Croydon · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Old Town
For homes in Old Town, we make under-stairs storage from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- The low end of the space going to waste
- Storage that does not match the hallway
- A staircase with untidy space beneath it
Ask about under-stairs storage in Old Town
What prompts under-stairs storage in Old Town
In a smaller home, every bit of space counts. Turned into proper storage, it can hold the everyday things that would otherwise fill the hallway. It also takes pressure off the other cupboards in the house.
Under-stairs storage can help with:
- Struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter
- A hallway crowded with coats and shoes
- A low corner too deep to reach into
- A dark, wasted space under the stairs
Close to Duppas Hill? Living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and under-stairs cupboards can give those things a place.
What to check before you book
- A quote in writing that sets out the job
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
How we make under-stairs storage for Old Town
Under-stairs cupboards often hold a gas meter, an electricity meter or the fuse board. These must stay easy to reach for meter readers and engineers. Our designs keep a clear way to them, often behind their own door, so you gain storage without losing access. If you are not sure what’s under your stairs in Old Town, we’ll look when we visit. Most enquiries start with a sloping corner nobody can reach and needing a compact spot for a laptop, and the answer is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
In a home built since 2000, there are often spaces the builder left plain, like a recess, a landing corner or an empty cupboard. Around Old Town, many homes were built since 2000, so spaces like that are worth a second look. Drawers and shelves can make use of the full depth.
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’s easier before the furniture is made.
- Where
- Old Town (CR0, CR9, CR90)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting works for under-stairs storage
However carefully a piece is made in the workshop, it still has to meet the room, and that happens on fitting day. Walls in older homes are rarely flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it, until the line is tight. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the shape of the space and the number of drawers and doors, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In a newer home, floors, walls and door frames are often freshly finished, so everything on the way in is covered before the sections arrive. Door frames and corners get covers too. The sections are assembled in the room.
- You contact us about the space under your stairs.
- At the design visit we measure the underside of the stairs and the floor, then talk through drawers, cupboards and coat storage.
- We send a written quote for the storage.
- In our workshop we build every part from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, following the slope we measured.
- On fitting day the units are set level and scribed to follow the stairs and walls.
Before we arrive
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Arranging a design visit
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, once the room is measured and the design talked through. For a quote, get in touch through our contact form.
Advice
Questions we’re often asked
Is Old Town in the area you cover for under-stairs storage?
Yes, we work across Croydon, Old Town included, and across the rest of London. To get started, you can fill in our short enquiry form with some details.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Old Town?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit.
Is it possible to match the colour of my hallway?
Yes. We paint the storage in the colour you choose, by spray or by hand. It can match the walls, the stairs or the woodwork, so it sits quietly in the hall.
Do you move sockets or add lighting?
No. Any new wiring, sockets or lights need an electrician. We plan the furniture around where they’ll go.
What happens at the measuring visit?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. Access and parking are worth talking about too, and a quote in writing follows.
My walls aren’t straight. Is that a problem?
That’s normal in older homes, and it is what scribing is for. We scribe the edges to follow the wall and set the furniture level on adjustable feet or a plinth.
Before and after fitting day
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. Here are a few tips worth knowing:
- Tell us if the hall is being decorated
- Mention any parking rules on your street
- Think about handles and how the fronts will look from the hall
- Note the size of anything tall you want to store
A hand-painted finish is easy to touch up if it gets marked. Keep a little of the paint, or a note of the colour, for later. A spray-painted finish is smooth and even, and small marks often clean off with a damp cloth.
Sharp tools and heavy boxes can chip a painted edge. Store tools in a box or bag, not loose against the doors. Minor chips can be touched up with the matching colour.
Also near Old Town
Also in Old Town
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
If you only need a hook or two and a basic shelf, an off-the-shelf option may be enough. Bespoke storage makes sense when you want every part of the space working, not just the easy part. We’re happy to talk through which suits you at the design visit. Large off-the-shelf pieces can make a small room feel smaller, whereas fitted pieces painted to suit the walls sit back into the space.
Rooms that aren’t square take more work: uneven walls, sloping floors and angled ceilings all add scribing and cutting on site. The quote allows for it.
Why choose us
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Made for your room, not a standard size
See our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.
When you need someone else
As carpenters, we leave some work to other trades. It helps to know these before you plan the job:
- Moving a gas or electricity meter, which is arranged through your energy supplier
- Painting the hallway walls and ceiling
- New sockets, lights or wiring, which are for your electrician
If in doubt, you can message us from the contact page and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Pull-out drawers
- Hand-painted finish
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
Old Town homes and under-stairs storage
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Old Town were built since 2000 (about 42%) and before 1919 (about 31%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Part of Old Town is in the Parish Church Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Planning controls in conservation areas are mainly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitting furniture inside a house does not normally need permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. About 59% of households in the neighbourhood around Old Town live in purpose-built flats, the 2021 Census shows. In a block, each section is sized to get up the stairs or into the lift and through the door. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
Living in a block of flats near West Croydon station? Then under-stairs cupboards are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. If you live in a period home close to Croydon Minster, under-stairs cupboards are scribed to walls and stair strings that are rarely straight.
Old Town is about 2 miles north of Thornton Heath, within the London Borough of Croydon. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Old Town included. We list Old Town among 32 places we cover in Croydon.
Every home in CR0, CR9 and CR90 is within our area for under-stairs storage, from the main roads to the quieter streets. If your home is on a street such as Park Lane, Fell Road and Abbey Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for under-stairs storage. Nearby, we also make under-stairs storage in Waddon (1 mile south-west), Broad Green (1 mile north), Beddington (1 mile west), Bandonhill (1 mile south-west) and Russell Hill (2 miles south-west). Across the rest of Croydon, our area takes in Thornton Heath (2 miles north), Coulsdon (4 miles south), Purley (3 miles south), Upper Norwood (3 miles north), Selhurst (2 miles north-east) and South Norwood (2 miles north-east).
What’s near Old Town
In Old Town, that includes homes near St Andrew's CofE School, The Gun Tavern and Rutherford School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Old Town itself: West Croydon station. Other landmarks nearby include Centrale Croydon (less than half a mile north-east) and Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (1.3 miles south-west).