My new pantry (pic heavy)

[Spiderwebb]

Back in November the boiler finally threw in the towel. So I decided to get a combi-boiler installed, but instead of having it situated where the old one was, I opted to have it fitted in the airing cupboard upstairs. The old one was in the cupboard under the stairs, accessed via the kitchen.

Now the boiler is upstairs, I have a relatively decent storage cupboard under the stairs, no longer exposed to extreme hot/cold conditions.

So, queue the pantry project. The following bunch of photos show what I started with (a day or so after I started stripping the space back to blocks & studs) through to having the current grub supplies stored away. Just a bit of decorating/making good left to do.

It's an easy enough project, but in this case prolonged by having to remedy messy alarm wiring and brick up a hole left by the boiler. I also fitted a plug socket, purely for future convenience - may use as a charging location for a torch/CB, or something. I'm not an electrician or builder, but I am a keen/experienced DIYer (who knows his limits!) so it probably took me twice as long.

A side project was the creation of a small concealed storage cupboard accessed from the kitchen. I'll put a few pics up of that in a bit.

I secured the shelving brackets to the block wall with resin (Fischer P380C) & 8mm threaded bar, aka the mother of wall fixing solutions! There'll be no dodgy wall plug weak spots.

The 'can' storage shelving is a modified Ikea CD storage unit (£20). I opted for this as it offered accurate pre-drilled holes, perfect for adjustable shelving and something I couldn't easily achieve. It holds about 72 cans.

Really pleased with the end result. Easily doubled our kitchen storage space and now have the ability to build up some food storage - we're new to prepping so currently aiming for a 1 month food supply. The temperature seems really stable in there, much cooler at the bottom which is where the veg will hang out. Total cost was c. £50, but then I had a lot of the stuff I needed lying about.

Next project - loft shelving for storing non perishable stuff not affected too much by temperature ups and downs i.e. camping gear, some tools, out of season clothing etc.

Sorry this is such a mammoth posting, but I've been inspired by stuff in the forum and hope I can in turn help someone else take on a project.

[Spiderwebb]

Here's the concealed cupboard pics -

[tanstaafl]

All I can say is ,,,,, Nice

[12mp82]

That looks really good, are you going to add extension boards to the underside of the treads so you can have a shelf on each step

[Spiderwebb]

That looks really good, are you going to add extension boards to the underside of the treads so you can have a shelf on each step

Quite possibly, but I've no need just yet. I can also slot in another Ikea unit to the left of the current one for more can storage. But again, no need just yet. Establishing stores isn't as easy as I thought!

[itsybitsy]

Wow! Well done - excellent stuff!

PS - loving the Napolina tomatoes, too. They don't come much better than that. Little tip for you, if you email Napolina through their website, and tell them how much you LOVE their products, they will send you some vouchers for free stuff.

[Spiderwebb]

Wow! Well done - excellent stuff!

PS - loving the Napolina tomatoes, too. They don't come much better than that. Little tip for you, if you email Napolina through their website, and tell them how much you LOVE their products, they will send you some vouchers for free stuff.

Thanks. I'll let the Head of Domestic Affairs know about Napolina

[Arzosah]

Thats *fantastic*, Spiderwebb! I love posts and pics like that, thanks for posting.

[jansman]

Top stuff! Ain't it nice when you free-up a bit of space for something you want to do?
That bit extra you can now stash will really make you feel more secure.

[Spiderwebb]

Top stuff! Ain't it nice when you free-up a bit of space for something you want to do?
That bit extra you can now stash will really make you feel more secure.

It sure is. I'm quite taken by how tricky it is to build up just a 1 month supply. Takes some real thought & planning. After the loft project, I've got a waterbutt project in mind to harvest rainwater. That's when I'll get myself a Big Berkey. Looking forward to that one (not least because I won't be stuck in a small cupboard or loft space!).