Greenwich · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Abbey Wood
Thinking about under-stairs storage in Abbey Wood? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote.
- Space under the stairs that is hard to use
- An old cupboard door that does not suit the hall
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
Need under-stairs storage in Abbey Wood?
Is it time for under-stairs storage?
Many people struggle with the shallow, sloping end under the bottom steps. You can’t stand up in it, and you can’t reach the back without kneeling. Pull-out drawers solve that by bringing the back of the space to you.
People normally get in touch with us about needs like these:
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
- An old cupboard door that does not suit the hall
- A hallway crowded with coats and shoes
- A meter or fuse board buried behind clutter
For families living near Alexander McLeod Primary School, a place for each person’s coat and shoes stops the hallway filling up.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
Under-stairs storage in Abbey Wood: what you get
Under-stairs storage isn’t 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 Abbey Wood. If your home has stairs open to a room, with clutter on show and a hallway crowded with coats and shoes, that’s what under-stairs cupboards are for, made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Many post-war homes have a boiler in a hall, kitchen or landing cupboard. Any new cupboard around it keeps the clearances its manufacturer sets out. With many homes around Abbey Wood built between 1945 and the early 1970s, we look for boilers, meters and fuse boards during the design visit. Any boiler work is for a Gas Safe registered engineer.
The furniture is built in our workshop after you’ve had the quote and decided to go ahead. It describes the design, the materials and the finish agreed at the visit, so you can check every detail beforehand.
- Location
- Abbey Wood (SE2, SE18, DA16)
- Area
- Greenwich
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it is made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
A few practical points help before and after fitting day. These are worth keeping in mind:
- Think about what you will keep in each drawer
- Count the coats and pairs of shoes in daily use
- Check whether your meters or fuse board are under the stairs
- Mention any parking rules on your street
Decorating around the storage is for your decorator, and it is best to protect the new paintwork while they work. Masking tape can lift fresh paint, so it shouldn’t go on the new finish. Should you have a question about the storage, message us from the contact page and we’ll help.
Keep the way to the meter or fuse board clear. You may need to reach them yourself in a hurry, so leave the path open. With its own door, the meter stays in reach without much effort.
Honest limits
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Making good the walls and ceiling, which is for a plasterer or decorator
- Relocating meters, which your energy supplier deals with
- Altering or cutting into the stairs
Not sure whether your space suits under-stairs storage? You can fill in our short enquiry form and we’ll tell you before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Pull-out drawers
- Hand-painted finish
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
Ready-made drawers come in set depths, and the space under a staircase is often deeper than any of them. Bespoke drawers are made to the depth you have, so the back of the space is used too. Each one is sized for what it will hold, from shoes to the vacuum cleaner. Skirting boards stop standalone furniture sitting flat against the wall, and that gap catches dust and wastes depth. Fitted furniture is scribed over the skirting or set on its own plinth.
Rooms that are not square take more work: uneven walls, sloping floors and angled ceilings all add scribing and cutting on site. The quote allows for it.
Why work with us in Abbey Wood
- More than 300 projects completed
- Work across the whole of London
- Saturday work by arrangement
- Finished by spray or by hand
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Under-stairs storage in Abbey Wood: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 37% of the housing in the streets around Abbey Wood, with about 35% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. Abbey Wood is partly covered by a conservation area, going by Historic England’s data. Planning controls in conservation areas are mainly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitting furniture inside a house does not normally need permission. If you want to be certain, ask the council’s planning team. The ULEZ, run by TfL, takes in all of London, so Greenwich is inside it. Vans bringing furniture to Abbey Wood fall under it, just as they do across the rest of London. Access and parking are talked through at the design visit.
The wider area includes historic houses like Danson House, about 2.1 miles south. If your own home is a period one, the cupboard door under a period staircase can be kept or replaced to match the new storage. If you live near Abbey Wood Park, living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and under-stairs cupboards can give those things a place.
Abbey Wood is about 1 mile west of Plumstead, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Abbey Wood is part of the area we cover, and the process is the same everywhere we work. We list Abbey Wood among 18 places we cover in Greenwich.
Every address in SE2, SE18 and DA16 is covered for under-stairs storage, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Our area takes in homes on streets like Bevan Road, Mcleod Road and Manton Road, for under-stairs storage and any of our other fitted furniture. The A206 runs close to Abbey Wood, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. If you are just outside Abbey Wood, we also cover West Heath (1 mile south-east), Lessness Heath (2 miles east), Belvedere (2 miles east), Welling (2 miles south) and Crook Log (2 miles south). We also make under-stairs storage in nearby places such as Greenwich (5 miles west), Eltham (4 miles south-west), Woolwich (2 miles west), Westcombe Park (4 miles west), Well Hall (3 miles south-west) and Maze Hill (5 miles west).
Around Abbey Wood
Around Abbey Wood, we cover homes near St Paul's Academy and The Plume Of Feathers Public House. Abbey Wood’s nearest station is Abbey Wood station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Greenwich Borough Museum (under half a mile west).
Neighbourhoods near Abbey Wood
Also in Abbey Wood
What happens on fitting day
The last stage of the day is the finish. If the furniture was spray painted in the workshop, we fill the fixing holes and touch up on site; if you chose hand painting, that can be done in the room once the furniture is fitted. Either way, the finish is the one set out in your quote. Walls in post-war homes can be concrete or blockwork, so the right fixings are part of the plan for fitting day. Floors and doorways are protected while the sections come in.
- You tell us about the stairs and what you’d like to store, like coats, shoes or the vacuum cleaner.
- We measure the space, the slope and the floor, and note any meters or fuse boards.
- The design is agreed and a written quote follows, 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.
- The storage is fitted, scribed to the stairs and checked with you.
How to prepare
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
Getting a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you don’t, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To arrange a visit, use our contact form.
Read more
Common questions about under-stairs storage
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Abbey Wood?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to tell us about parking at the measuring visit, so the day can be planned around it.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture, which helps avoid condensation and mould. If there is damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
What materials do you use for under-stairs storage?
Our storage is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, then painted. Drawer boxes are birch plywood, as it’s strong and holds screws firmly. The materials and finish are agreed in your quote.
Could the space under my stairs take a desk?
Often, yes, where the space opens onto a room and there’s enough height at one end. We can build a desk with shelves and drawers to suit the space. Any socket or light there is for your electrician, and we plan around it.
Do you cover areas outside London?
No. We work in London and nowhere else.