What are Eaves Cupboards? Can You Use the Eaves for Loft Storage?

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The eaves in the loft are the nearest thing to a literal waste of space you can get. Hard to get too, droughty, and small. It’s hard to think anything positive about them. But cast away your doubts. That wasted space is actually a valuable piece of real estate that you can transform into wonderful storage.

The eaves in the loft are often seen as a waste of space but they can be converted into storage units, fitted wardrobes, and custom storage despite the small space. The eaves in your loft space are a great solution for storage despite the lack of head height.

The best eaves storage solutions

Installing cupboards and fitted furniture into the eaves of the roof is the easiest and best solution to adding extra storage space to your loft conversion. Whether you’re having a full loft extension built or a simpler storage solution (shell conversion) the eaves are a great way to make use of the available space.

So, what can you do in the cramped and dark space that nobody uses?

Wardrobes

If you’re building an attic bedroom, fitting storage into a space with a sloping ceiling can be a nightmare. Thankfully modern techniques make the most of every inch of space.

A built-in wardrobe in the eaves will maximise the space you have available without overpowering the room. The wardrobe will be at a smaller height than typically found in a bedroom but they can run the full length of the loft space giving you extra storage.

For easy access to clothes, the drawers and hangers can be mounted on castors so they can be dragged out into the central part of the room. This negates the lack of head room but may not be practical depending on the design of your attic room.

Wardrobes built into the eaves can look stunning. There are so many companies specialising in compact storage solutions that there is no reason why your eaves wardrobes shouldn’t have plenty of space and with stylish contemporary designs they will look fantastic.

Easily transform the loft room with eaves cupboards

The 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 extra storage.

What to do with the tank

The new water tank can be hidden in the eaves and there will 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. The purpose of the eaves is of course to provide ventilation. They allow air to circulate but of course you can’t allow them to fulfil their original role if you want to add storage into the loft.

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.

Once your eaves have been converted to storage you need to add ventilation. If you don’t do this you are going to have huge issues with condensation. You can find out more about this and how to resolve the issue by reading this article; Condensation in Loft Conversions.

Desks and shelving

You aren’t just limited to fitting cupboards under the eaves. Many homeowners and small business owners will convert the attic space into a home office. If that’s the case don’t forget to make the most of the space you have available – and that includes the eaves.

You can set a desk nicely under the sloping ceiling (under Velux windows for extra light is ideal) and fill the rest of the available eaves storage space with side units and filing cabinets. This arrangement doesn’t take up much space and leaves the rest of the room free for chairs and seating areas or worktables.

Why you should use the eaves for storage

With the exception of slavish followers of minimalism, most of us need as much storage space as we can get. And don’t forget – one of the consequences of converting the loft is that you actually lose storage area.

When that convenient dumping ground for old books, forgotten toys, and Christmas decorations is turned into a living space you need to find somewhere else to house all the clutter. Making use of the eaves is the ideal solution.

That often neglected area of the loft needn’t be a dead space.

Including the eaves in your loft conversion

Modern builders are experts in coming up with clever ideas for maximising space when they convert a loft. Make sure they include storage solutions when they quote you for the build.

But, even if you’ve already had the loft converted or you’re opting for a shell conversion, you can still make use of the eaves.

There are fitted furniture manufacturers out there who can design, build, and fit bespoke wardrobes and cupboards into your loft living space no matter when you had the conversion done. After all, the space will still be there even if it was just plaster boarded up when the loft was converted.

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