prep food storage idea

[omega man]

Hi all,
So the wife and I have been struggling for a while about where we can store our prep food stuffs, mainly because we live in a small terrace house with only 2 bedrooms ..
the situation has not been too big a deal but now since our stock is growing we've come up with an idea (quite simple really)

We've found some plastic trays that are suitable to fit under our kitchen units,this is good for us because the kitchen is long with many units,galley type you find in old terrace houses, in addition to this being a generous storage area the 'kicker boards' just clip back on and the whole deal is hidden from sight!

we should have room for around 10 trays that are around 600mm x 600mm and 180mm high..

so
*out of sight
*clean and dry (kitchen newly fitted)
*easy access
*in the easiest place to inspect and rotate with the 'regular' foods coming through the house.

Just though I'd share the idea,maybe it'll help somebody else with limited storage

Peace OM

[preservefreak]

that's a really good idea! that would work really well in my house, lots of space under the units, and our kitchen is long and narrow. thanks

PF

[omega man]

that's a really good idea! that would work really well in my house, lots of space under the units, and our kitchen is long and narrow. thanks

PF

great stuff! happy to share
OM

[cyclops]

I have had a look under my floorboards under my Hallway,Living Room and Dining Room as mine is a 1930's brick built house. There appears to be an awful lot of unused space between the foundation walls and it is dry. It is my intention to stash stuff under there in the sort of plastic boxes with lids that are normally put under a bed to store shoes, bedding,etc. as I have to get some that fit between the joists so size is important. The largest space is under the Living Room. I can stash stuff when the kids are at school,etc.preserving OPSEC and pull the carpet back over and then cover it with the sofa and they are none the wiser. I will be keeping the containers off the floor (foundation)which is just dirt with the sides/top/bottom laid flat of the single wardrobe that I have replaced supported by bricks.

[TwoDo]

I have had a look under my floorboards under my Hallway,Living Room and Dining Room as mine is a 1930's brick built house. There appears to be an awful lot of unused space between the foundation walls and it is dry. It is my intention to stash stuff under there in the sort of plastic boxes with lids that are normally put under a bed to store shoes, bedding,etc. as I have to get some that fit between the joists so size is important. The largest space is under the Living Room. I can stash stuff when the kids are at school,etc.preserving OPSEC and pull the carpet back over and then cover it with the sofa and they are none the wiser. I will be keeping the containers off the floor (foundation)which is just dirt with the sides/top/bottom laid flat of the single wardrobe that I have replaced supported by bricks.

IMHO you need to be careful about this. In many older buildings underfloor spaces such as you describe are essential to prevent damp as those buildings do not have underfloor damp proof courses installed. Probably you will see air bricks at each end of the building expressly put there to let a bit of a draft sweep through - this ventilation is by design and keeps the damp from building up. But is really bad for insulation purposes.

You can probably store a bit of preps below the floor but be very careful not to pack the stuff in and block the airflow. The first thing damp specialists look for in an older building with a damp problem is a sub floor "filled in" by long gone builders who have used it as a convenient skip for bricks and building rubbish when they were doing the renovations.

[TeeDee]

We've found some plastic trays that are suitable to fit under our kitchen units,this is good for us because the kitchen is long with many units,galley type you find in old terrace houses, in addition to this being a generous storage area the 'kicker boards' just clip back on and the whole deal is hidden from sight!

Where did you source these from OM??

[cyclops]

Hi Twodo,

Good points raised by you any tips are greatly appreciated. It was my intention to put any storage boxes below the air vents. I live on a hill, at one side of my house the depth is about 2 ft underneath the floorboards to the subfloor and at the other it is about a 6ft drop with all the airvents about the 3rd/4th brick up on the outside wall, but the actual are floorboards higher than that(about 7 bricks high) to take into account being level due to the slope of the hill. My neighbour has only one step into her front door (but they are actually on the side of the house) and I have 4 at opposite ends of our semi's. With reference to the subfloor it is totally dry and free of rubble in the most part, the only rubble I have come across was probably from when the house was built with broken welsh slates and 1/2 bricks I also found empty Capstan,etc fag packets. This place has never had any serious work except Central Heating and Double Glazing done on it as it is Housing Association before that council, most of the skirting and floorboards are original, the only time the floorboards have been up is because of rewiring by the council/H.A and putting in central heating pipes,upstairs only as all wiring/pipework is above skirting level downstairs

Now I have described the underfloor, like I said any further tips greatly appreciated.