Hidden Under The Stairs Nook Project!
This is how I made a hidden nook under my stairs!
This was a totally unplanned project!
Here's the wall! That piece of plywood is the back of a Halloween sign I shoved up against it. This is my storage room and I've been sitting on this remodel for ten years...TEN! Time flies!
I was curious about what was behind the wall. I have a winding U-shaped staircase and all I knew was it was behind there. I cut out a hole big enough to shine a light in to take a peek.
Open space!! My first thought was NOOK!
Check out the water pipe! The house builders left huge gaps around it in the subfloor.
I "Hey Kool-aid-ed" through.
Now the "Hidden Under The Stairs Nook Project" begins!
First thing I did was remove that stud. I know it goes without being said, but if you're not competent in this area of DIY, always consult a professional.
With this project, the nook area is under the staircase landing and stairs. I removed the stud and added a header. A header is a beam over an opening that disperses the structural load to the outside of the opening to keep structural integrity.
I used beautiful redwood!
The storage room has a double subfloor, so I added one to under the stairs to make the rooms level and covered the gaps around the pipe. Installing plywood underlayment over a subfloor is fairly straightforward. The subfloor needs to be in good condition and keep 1/8 inch between the underlayment and wall.
New light time!
Looking good! It's drywall time.
I had a tough time getting drywall into the nook area! It was often too big to fit through the entrance frame. A lot of cursing!
I cut thin pieces of plywood to cover the backs of the stairs. I countersunk the screws just enough to fill with paintable wood filler. Sanding was incredibly messy in such a small space!
Japan is extremely hot and humid in the summer, so I added room-to-room air vents. I also mounted an exhaust fan in the storage room.
I'm not going to lie...I have no idea if these will work. If the window in the storage room is open, I can feel air moving through, so I'm hopeful.
For the vents, I attached them to PVC pipes. These vents self-lock onto the pipes, but the installation is a two person job. Someone needs to push back on the other side of the wall.
I put in three room-to-room vents.
Taping, caulking and the trim!
I covered the bare drywall corners with L-beads.
This paint is called: cloudy grey.
I needed to go back and sand down some areas, especially on the ceiling. I skim coated the storage room and sanded it with a coarse sanding sponge to give it a concrete look. The paint accented problem spots that needed fixing.
Finished!
I love it! I have a couple more posts on this remodel so stay tuned.
Comments
Join the conversation
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if the openings originally left around the water pipes go all the way down to the ground/dirt under the house, termites can enter thereby!
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Termites are a serious problem in Japan, so our house gets professionally treated every 8 years.
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we have Formosan termites in New Orleans La. area, & in 8 years they can eat your whole house! We get professional treatments & bait stations every 6 months!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
You love it? I love it too! But I wonder what you use the space for. If you store things in the smaller space, you need to leave room in the bigger space to access them. If you store things in the bigger space, you can't get to the smaller one easily. The only thing I can think of is a kids' secret play space. What do you use it for? I also like all the detailed photos of the process. You make me feel like I could do this. If I had stairs.
Very nice, Bryan
Are you able to stand in the space?