Storage under stairs

[ryanp77]

Has anyone out there done this? I moved into my new house last year after my divorce and there is very little storage space here. The house sits on a slab and there is finished space over my garage so no storage room there, and I want my garage clean so iI can start working on that. I have a coat closet as you walk int to the house and the stairs to go up is right next it. I would really like to open up the wall behind the coats and make that into storage. My main question/concern is when I go to open uno the space would remove the 2x4's to allow the room to get under the stairs would I need to reframe the opening? Or is this something I would not know until I open the wall?

 

[Garett]

Every place I've lived in has has an open area under the stairs, I'll usually store luggage, vacuums and non seasonal clothes in there. If you are saying behind that closet or beside the closet is an open area under the stair treads there should be nothing structural there. I'd say open it up and finish it like the rest of the closet.

 

[ryanp77]

Yes that is the plan, I should have taken a better picture right the the left of that closet is the stairs that lead up. So the plan is to cut the drywall out of the back wall and hope there is enough space back there for useable storage

 

[rsanter]

Previous house I hade came with a small,storage room under the stairs.
That was a lot,of space

 

[73fxe]

If You open the area for storage You will need to Drywall that area. In Mi. storage under stairways has to be finished to slow a fire.

 

[marantzer]

We had the exact same situation I think you’re describing in which we had U-shaped stairs that had a closet only under the upper flight. Underneath the landing and the lower flight were unfinished. Our builder left a plastic access hole so we were able to get in to see what we had to deal with. The upper flight rested on the landing which was supported from the outer walls, so we didn’t have to add a header, although we chose to for aesthetic purposes. We continued the storage space all the way around under the lower flight to maximize the space and built a wall once it got down to 18” height. I finished the walls with painted shiplap instead of sheetrock, also installed a few lights.

 

[F451]

We had the exact same situation I think you’re describing in which we had U-shaped stairs that had a closet only under the upper flight. Underneath the landing and the lower flight were unfinished. Our builder left a plastic access hole so we were able to get in to see what we had to deal with. The upper flight rested on the landing which was supported from the outer walls, so we didn’t have to add a header, although we chose to for aesthetic purposes. We continued the storage space all the way around under the lower flight to maximize the space and built a wall once it got down to 18” height. I finished the walls with painted shiplap instead of sheetrock, also installed a few lights.

This is our exact setup in newly completed home and I'm planning on opening it up much like you've described. Will be a while before I get to it, but with no usable attic space, no basement, tiny garage, storage space is at a premium and need to utilize every sq ft that is available.

I kind of hate our new place but I'm hoping I can get over that with time. So far its not working.