Merton · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Merton
Wherever you are in Merton, we can design, make and fit under-stairs storage. Every job starts with a design visit, then a written quote.
Talk to us about under-stairs storage in Merton
Where we work in Merton
Each job starts with a design visit and a written quote. Pick your neighbourhood below to see the details for your area, or get in touch to arrange a design visit.
Larger neighbourhoods
About under-stairs storage in Merton
Under the stairs is where so much ends up, from coats and shoes to the vacuum cleaner. We design under-stairs storage around the things you actually want to keep there, with pull-out drawers, cupboards or a combination of the two. In Merton, as everywhere we work, it begins with a visit to measure and plan. Most enquiries start with a hallway crowded with coats and shoes and a staircase with untidy space beneath it; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
The last stage of the day is the finish. With a spray finish from the workshop, there’s usually only filling and touching up to do in the room; 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.
- It starts when you contact us with a few details about the space, and whether the meters or fuse board are in there.
- We visit to measure the space and discuss the design with you, keeping the meters and fuse board easy to reach.
- A written quote follows, with the design, finish and fitting days set out.
- The drawers, doors and carcasses are built in our workshop. We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The storage is fitted in your home and checked, drawer by drawer. Any meters stay easy to reach.
How our quotes work
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Why householders in Merton choose us
- Edges scribed to follow your walls
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Saturday work by prior arrangement
Getting a quote
A quote begins with a few details from you: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of photos if you can take them. To send them, message us from the contact page. We will then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Around Wimbledon
In Wimbledon, that includes homes near St. Mark's Church, Willington School and Wimbledon High School. Also close by are Cannizaro Park (0.8 miles west), Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School (close by, under half a mile north-east) and Dog & Fox pub (within half a mile west). There is a railway station in Wimbledon itself: Wimbledon station. A little further out are Wimbledon Museum (under half a mile west) and Atkinson Morley Hospital (1.2 miles west). For a walk, there’s Henman Hill and Merton Park Green Walks.
Fitted storage across Merton
Under the stairs, in the eaves, along a narrow hall or in a bay: homes across Merton have lots of spaces that standard furniture can’t use. Each design is made to the space itself.
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 37% of the housing in Merton, with about 27% built before 1919, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how under-stairs cupboards are fixed and fitted. About 37% of homes in Merton date from between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Interwar houses usually have a straight flight of stairs with a cupboard below, often holding the meters or the fuse board, so the design keeps them reachable. Terraced houses are home to about 36% of households in Merton, according to Census 2021. Under-stairs cupboards in terraces often house the gas meter, electricity meter or fuse board, so storage is designed to keep them reachable.
Our area covers the whole of London, all 32 boroughs and the City, Merton included. Every job starts the same way, with a design visit to measure and discuss the design.
Wimbledon: If you live near Cannizaro Park, living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and under-stairs cupboards can give those things a place. The wider area includes historic houses such as Southside House, about 1.1 miles south-west. If your own home is a period one, the space under the stairs may hold the meters or the fuse board, and the cupboards are planned around them.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. Lifts sometimes need to be booked, and the lift size helps decide how big each section can be. Tell us about it when you get in touch.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it.
Bespoke under-stairs storage or ready-made?
Off-the-shelf storage isn’t designed around a meter or a fuse board. Put in the wrong place, it can block the access meter readers and engineers need. A design made for the space keeps them in clear reach from the start.
Before you hire any carpenter
- A quote in writing that sets out the job
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Whether they measure the room themselves
Could you do it yourself?
Cost matters, and it is fair to say so: flat-pack is usually cheaper to buy. Bespoke earns its place where the room is tricky, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
If you’re handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder, where scribing and fixings that suit the wall are important.
Honest limits
Some parts of a job need another trade, from an electrician to a plumber or a Gas Safe registered engineer. Here’s what to know:
- Making good the walls and ceiling, which is for a plasterer or decorator
- Relocating meters, which your energy supplier deals with
- Electrical work under the stairs, which your electrician carries out
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple. What we’d suggest:
- Mention any parking rules on your street
- Make a list of what you want to store before the design visit
- Make room so the whole space can be measured
- Look for meters, a fuse board or pipes before we visit
If the hallway is being decorated afterwards, ask your decorator to protect the fronts. Tape on fresh paint can pull it off, so keep it away from the doors and drawers. If anything is not right, tell us about the room on our contact form and we will talk it through.
Sharp tools and heavy boxes can chip a painted edge. Put tools in a case so they don’t knock the paint. Minor chips can be touched up with the matching colour.
Your questions about under-stairs storage in Merton
Do you make the furniture yourselves?
Each piece is made at our workshop for the room it’s going into, then fitted in your home. We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps to avoid condensation. If there is damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
How long will the fitting take?
How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the space and the design, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Drawers, doors and carcasses are all made in the workshop before we arrive. Saturday fitting is possible by arrangement.
What is under-stairs storage made from?
We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF is stable and takes paint well, so it suits the doors and fronts, while birch plywood gives strength to the drawers and carcasses. Everything is finished by spray painting or hand painting.
Can you build storage around a gas meter or fuse board?
Yes. The design keeps a clear way to the meter or fuse board, often with a door of its own. Meter readers and engineers need access, so we never box them in.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not typically. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Can you match the storage to my hallway?
Yes. You choose the colour, and we agree it before the work starts. We can spray it in the workshop or hand-paint it in your home. Either finish can follow a colour already in the hall.