm, "Doug" wrote:
How long has this word(s) been around. *I started watching some
construction on tv and they give me the impression that the northern
part of US (maybe Canada too) uses the term. * Well I lived around
construction while in NYC , Long Island and some NY state for a number
of years (moved away in late 70's) and never heard the term then. * Is
a mud room similar to a foyer except it can be as a separate room?

Having grown up in NYC (Queens) I had never heard of the term "mud
room" until I moved to western NY in the early 80's.

However, there may be a reason I never heard of them: None of the
areas where I or any of my friends lived had the style of house where
a mud room could have been included. We lived in row houses, side-by-
side duplexes (not rentals, owner occupied on both sides), and of
course, apartment buildings. None of these styles were really set up
to have a mud room.

I do recall some houses having a small, enclosed back porch or the
like where shoes, baseball gloves and other assorted items piled up,
but we never referred to them as mud rooms.

Once I moved to western NY, my first memory of a mud room is of a room
between a "semi attached" garage and the main house where dirty shoes
and winter clothes could be removed. I later learned that they are
simply a separate room accessed via a side or back door, sometimes
doubling as a laundry room.