Are you looking for storage spaces in your home? With a small house, I have to be creative in every room. As the kids get bigger and my house seems to get smaller, it is even more crucial that I make my storage space count. Here are four tips on how to find wasted storage areas in your home. I designed and developed these areas in my home so I would have more storage space.
4 surprising hidden spaces to use for storage
Adding storage to the bathroom
Bathroom Cubbies: Love this idea! In a bump out wall that only had one 4 inch pipe in it, we were able to make cubbies for knickknacks and towels! We made a wooden box and added a frame around it to support the box to the studs and then painted it and added moulding. Looks great, right? It gives the allusion of a wider space instantly and adds much-needed storage.
Adding storage under stairs
Under the stairs storage area: We built out a wall (to line it up to the other wall) and as a result, created a great storage space under the steps. We installed a door, and now it holds my extra party supplies. Because we have a staircase that wraps around, it gave us even wider storage than a straight staircase.
Adding storage to the garage
Above our narrow single car attached garage, we created an attic space. We inforced the flooring with 2 x 6 inch studs and added flooring to reinforce the space. In a newer home, the house is framed with 2 x 4 inch studs. If you want to use an attic space, it needs to be 2 x 6 inch studs. By reinforcing attic flooring studs in this area, it allowed us to store holiday decorations and other things, like coolers, that we only use seasonally. We also installed drop-down steps and flooring, and now it stores a lot of stuff!
Adding storage to an unfinished basement
We built with metal studs walls around the heater and hot water heater area which was placed by themselves on one side of the basement. We added two doors, one for the heater side and one for the hot water heater side. By doing this it added a place for long-term storage, room for supplies in there. We were also able to add a bookshelf to hold books and other reference material.
When looking for space in your home, make a small hole in the wall and make sure nothing is blocking the space you need. There may be wires, piping, and other things behind there that you don't want to cut. If you see something, patch up the wall and try a different area. Always remember to measure twice and cut once before taking action. Happy hunting for those hidden storage spaces!
Nancy Haworth
These are wonderful tips for creating extra storage space in a home. I love the bathroom cubby storage and the under stair storage ideas!
Seana Turner
I love the bathroom cubby idea. We did a renovation in our old house where there was an 18inch space at the end of the tub/shower that was being wasted. We pulled out the wall and put in cubbies very similar to yours. It ended up being terrific storage for very little expense:) Good to think about what is behind your walls, right?
Janet Barclay
Great suggestions. I especially like the one about using the upper part of the garage. If more people did this, there would be a lot fewer cars left outside subject to the elements because there's no room for them in the garage!
Linda Samuels
What smart ideas for maximizing space. I especially love the bathroom cubbies that you built. We're in a small house too with no basement or attic, so storage space is at a premium.