Havering · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Havering
From one end of Havering to the other, we can design, make and fit under-stairs storage. Every job starts with a design visit, then a written quote.
Under-Stairs Storage in Havering
Where we work in Havering
Each job starts with a design visit and a written quote. Find your neighbourhood in the lists below for local details.
Biggest places in Havering
How we make under-stairs storage for Havering
Under-stairs storage is not only for houses. A maisonette, a split-level flat or a staircase down to a lower floor can all leave space underneath. The parts we make in our workshop are sized to get through the doors and hallways on the way in. The same careful process applies to any home in Havering. Typical reasons to get in touch are a low corner too deep to reach into and an under-stairs cupboard full of clutter; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
On the morning of the fitting, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. Next, we carry in the sections made in our workshop, a piece at a time. How long fitting takes depends on the shape of the space and the number of drawers and doors, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote.
- You let us know about the stairs and what you’d like to store, like coats, shoes or the vacuum cleaner.
- At the design visit, the space is measured and any meters are noted, because they must stay accessible.
- We talk through drawers, cupboards and coat storage, and send a quote in writing, with the finish set out.
- Every part is built in our workshop, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home and check every drawer and door with you.
How our quotes work
In London, parking can affect the price. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. It helps to talk about parking during the design visit.
Why work with us
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- A design visit, then a written quote
- 300+ projects completed
Ask for a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To start, use our contact form.
Landmarks near Romford
Our area takes in the homes around Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor, Concordia Academy and Lodge Farm Park, among other places. Also close by are The Moon & Stars pub (within half a mile east), Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls (0.8 miles east) and St. Edward's Church of England School (1.2 miles west). Romford has its own railway station: Romford station. Well-known places in the area include The Brewery (less than half a mile south-west) and Oldchurch Hospital (less than half a mile south). Not far away are The Chase Nature Reserve.
Under-stairs storage across Havering: local notes
Across Havering, including Romford, Hornchurch and Gallows Corner, most homes have a corner or recess that could do more. That might be under the stairs, in a bay, along the hall or under the eaves of a converted loft. The furniture is made for the space you have.
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 36% of the housing in Havering, with about 35% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. About 36% of homes in Havering date from between 1919 and 1939, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. In many interwar houses the space under the stairs holds the meters or the fuse board, which must stay accessible. Around a third of the homes in Havering (about 35%) were built between 1945 and 1972, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Post-war homes often have fewer nooks than older houses, so under-stairs cupboards add storage that was never built in, fixed to suit concrete, block or brick.
Our area covers the whole of London, all 32 boroughs and the City, Havering included. Every job starts the same way, with a design visit to measure and talk through the design.
Romford: Hare Hall, about 1.4 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, the space under the stairs may hold the meters or the fuse board, and the cupboards are planned around them. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
When is bespoke worth it?
It is worth being honest about cost: flat-pack is normally cheaper to buy. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, often to make the most of a small or tricky room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
Do you need under-stairs storage?
With more people working from home, some want a desk tucked under the stairs. Where the space is open to a room, a built-in desk with shelves can fit there neatly. It’s a modest workspace, well suited to a laptop and the household paperwork.
Some of the things we’re asked to solve include:
- A vacuum cleaner that has nowhere to go
- A meter or fuse board buried behind clutter
- No room for a small desk or a place to work
- A tired under-stairs cupboard that stands out
Boards, parts and paint
Plinths and scribe strips
We trim scribe strips to the exact line of the wall. They help the storage look as though it was always there. The plinth at the bottom does the same job at the floor.
Pull-out drawers
Drawers that pull out make the back of the space easy to use. You see everything at once, without reaching into the dark. They can hold shoes, the vacuum or cleaning things.
Looking after your furniture
These points come up often when people plan under-stairs storage. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Empty the cupboard so we can measure every corner
- Find out what sits in the space now, from meters to pipes
- Think about how your household uses coats and shoes
- Think about handles and how the fronts will look from the hall
A soft, damp cloth is the best way to keep the fronts clean. Avoid scourers and harsh chemicals, and dry the surface after wiping. Handles and the edges of drawers are touched most, so give them a wipe now and then.
Keep sharp or very heavy items away from the painted fronts. Store tools in a box or bag, not loose against the doors. A small chip on a hand-painted finish is easy to touch in.
Your questions about under-stairs storage in Havering
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
Can you build storage around a gas meter or fuse board?
Yes. We plan the storage so the meter or fuse board stays easy to reach, normally behind its own door. Access matters for readings and safety checks, so we design around it.
How long is the fitting for under-stairs storage?
The time the fitting takes depends on the shape of the space and the number of drawers and doors, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. We make every part in our workshop, so the time at your home is spent fitting. If you’d like the fitting on a Saturday, that can be arranged.
Which works best under the stairs, drawers or cupboards?
Many designs use both. Drawers make the most of the low, deep end of the space, and a cupboard at the tall end handles taller things. We talk it through at the design visit.
Do you cover areas outside London?
No. We work in London and nowhere else, across all the boroughs and the City of London.
What is under-stairs storage made from?
The storage is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF is stable and takes paint well, so it suits the doors and fronts, and birch plywood is strong, so it suits drawer boxes and carcasses. Everything is finished by spray painting or hand painting.
What happens when you come to measure?
It is a chance to measure properly and talk through what you’d like. We also check the walls and floors and note radiators, sockets and other things in the way, then send a written quote.