Project - Beginer
Tools - Screw Driver, Saw, Tape Measure, Level, Pencil
Materials - Scrap Lumber 3/4" Thick, Drwall Screws, Framing Material, Peg Board.
Cost- $20 (peg board screws, lumber)
Time - 4hrs.
One area of storage space that you may not have considered was under a stairway. This project took about a full Saturday to complete. Scrap materials could be used so this project would not cost any money. No finish work with drywall and trim are required. As you can see from the photo this storage area is used for painting tools and supplies.
Before explaining the project lets talk about being organized. Organization has great value and over the last year I have found that it not only helps you work faster but it also saves you money. Being organized helps you locate your items that you are looking for before heading off to the store to purchase materials. It only takes a couple of minutes to put items away in area where you can find them again. This project was dedicated to storing paint supplies and tools. This setup allows for the user to find and replace anything to-do with painting, finishing, and cleanup. Also this space was located in the basement utility room and is perfect for storing paint. Paint is best stored in a cool and dry environment.
First, some wood framing needed to be remove that was in front of this storage area. After removing the framing the stairs needed to have some added some extra supports to hold the stair stringers in place so that the stairs would not fall to the basement floor.
Note: Make sure that your stairs is nice and solid before using it as a storage area.
Next, some electrical wires needed to be rerouted and some unfinished drywall needed to be removed. Shelving supports were then added under each stair riser. The shelving took the longest time because each shelf was a different size. The stair stringers were not perfect and there is no way to adjust them. This made the shelves not square from right to left and front to back. This area used to be closed off so no one saw the imperfect stairs setup.
From the picture you can see the scrap lumber used to make the shelf supports. There is nothing special here with the supports other than making them large enough to support a shelf. However, most important is that the supports are "level". Before attaching them to the stair stringers you can adjust the height of the supports to accommodate large or small items that will be sitting on the shelves.
This is the finished project. All the shelves are in and the items packed into place. On the right you can see a peg board that was added. This was part of a peg board that from a older storage area. It was cut down to fit the size needed.
Question: Isn't it difficult to get at items because of the stair slope?
Answer: You will need to bend over to pick out the items that are furthest away, of course. So organize the space in which the more frequent items used are up front. If an item is needed from the back then take a little caution to not hit your head while exiting.
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