Barnet · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Totteridge
Under-stairs storage in Totteridge: pull-out drawers, cupboards and coat storage under the stairs. We visit to measure and talk through the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- An under-stairs cupboard full of clutter
- Cleaning things with no proper home
- A fuse board that’s hard to get to
Under-stairs storage for your home in Totteridge
How we make under-stairs storage for Totteridge
In some homes the stairs rise from the living room or kitchen, so the storage beneath them is on show. Here the doors, drawer fronts and finish matter as much as the storage behind them. We can make plain or panelled fronts, painted to sit with the walls or to stand out. In Totteridge or anywhere else, the aim is storage that looks considered, not added on. If you are living with a low corner too deep to reach into and struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter, under-stairs cupboards made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish can solve it.
In a family house, the hall and stairs typically carry the most clutter. With interwar houses, semis and detached homes a large part of the housing around Totteridge, fitted storage near the front door can take much of it. Anything that needs to stay reachable, like meters or a fuse board, is designed around.
Our quotes are written in plain words. You will see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, taken from what we agreed at the visit.
- Where
- Totteridge (N20, EN5)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, conversions and lettings
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, unloading takes some planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it’s worth raising at the design visit.
Mansion blocks and purpose-built blocks often have house rules about lifts, entry systems and when trades can come in. Let us know about them at the measuring visit, and we will plan the fitting around them.
Also near Totteridge
Also in Totteridge
When you need someone else
Not everything around under-stairs storage is carpentry, such as an electrician, a plumber or a Gas Safe registered engineer. Here’s what to know:
- Altering or cutting into the stairs
- Any work on gas pipes or appliances
- New sockets, lights or wiring, which are for your electrician
If you’re not sure what’s possible in your room, you can send us a few details through our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
What goes into it
- Pull-out drawers
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Spray-painted finish
- Hand-painted finish
Common questions about under-stairs storage
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Totteridge?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. 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. It is useful to tell us about parking at the measuring visit, so the day can be planned around it.
I live near Oakleigh Park station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Barnet and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with some details about the room, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission, even in a conservation area. Listed buildings can require listed building consent for works that affect their character.
How long does it take to fit under-stairs storage?
How long the fitting takes depends on how much storage you want under the stairs, and we confirm the fitting days 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.
What if my walls and floors are out of level?
It is something we deal with all the time. The furniture is scribed to follow the walls and levelled on feet or a plinth.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture, which helps avoid condensation and mould. If there’s damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Is it time for under-stairs storage?
Others are looking for a small place to work. Where the space is open to a room, a built-in desk with shelves can fit there neatly. It will not replace a full home office, but it suits paperwork and a laptop.
If you recognise any of these, it’s worth talking to us:
- No room for a small desk or a place to work
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
- Open space under the stairs that collects clutter
- Struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter
For families living near The Totteridge Academy, under-stairs cupboards can give school bags, shoes and sports kit a proper home.
Choosing a carpenter
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Will they visit to measure before quoting?
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
Under-stairs storage for homes in Totteridge
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Totteridge were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 30%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 30%), 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 Totteridge is in the Totteridge Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. If you are unsure, check with the council before work starts. Detached and semi-detached houses are home to about 43% of households in the area around Totteridge, according to Census 2021. In a semi or detached house, a driveway, where there is one, can make unloading easier.
If you live near Brook Farm Open Space, under-stairs cupboards can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things. Near listed buildings like The Priory, less than half a mile south of the centre of Totteridge, older homes may keep original joinery that under-stairs cupboards can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent.
Totteridge is within the London Borough of Barnet, about 3 miles south of Finchley. Wherever you are in Totteridge, the process is the same: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made at our workshop and fitting in your home. Across Barnet, we cover Totteridge and the places around it.
We work across N20 and EN5 for under-stairs storage. You will find streets here like Barnet Lane, Grange Avenue and Chestnut Lane, and homes on each of them are within our area for under-stairs storage. Nearby, we also make under-stairs storage in Hadley (1 mile north), High Barnet (1 mile north), Arkley (2 miles north-west), Mill Hill (2 miles south-west) and Rowley Green (2 miles north-west). We also make under-stairs storage in nearby places such as Finchley (3 miles south), Burnt Oak (3 miles south-west), East Finchley (3 miles south), Hendon (4 miles south), Edgware (3 miles west) and Friern Barnet (3 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Totteridge
In Totteridge, that includes homes near St Andrew's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum and Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Oakleigh Park station, about 1.5 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum (1.5 miles south-east) and Spires Shopping Centre (1.4 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Totteridge Green and Darland's Lake.
How fitting works for under-stairs storage
In older rooms, the furniture normally has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details, so it sits neatly against the room. 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. On fitting day, the sections are carried in, assembled, scribed to the wall and levelled. Hand-painted furniture can be finished on site; spray-painted pieces arrive finished from the workshop. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- It starts when you get in touch about the space under your stairs.
- We visit to measure and talk about how you’ll use the space, and check where the meters and fuse board sit.
- Your quote sets out the design, the materials and the finish.
- We make the drawers, doors and carcasses in our workshop. The materials are moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home and leave it ready to use, with the finish sprayed beforehand or painted by hand on site.
How to prepare
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
Ask for a quote
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. 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, drop us a line using the contact form.
Read more
How we price under-stairs storage
Prices vary from room to room, for these reasons:
- Tricky walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
- The width and height of the space
- The internal fittings
- The number of doors and drawers
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. Let us know about parking during the design visit, so we can plan for it.
Helping us understand the room
When you contact us, these help most:
- Any ideas or images you’ve saved
- How you want to use the space
- Where you live, with the postcode
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
For a quote for under-stairs storage in Totteridge, get in touch through our contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea. We’ll arrange a design visit, then send a written quote.