More Storage Space

     I have been looking into in home storage.  I have some ideas from a camper/RV site.  There are thousands online.  Some have virtual tours of the vehicles and those that don’t have great photos. 

RV Virtual Tours, View Motorhome Interiors, RVs for Sale

www.mhsrv.com/virtual-tours/rv-virtual-tours/‎

     Campers have a good storage lesson to teach in their use of cabinets that fit the odd unused space.  They have pull out spice racks hidden in 5” of space next to a sink.  Many modern home DIY stores offer these cabinets.  Lowe’s and Home Depot have cabinet counselors that can help you select new modern cabinetry if you are up to a kitchen upgrade. 

kitchensource.com

     There is space for storage under the mattress in RVs.  The mattress lifts with a hydraulic hinge so you don’t have to support the weight of the mattress while you stack and store.  An average queen size bed measures 80” by 61”.  You could stack the same number of average cans of veggies as a grocer could.  That’s a LOT of cans!  If you haven’t tried to elevate your bed with the lifts I mentioned, the math should convince you of how much room you have and how great it would be to stack and store, stack and store under the bed.   

     Look at the cabinet catalogs and think to yourself, is that hall closet being used to its optimum?  You don’t have to remodel your house to get more storage space.  You could start by remodeling or customizing a closet or a guest bedroom, if you are lucky enough to have one. 

   You could rethink that bathroom sink cabinet.  When it was time to remodel a bathroom, my son and I had a talk and we went with a dresser that fit the room well.  We cut a sink hole in the top, removed the drawer compartment from the first drawer and reapplied the drawer front to the front of the dresser.  It looks like a sink in a dresser with a faux finish, but it is a solid wood storage device with storage no one suspects.  It looks shabby chic.  That’s its job; do the job, keep a secret, look like a fashion statement, be a prepper’s helper.

   If you have the room and need a room divider, purchase three flat packed book cases and two piano hinges.  Assemble the book cases as directed.  Join case one and case two with the hinge facing inward.  Join case two to case three with the hinge facing outward.  Close the cases.  For ease of access you could add casters so you can roll the cases apart when you need access to the inner case.  You can float the cases in the room or up against a wall.  One side might face your living room displaying books and bric-a-brac, the case facing a dining room with extra decorative serving dishes and the center case could store prep goods. 

  I like the above suggestion in the photo.  Replacing a closet door with book shelves that store more and hide things better not seen, behind. If TSHTF you can use the divider to divide private space when the relatives turn your dinette into a bedroom.  A good room divider also keeps the heat in a smaller area should you want to cut back and only heat the area you are using.

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  In an open floor plan, the kitchen, living and dining area is all one big space.  Two bookcases create a wall where there is none.  One case can face the living area with books, CD's and such.  The other faces the kitchen and stores big stuff; my dehydrator, vac-n-seal, and other appliances that take up space in a cabinet that is now full of nobody’s business when they come to visit.

   Find your dead space and re-purpose it for your prepping.   Find new ways to use old space.  Look at the possibilities online and in store catalogs. Looking is free.  Planning is prepping.