Some parts of most homes, because they are in-accessible, like the loft space, or awkwardly shaped, like the understairs cupboard, become disorganized dumping grounds. These, together with other smaller areas such as fireplaces, corners and even doors, can be transformed into easy-to-use storage spaces, often with only small adjustments.
Adding a porch, a conservatory or a garden shed can also provide extra space to take the stress off the home's interior.
Doors and doorways
Cupboard and room doors provide space for easy-to-get-at narrow storage. Choose from metal racks and plasric shelves for the kitchen, hanging pocketed holdalls for shoes, small toys, socks or tights for the bedroom.
A small towel rail will probably fit on the back of the bathroom door, or hang a pocketed holdall to take bathroom paraphernalia such as shampoo, tale, toothbrushes and paste.
A towel rail on the inside of a bedroom cupboard door can take jeans, ties or belts. Large hooks fixed on the back of the cloakroom door could hold mops, brooms or a light-weight stepladder. Check hinges and screws are adequate to take the weight of larger items. Hollow doors are unsuitable for heavy objects.
A fireplace is used for easily accessible wine storage in this dining room.
Sometimes simple changes to the way a door opens can provide easier access or make the surrounding space much more accessible. Installing a sliding door could be the answer in a confined space. Turning a door round to open on the opposite side could allow you to place furniture in a room in a much more practical position (see Rehanging A Door for turning a door round; fitting a sliding door is dealt with in the instructions for installing a fitted wardrobe on Sliding Door Wardrobe)
Fireplaces
If fireplaces are unused, and those in bedrooms and kitchens nearly always are, then their removal will leave a space that can either be extended or used as it is for storage (see Converting A Fireplace for further advice).
Alternative Uses
- Build in a storage unit that exactly fits the space.
- Use it for wine storage.
- Increase the height of the opening (take professional advice) and fit a fridge/freezer or stacked fridge and freezer in the space.
- Place a chest of drawers and mirror in the space
- Fit with shelves for a display of plants, shells, glassware or any other collection.
- Add shelves and doors to provide a larder cupboard.
If space is vey tight then removing a complete chimney may just provide the necessary extra centimetres. This is not an easy job, however, as chimneys are nearly always an integral part of the house and, sometimes, the house next door too. This means that steps must be taken to ensure that this part of the house remains structually stable. Obtain professional advice before you start.
Cupboards and corners
A deep cupboard or unused passage space may provide the necessary room for installing a shower - you will need floorspace of 90cm by 90cm (3ft by 3ft), height of 2m (6½ft) and access space of about 75cm (30in).
Provided the cold water eistern in the loft is 1.2m (4ft) above the shower outlet you can install a mixer shower with separate controls for water flow and temperature. Otherwise you will need to use an instantaneous shower, usualy electric, where in most cases water flow and temperature are related, so the greater the flow the lower the temperature will be.
You can build partition sides and tile them or install a cubicle. Corner units are now also available.
A long, narrow understairs cupboard usually ends up with floor space packed so that items stored at the far end can only be reached by removing everything else first. By removing side panelling, the space becomes shallow and wide, rather than long and narrow, making it much more efficient for storage. Alternativelly, in an open plan living room or small hall, this can become part of the room itself.
Porch kits are available, usually comprising a simple timber frame structure and fully glazed or half glazed wall and door units, but it is not difficult to put a porch together using off-the-shelf wall units and vestibule frames with your choice of windows and ready-prepared corner posts to join the frames together. A roof sloping towards the front can be made from roof decking and roofing felt. You will need to lay a solid foundation incorporating a damp proof membrane which does not come above the damp course of the house.
A glazed-in entrance porch helps retain heat in the rest of the house.
If a porch is not more than 2sq m (2½ sq yd) in floor area and 3m (100ft) high and is not within 2m (6½ft) of your roadside boundary it does not normally require planning permission unless you live in a conservation area or a listed building. Check with your local Planning Office if you are unsure.
Putting up s shed
A garden shed 2m by 1½m (6½ft by 5ft) should provide adequate space for storing paint, materials and DIY equipment and tools, plus a fold-away workbench as well as gardening paraphernalia. Pick a site that is dry and level and, if you want to include lighting and power points, not too far from the house. If you cannot avoid placing it in view of the house you can train evergreen climbers over it to soften the hard lines.
Metal and concrete-panel sheds are available as well as the more common timber ones. Softwood sheds may need treating with preservative; others will have already been pressure impregnated and this is the longer-lasting alternative. Hardwoods are naturally durable.
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