Renovation Roadmap

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Clever storage

Storage decided at the design stage costs a fraction of what it costs to retrofit later, and it is the difference between a home that feels calm and one that feels cluttered from the day you move in. This is how to build in storage that works harder, room by room.

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Measure what you actually own before you design the storage
Claim the dead space: understairs, corners, above doors, and the toe kick
Choose drawers over doors for base cabinets
Give your cabinetmaker an itemised brief, not a vague allowance

Go room by room

Entry

A bench with hooks above and shoe storage below stops the clutter at the door.

Kitchen

Drawers over doors for base cabinets, a dedicated pantry, an 'appliance garage' to keep the bench clear, and a blind-corner pull-out so deep corner cupboards are fully usable rather than lost space.

Bathroom

A wall-hung vanity with drawers, a recessed 'niche' in the shower, and a mirror cabinet.

Bedroom

A built-in robe with hanging, shelving, and drawers, plus drawers in the bed base for spare linen.

Laundry

Full-height cupboards, a dedicated broom and vacuum space, and a bench you can fold on.

Living room

Joinery on the television wall, closed cupboards below and open shelves above, plus a window seat or ottoman that lifts open for blankets and games.

Garage

Wall-mounted rail systems and overhead racks keep the floor clear for the car, with vertical storage for ladders, bikes, and tools.

Attic

A boarded platform over the joists with a drop-down ladder turns the roof space into deep storage for archives and decorations; confirm the trusses can take the load first.

Design storage before you build

Design around what you actually own

Generic shelving is where storage plans fail. Before you brief your cabinetmaker, measure the things you need to store, the tall pantry items, the vacuum, the linen, the sports gear, and design to them. Storage sized to your belongings gets used. Storage sized to a showroom photo does not.

Storage dimensions cheat sheet

Joinery only works when its internal dimensions match what it has to hold. These are the depths and drops that fit real belongings; put them in the brief rather than accepting the default internals.

300 mm

Shelf depth for books

450 mm

Shelf depth for linen and folded clothes

600 mm

Depth for kitchen base units and robes

1600–1700 mm

Drop for long-hang coats and dresses

2 × 1000 mm

Two stacked rails for shirts, 1000 mm below each

350 mm

Shelf depth for shoes

Wardrobe internals

Divide a built-in robe by drop, not by guesswork: a long-hang bay of 1600 to 1700 mm for coats and dresses, a double-hang bay with two rails at about 1000 mm each to double shirt capacity, and a bay of adjustable shelves with drawers below. Allow 600 mm of depth for hanging; 450 mm is enough for folded clothes.

Three-bay robe layoutLong hang, double hang, and shelving with drawers below, sized to the drops that clothes actually need

Claim the dead space

Every home has space that is doing nothing. Understairs voids become drawers, a wine store, or a study nook. The area above doorways takes a shelf for things you reach for rarely. Deep corners take a corner carousel rather than a black hole. Even the 'toe kick' under your cabinets can become a shallow drawer for trays and platters.

Understairs drawers & cupboardsThe void under a staircase takes deep drawers or a wine store, with the tallest units at the high end

Kickboard drawersThe plinth under base cabinets hides shallow drawers for trays, tea towels, and pet bowls

Over-door shelvingThe wall above a doorway carries a shelf for suitcases and rarely used boxes without costing floor space

Window seat storageA hinged seat in a bay or under a window opens to swallow blankets, toys, and out-of-season bedding

Linen and utility cupboards

A household of four needs about 1.2 linear metres of linen shelving: five or six adjustable shelves at 450 mm deep, with the top shelf reserved for spare doonas and out-of-season bedding. Site it centrally, near the bedrooms and bathroom rather than inside the laundry, so towels and sheets do not have to cross the house.

Plan a separate utility cupboard, 600 mm deep with a full-height void, for the vacuum, mop, ironing board, and step stool. Put a double GPO inside it for charging a stick vacuum out of sight.

Built-in versus freestanding

Built-in joinery wins on capacity and resale; freestanding furniture wins on cost and flexibility. In a long-term home, build in the bedrooms, entry, and living room. In a home you may sell soon, spend on one or two quality freestanding pieces you will take with you.

Built-in

SpaceUses every millimetre, floor to ceiling, including awkward corners and voids

CostMade to measure, so it costs several times more per metre than flat-pack or freestanding

FlexibilityFixed in place; it stays with the house and adds to resale value

Freestanding

SpaceStandard sizes leave gaps above and beside, and corners go unused

CostA fraction of custom joinery, and it can be bought piece by piece as the budget allows

FlexibilityMoves with you and rearranges as the household changes

Specify it properly

Brief your cabinetmaker precisely

Do not leave storage as a general instruction. Itemise it: a precise brief turns a vague allowance into joinery that fits your life, and it protects you from a cheaper, generic substitute.

How many drawers, and at what depths

How much hanging space, split into long hang and double hang

Shelf depths matched to what each cupboard will hold

Where the power for charging goes inside the joinery

Common mistakes

Designing storage before measuring what you actually need to store

Defaulting to cupboard doors when drawers would work harder

Leaving understairs, corner, and toe-kick space unused

Forgetting bulky, awkward items like the vacuum, the ironing board, and sports gear

A vague joinery brief that invites a generic, cheaper fit-out

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Important notice: This content provides general guidance only and does not constitute legal, financial, structural, or building advice. Requirements, regulations, approval processes, and building standards vary significantly between Australian states and territories and change over time. Verify all requirements with your state authority and engage licensed professionals for all certified works.

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