The most wasted space in a terraced house, turned into the most useful cupboard in it.
In most Bristol terraces the hallway is narrow, it's the route everyone takes in and out, and the space under the stairs is an awkward tapering triangle. Left open it collects shoes and clutter. Boxed in with a single door, most of it becomes unreachable.
The trick is treating the void as three different spaces rather than one. The tall end takes full-height items — a bike, a buggy, the hoover. The middle takes cupboards or drawers. The shallow end, which is usually written off entirely, takes shoes or pull-out racks.
Everything is built to the actual shape of your staircase, including the string, the skirting and any pipework running through it.
Full-depth drawers on heavy runners, so the back of the void is reachable.
The tall end planned as full-height storage — a common ask in Bristol hallways.
Hatches, meters and stopcocks designed around with removable panels.
Panelled doors echoing your existing internal doors and skirting.
A hallway cupboard has to work when you're carrying shopping, wrangling a toddler, or getting out of the door in a hurry. That means doors that open where there's room to stand, handles you can use one-handed, and coats at a height everyone in the house can reach.
Jake measures the void, checks for meters, hatches and pipework, and talks through what needs to fit in it.
A clear, itemised quote covering materials, build and fitting. Free and with no obligation.
The carcass, doors and drawers are built off site, keeping the disruption in your hallway short.
Scribed in, finished and cleared up, with the hallway left usable throughout.
We work throughout Bristol — the terraces of Bishopston, Southville, Totterdown and Easton, the larger houses of Clifton, Redland and Henleaze, and out into Fishponds, Horfield and Westbury-on-Trym.
We also cover Portishead, Clevedon, Keynsham, Thornbury and Yate, and travel across South Wales for larger projects.
Check If We Cover YouIt depends on the size of the void and what goes into it. A run of simple panelled cupboard doors is a smaller job than a set of full-depth pull-out drawers on heavy-duty runners with a hand-painted finish.
Every staircase is a different shape, so we quote after measuring rather than from a price list. Quotes are free and itemised.
Yes, and it's worth raising at the first visit. Many Bristol terraces have a cellar hatch, a gas or electricity meter, or a stopcock tucked under the stairs.
These can be designed around with a removable panel or a dedicated door, so everything stays accessible without breaking up the look of the run.
Yes — in a Bristol hallway it's one of the most common requests. The tall end of the under-stair void is usually the right height for a bike, a buggy or a vacuum cleaner, so we plan that section as full-height space and use the shallower tapering end for shoes and smaller items.
For fitted storage in an existing under-stair space, no — it's joinery rather than structural work.
The exception is if the staircase itself is being altered, or the space is being converted into a WC, which brings other trades and regulations into play.
The build happens off site, so disruption in your hallway is limited to the measuring visit and the fitting. Because the hallway is the main route through the house, we plan the fit to keep it usable and clear up at the end of each day.
You'll get a realistic timescale with your quote.
Yes. Panelled doors can be made to echo the existing internal doors, and the whole run can be hand-painted to match your skirting, architrave or wall colour. In a period hallway the aim is usually that it reads as original rather than as something added later.
"We've asked JS carpentry for multiple bespoke projects in our home from fitted wardrobes to custom coat storage and we have always been very impressed with the quality of the craftsmanship. Would definitely recommend."