Hello. I am finishing the upstairs of a Cape Cod home and would like to make use of the space in the eaves. I'm speaking of the inside wall where the ceiling slopes and meets it at a point lower than a room with a normal 8' roof line. Behind that wall is unused... I guess i was thinking about putting in shelves, or something to make use of all this space (and access panels too, to get inside it) before i close them off.

My question is this: Does anyone have a recommendation for clever ideas on how to make use of this space? I know i often marvel at how ingenious people can be at making use of unused space, so i thought i'd check around and see what others have seen and done. In fact, if there are any good reference materials on doing this (magazine articles etc), please just let me know that too.

Thanks very much for your time.

 

I once lived in a house that had access doors to the space. It was a great place to store Christmas decorations and baby things. A knee wall is built along the exterior wall, creating a storage area where you can put shelves if you desire. The only disadvantage is the lack of head room. You should insulate the back side of the knee wall. Keep in mind what you store will be affected by heat and little or no ventilation.

Building bookcases along walls might be a creative thought. I also lived in a house that had built in drawers. I would recommend insulation on the back side of the chest, because the one's I had let heat into the room.

 

Last house had hinged bookcases and roll out platforms in the knee wall. Worked great. Bookcases with door type hinges (for weight) on one end, and a pair of casters concelaed under the other. The platform just rolled out on fixed (non swivel) casters.

 

that's interesting brickeye.... so i guess it looked like wood paneling until you opened it and then there shelving on the door and inside the wall?

 

No. It looked like a bookcase. They worked well and you would never have known they even moved. I guess the floor will eventually get a wear line, but it did not in the 10 years I used it. It really is a bookcase hinged on one edge with casters on the other end.