Cabins are an amazing way to get away from the stress of everyday life in the city. When it comes to living off-grid, there’s not much that you must worry about.
I find that one of the biggest downsides and headaches of living in a cabin is the fact that they’re often quite small and therefore you don’t have as much storage space as you would in a normal house.
Due to the limited space of a cabin, many people decide to budget on their luggage and strip down to only the essentials. Though, I do enjoy my luxuries and refuse to strip down to the basics – instead I save space in my cabin to allow me to store everything I need.
Even though your cabin may be small, doesn’t mean you have to compromise the amount of luggage you bring to your cabin. It just means that you must be resourceful and have use some innovation when it comes to storage in your cabin. In this article I’ll be providing you with some great storage solutions which will allow you to save space at your cabin.
Utilize Space Underneath Stairs
If your cabin has stairs, then it’s important to use the space underneath your stairs. Many people leave this space for waste and don’t utilize it for storage. If harry potter could live under his stairs, I’m sure you can throw a few things under there. There’s a few things you can do to make the most out of the space.
Use the space as a closet: This is a very popular idea which people also incorporate into their homes in the city also. The space under stairs is a good place to store clothing.
This works especially well for items such as jackets and coats as your stairs are most likely to be near your front door. This is convenient as you can grab your jacket and hat as you leave your cabin or store them after exploring the nature surrounding your cabin.
Use the space as a small room: I understand that there’s probably not much room under your stairs at all, however it could still have some functionality.
Depending on the amount of space you have, you may be able to store a computer or at least a desk inside the space. I know a few people who use this space for studying with a simple desk and lamp. It can still be used as a small room to exclude yourself from the rest of the cabin.
Build Shelving: A simple way you can utilize the space under your stairs is to install shelving inside of it and store things such as books or smaller items onto them.
You’ll also be able to store larger items on the floor beneath the shelving. This could be used as a combination as a closet if you have enough space. Personally, I have a shelf as well as some clothing hooks in my staircase space so that I can store my jackets and hats, books, and smaller items.
Use Space Under Your Bed
In your bedroom, you most likely have a bed which takes up a good percentage of the room. Using this information, we can conclude that using the space under your bed for storage in your cabin can be very beneficial.
Most beds will either have empty space underneath it which can be used for storage, or they will have their own storage compartment. If you’re unfortunate enough to not have either of those, then this point may not apply for your situation.
You can store all types of things under your bed. I tend to keep anything which I may need for my bedroom under my bed. For example, blankets and bed sheets are good items to store under your bed as they can be conveniently withdrew from under your bed when changing your sheets. You can also store items such as additional clothing which doesn’t fit into your wardrobe/drawers.
Purchase Multi-Purpose Furniture
There is a variety of different multi-purpose furniture available on the market. This is furniture which serves more than one purpose. In this case, we’re looking for furniture which can also be used for storage. Buying furniture which can also be used as furniture can be very useful as it creates additional storage space which you would not have with traditional furniture.
A popular form of multi-purpose furniture would be a bed with a storage compartment which can pulled out like a drawer. You can also find similar couches which have a storage compartment at their foundation. Another example would be a TV stand with drawers which allow you to store your DVD/CD’s.
Use Your Wall Space
Not everything has to be stored in drawers and furniture. Sometimes we forget that our walls can also be used for storage. Wall storage is often used for decoration, though they can serve useful for storage.
Shelves and cabinets can be installed onto most flat walls in your home – allowing for extra storage space. For example, books can be stored onto a book shelf in your living room or bedroom. Cabinets can be used to store medical or bathroom supplies in your bathroom.
I try to install some sort of wall storage in every room to maximize my amount of storage space. Shelves can also act as decoration for your home – in my opinion every bedroom should have one.
Install In-Wall Storage
In my previous point I mentioned using your walls for storage space however often shelves and cabinets can get in the way, especially in a small cabin. It’s important that we don’t have shelves and such protruding in areas which could cause a safety hazard. For example, having a shelf in a narrow hallway could lead to someone being knocked in the head with the corner of the shelf whilst trying to squeeze through.
An alternative to this is using in-wall storage. Small cut outs for shelves or racks can be created in a wall, allowing for more storage space. This may be a great option if your cabins walls are thick enough for it. It’d be a good idea to have an expert carry out this job, however it can also be done by yourself with a little guidance. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet which you could follow.
Install a Closet Organizer
Though closets may seem like great storage space, they’re not very effective as there’s often a lot of space on the ground level which is left unused. To make more effective use of the space you can stack things till the space is filled up – many people use this space for their shoe boxes.
Though, I’d recommend that you purchase and install a closet organizer. These are shelves which go into your closet and allow you to use your space more effectively. They can also make your closet more appealing, it looks much better to have everything organized rather than stacked on top of each other.
These can be purchased locally however you can also browse online stores for a wider variety. I’d recommend visiting your local home improve store so that you can get a hands-on impression of the product before you buy it.
Outdoor Storage Building
There’s only so much room in your cabin, so you might not be able to squeeze everything inside. Also, some people don’t want to live in a cramped home and must squeeze through gaps just to navigate through their home.
Because of this, it may be a good idea to build or purchase an outdoor storage building for extra storage space. This may be necessary if you’re keeping items such as dirt bikes, ATV’s, boats, or any other large outdoor items which would not be smart to keep inside your cabin. I’d always opt for building an outdoor storage building however if you don’t have the time or patience for that, then you can always purchase pre-built sheds.
In-Floor Storage
In-floor storage may be useful, if done correctly it could work as a hidden storage if you want to hide something from other residents or visitors. Though, it could also work as a normal storage compartment.
Creating your own in-floor storage compartment isn’t a difficult task, you could have one created within a few hours on your own. Simply lift an area of floor where you want your storage to be and mark out where the floor joists are located. Then you should cut out a small hatch between those joists. Ensure that you make your cuts clean otherwise you’ll end up with a rough unappealing hole in the floor. Finally, you’ll install a wooden block to the floor joists which will hold your hatch in place.
Utilize Awkward Spaces
In your cabin you’re likely to have awkward spaces which don’t do much and are left unused. It’s important that we don’t waste any space when living in a small cabin – we cannot afford leave areas of the cabin for waste. Because of this, it’s important that you fill up these empty spaces with something, whether is be a shelf, a cabinet, or a book case. A nice book shelf filled with books can also make for good decoration and make that space less awkward.
Trash Can Storage
When living off-grid, you’re likely to be surrounded by wildlife. Wildlife which loves nothing but than the smell of your stinky trash. Leaving your trash cans out could attract wildlife which could then cause damage to your cabin. Because of this, I’d recommend having trash can storage (A larger enclosed bin which holds all your trash cans).
You should also read my guide on keeping wildlife away from your cabin. It will be very useful in keeping yourself and your cabin save away from predators.
You can purchase a trash can shed which is perfect for this job. I’d recommend purchasing a trash can storage shed like this one. This specific product is also decay moisture resistant for maximum weather protection. This will keep your trash and recycling bins safe. Perfect for your unsightly trash cans.
Rolling Drawers
Rolling drawers can be a life saver, providing easy pull out accessibility for your items that are usually crammed into the back of your cabinet. These are especially useful for deep cabinets. This is because often not all the space in a deep cabinet is fully utilized as it’s hard to retrieve items from the back of them. Because of this, it’d be a good idea to install some rolling drawers.
You can purchase and install roll out cabinet organizers for very cheap, they’re hardly an investment. I’d highly recommend this roll out cabinet organizer by Lynk. This is a great cabinet organizer which provides top notch value for money. This product features the ProGlide Precision Glide System which ensures for a smooth and quiet experience. This product has been designed to fit all cabinets to ensure that it will be compatible with yours.
Conclusion
Cabins are often a lot smaller than a normal home in the city. This makes it important that we make the most out of the space we have. This guide consists of tips which I personally adopt in my cabin life and tips which I’ve heard or witnessed from others. I hope this guide was useful to you and has helped you identify new ways to create storage space in your cabin. If you have any storage ideas suitable for a cabin, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m always up for constructive criticism and looking for new ways to improve my guides.
My name is Eugene Thornhill. I'm an outdoor enthusiast who loves nothing more than being one with nature. I've lived in numerous outdoor homes and even constructed my own. Living off-grid is something I'm very familiar with, more so than living in the city. For many years I've dealt with the many problems of living off-grid. It's time to pass on my knowledge through Cabinguides.