Four Ways to (Literally) Free up Storage Space in Your Home

Homes are getting smaller and more expensive, which means many of us are pouring our mental energy into making our existing homes work for us, even if they’re full of junk. From storage strategies to time-tested ideas like making sure every piece of furniture has extra storage options, we’re all trying to squeeze stuff from two homes into one home.

If your home feels like it’s at capacity and you simply don’t have room for shelves, cabinets, or anything else, you have one move left: start literally carving storage out of the bones of your home. There are hidden voids everywhere, and with a little effort and surprisingly little skill, you can fill those voids with your belongings. Here are some easy ways to free up storage space in your home.

Internal walls

It doesn’t matter what kind of house you live in or what size it is, you have walls. And the interior non-load-bearing walls in your home are likely framed with 2×4 studs and lined with drywall . If you remove the drywall, it will look something like this:

These voids are fairly easy to turn into shallow shelves. 2×4 frames are actually about 3.5 inches deep (for reasons ), which is actually deep enough for paperback books or any small items (eg spice bottles, bathroom supplies). Here are the basic principles for carving out storage space in your walls:

1. Use a stud finder that also detects wiring and plumbing, like this one . You want a clutter-free section of the wall that also doesn’t threaten to electrocute you or flood your home if you slip with the drill. Use a stud finder to determine where your studs are—they should be 16 or 24 inches apart, but you may run into the odd exception, especially in older homes or homes where a DIY maniac has done most of my work.

2. Decide how tall you want the storage area to be and use a utility knife or multi-tool to cut out the drywall.

3. Paint the exposed back of the wall or cover it with wallpaper or whatever else you want.

4. Take a sheet of 1×4 and cut two one-inch pieces for each shelf you plan to add. Screw them into the studs on either side of the opening at the height you want your shelves to be. For goodness sake, use a level to make sure your shelves are level. Alternatively, you can drill holes for pins for the shelf supports to create adjustable shelving; The pin holes are usually 1/4″, but you should select your racks and check the diameter of the posts before you begin.

5. Cut 1x4s or 2x4s to size to serve as shelves and set them in place.

6. Cut the opening with another 1×4 (or whatever you want if you have woodworking skills), fill the holes, caulk and paint.

Voila! Convenient storage cabinet built into the wall. You can add one or more of these storage options anywhere in the house, and if you no longer need them, you can simply remove the trim, drywall over the opening, and forget it was ever there.

Stairs

The stairs in your home represent a lot of wasted space. If they’re open, meaning you can already access the space underneath, you have a few easy ways to turn that space into useful storage, including slanted shelf brackets (and/or slanted clothing rod holders) attached to the bottom stairs. , some appropriately sized storage cabinets, or simply stack a few storage cubes into a neat geometric pattern.

If the staircase is enclosed (meaning the empty space at the bottom is covered with drywall), you can go more ambitious and create built-in storage underneath . This could be as simple as replicating the built-in storage described above—cutting a piece of drywall between the studs to access the void under the stairs, then adding a small door for access—or coming up with a set of pull-out shelves. (it might be worth hiring a carpenter for this project). As long as you don’t damage the staircase’s supporting structure, there’s no reason to use that void underneath.

Kicks

The “kick” is that part at the bottom of kitchen and bathroom cabinets that is set back so you can stand very close to the countertop. They usually have nothing but empty space behind them, so they are the perfect place to carve out some extra storage space in your home.

You can buy kitchen cabinets with toe drawers already included, but if they don’t, you can add storage to your existing cabinets, but this will require custom built drawers . You can find people to make them for you on Etsy or hire a local carpenter to make them for you. Then all that’s left to do is remove the existing lid, install the drawer slides, and then insert the drawer itself.

Keep in mind that these drawers will be very shallow – they won’t fit pots and pans. But they will allow you to remove a lot of small items from your counters and other drawers and cabinets, freeing up a lot of extra space.

Floors

Like the walls, your floor is a system of joists spaced 16 or 24 inches apart, and you can cut out a section of the floor between the joists, build some storage, and then reattach the floor section with a hinge and knob. to create an underfloor storage area. This is a surprisingly simple project , although you will have to learn how to cut the flooring:

1. Figure out where your beams are and measure how big you want your storage unit to be. Make sure pipes and wiring are out of the way.

2. Mark an area of ​​the floor about half an inch wider. This will create a “edge” of the beam that the section will rest on when closed.

3. Cut out the floor and subfloor, being careful not to cut the joists themselves.

4. Create a simple plywood box and insert it into the created space, attaching it to the beams.

5. Transform your section of floor into a manhole .

6. Fill the new storage box and replace the door. If you take care of your assembly, it will be almost invisible.

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