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Installing cupboards into the eaves of the roofis probably the easiest and best solution to adding extra storage space to loft conversions.
he small space in the eaves which isn't accessible or useful for any other reason can be transformed into storage quite easily and cheaply.
The cupboards themselves are simply shells made of timber battens with hinged doors.
It is usual to have two to four doors on each side of the new loft room though not all the space in the cupboards will be available for storage.
The new water tank can be hidden in the eaves and there will probably also be wiring or pipework running through them as well.
Nevertheless, there will still be plenty of storage space left over.
A problem that needs to be overcome with eaves cupboards is that because of their location at the very edge of the roof they are going to be cold and draughty.
This should be quite obvious but it is amazing the number of homeowners who know this but who don't realise that those cupboards therefore need to be insulated.
The Importance Of Insulation
By not insulating the cupboard doors the properties thermal envelope will be breached and the loft room will leak heat. This of course makes the room colder which requires the heating to be turned up which in turn leads to increased energy bills.
Another problem with not insulating these cupboards is that they will become a source of damp which means that clothes or bedding stored in them will also become damp.
Beating The Problem
It is very easy to insulate the cupboard doors. There are bound to be off-cuts of insulation board left over from the walls and ceiling and they can be fitted onto the back of the doors to easily and quickly insulate them.
Don't forget to fit draught excluders to the frames of all the new doors and you are done.
For more info see the related pages below
Dry Lining Your Loft Conversion
All About Those New Doors You Will Need
Eaves Cupboards And Decorating Your Loft Conversion
Structural calculations for loft conversions are of course hugely important to ensure safety and that the proposed plans meet building regulations
What is the difference between planning permission and building regulations approval for loft conversions ?
Using And Fitting Loose Fill Insulation In Your Loft