Bexley · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Foots Cray
Pull-out drawers, cupboards and coat storage under the stairs, for homes in Foots Cray. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- The low end of the space going to waste
- A hallway crowded with coats and shoes
- Open space under the stairs that collects clutter
Ask about under-stairs storage in Foots Cray
Under-stairs storage for homes in Foots Cray
Pull-out drawers make the most of the low, deep end of the space. Instead of crawling in to find something, you slide the drawer out and everything is in view. At the tall end, a cupboard works well for coats, an ironing board or the vacuum. Many designs for homes in Foots Cray combine the two. We make under-stairs cupboards from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted, and people most often get in touch about nowhere to put coats, shoes and bags and space under the stairs that’s hard to use.
Homes from the 1950s and 1960s normally have plain, regular rooms, so fitted storage can be crisp and simple to match. Many homes around Foots Cray date from the post-war decades. We still measure everything, as no room is perfectly square.
The written quote puts the design visit in writing: the layout and internal fittings, the materials and the finish. If you’d like to change anything, it is easier before the furniture is made.
- Place
- Foots Cray (DA14, BR5)
- Borough
- Bexley
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting works for under-stairs storage
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails, cornices or coving for the furniture to meet. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details. How long fitting takes depends on how much storage you want under the stairs, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Post-war blocks often have shared stairwells and lifts, so under-stairs cupboards are made in sections sized for each. Let us know about any building rules on lifts or working hours at the measuring visit.
- You get in touch and describe the stairs and the hall.
- We visit to measure the space at several points along the slope, as stairs and walls are rarely square in older houses.
- We send a written quote for the storage.
- The drawers, doors and carcasses are made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, cut to the angle of the stairs.
- We fit the storage in your home, trimming the edges so they meet the stairs neatly. The finish is sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand once it is in.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
How to get a quote
You do not need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly during the design visit. To get started, send us a few details through our contact form. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
Advice
Common questions about under-stairs storage
Is parking a problem for fitting in Foots Cray?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
Does a conservation area in or near Foots Cray affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
Should I send photos?
Yes. They give us a feel for the space before we visit. Show anything the furniture has to work around, like radiators or sockets.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You don’t need to watch us work, but it helps to be around at the end.
Which materials go into your under-stairs cupboards?
We use 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.
How long will the fitting take?
The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the space and the design, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. Because everything is made at our workshop, the work in your home is the fitting itself. We keep the hallway as clear as we can while we work.
Tips worth knowing
People planning under-stairs storage often ask about these. They help whatever the room:
- Think about handles and how the fronts will look from the hall
- Note the size of anything tall you want to store
- Think about what you will keep in each drawer
- Empty the cupboard so we can measure every corner
Decorating around the storage is for your decorator, and it’s best to protect the new paintwork while they work. Tape on fresh paint can pull it off, so keep it away from the doors and drawers. Should you have a question about the storage, send us a few details through our contact form and we will help.
Damp coats and shoes put moisture into a closed space. It’s best to let them dry before closing the door on them, and air the cupboard if it feels damp.
Is bespoke worth it?
Standard drawer units are made in fixed sizes that rarely match the depth under the stairs. Drawers made for the space can run the full depth, so nothing is lost at the back. Each one is sized for what it will hold, from shoes to the vacuum cleaner. Off-the-shelf furniture tends to leave gaps at the ends of a wall and space above it, while fitted furniture fills the space. The pieces are made to the room’s own widths.
How it’s painted is part of the price: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Why work with us in Foots Cray
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- A design visit, then a written quote
- Over 300 projects completed
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made or what to look for in a quote.
Fitted storage in Foots Cray
About 51% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Foots Cray went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 20% between 1919 and 1939, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. The National Heritage List records 11 entries within half a mile of the centre of Foots Cray. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. Parking controls in London are set borough by borough, so Bexley has its own. If your street in Foots Cray is in a controlled parking zone, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension through the council may be needed. Let us know about parking at the design visit.
For an older house near Parish Church of All Saints, the triangle under an old staircase is often deeper than it looks. Danson House, about 2.8 miles north, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, under-stairs cupboards are scribed to walls and stair strings that are rarely straight. If you live in a flat close to Sidcup station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Foots Cray is part of the London Borough of Bexley, about 1 mile north-west of Sidcup. We cover Foots Cray as part of our work across Bexley, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Our Bexley coverage includes Foots Cray, along with the rest of the borough.
In DA14 and BR5, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. We cover homes on streets like Cray Road, Evry Road and The Avenue, for under-stairs storage and any of our other fitted furniture. Main roads around Foots Cray include the A223. Nearby, we also make under-stairs storage in Ruxley (1 mile east), Albany Park (1 mile north-west), Upper Ruxley (1 mile east), Sidcup (1 mile north-west) and North Cray (2 miles north-east). Across the rest of Bexley, our area takes in Welling (3 miles north), Erith (5 miles north-east), Bexley (2 miles north-east), Belvedere (5 miles north), Northumberland Heath (5 miles north-east) and Lessness Heath (5 miles north).
Landmarks near Foots Cray
We fit furniture in homes around Red Lion pub, Kemnal Technology College and Walsingham School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Sidcup station, about 1.4 miles north of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Metropolitan Police Museum (1.3 miles north-west) and Queen Mary's Hospital (0.6 miles west).
Boards, parts and paint
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribe strips are trimmed to follow the wall, closing the gap a standard unit would leave. They help the storage look as though it was always there. At floor level, the plinth hides any slope in the floor.
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting suits flat, panelled and angled fronts alike. We do it in our workshop, where the finish can be kept even. The colour is your choice.
Also near Foots Cray
What else we make in Foots Cray
Flats, conversions and lettings
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so each section is sized to get through.
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.