How to Create a Pull-Out Bin Under the Stairs

Measure the opening to the area underneath the stairs. For you to be able to pull the bin out, it can't be larger than the opening. Find and record the height and width.

Determine the depth of the under-stairs space. This will represent the limit to how deep your storage bin can measure. Subtract a minimum of 2 or 3 inches to allow a little extra clearance for the bin inside the opening.

Cut one 2-by-4-inch board for each 12 inches of bin height per side, with a minimum of four total. Make the boards as long as the depth underneath the stairs. For example, a 2 1/2-foot-tall bin in a 3-foot-deep space dictates six boards that are 3 feet long.

Squirt a generous amount of carpenter's glue on both ends of the first board. Insert the board between the front and back of the area, flush with the floor and 1/2 inch back from the opening. Toenail, driving the nails at an angle through the board into the wall framing, at either end. Place each board similarly, ending with a board near to, or flush with, the top of the bin height desired.

Cover the boards on either side of the opening with a piece of 1/2-inch-thick plywood, cut to fit the depth of the area and the height of the 2-by-4 framing. Spread adhesive over the boards before placing the plywood. Nail through the plywood into the framing to attach. When complete, the plywood will be flush with the door opening and provide walls for the bin and drawer assembly.

Subtract double the drawer-slide clearance required from the width of the opening framing. Most side-mount drawer slides need 1/2- to 3/4-inch of clearance; consult your slide instructions for exact requirements. Taking away twice the slide clearance allows for the bin, when combined with the slides, to fit perfectly within the wall framing.

Cut one sheet of plywood to fit the width, minus the slides, plus the depth previously calculated. Subtract an additional 1 inch from both the width and depth, to allow for the plywood thickness, and cut another piece. The first piece forms the bin top, and the second is the bottom.

For example: a 2 1/2-foot-tall bin in a 3-foot-deep space that's 30 inches wide needs two 1/2-inch-thick plywood boards, one measuring 28 1/2 inches wide by 32 inches deep, the other 27 1/2 inches wide by 31 inches deep -- which becomes the board length.

Measure and cut two plywood boards, fitting the full bin-depth dimension and the height required, less the thickness of the top board only. These will form your bin sides.

Using the same example of a 2 1/2-foot-tall bin in a 3-foot-deep space that's 30 inches wide, make the sides 32 inches long, to fit the depth, and 29 1/2 inches high to fit the bin height minus the top board.

Cut two additional pieces of plywood measuring the width, minus double the thickness of the plywood, plus the height minus the thickness of the top board. These will be the bin front and back board. Following the previous example, these boards would measure 27 1/2 inches wide by 29 1/2 inches high.

Set the bottom board flat on your work surface. Glue the bottom edge of one of the sides, and stick it flush with the side of the bottom board. Nail through the joint created to secure the side to the bottom. Repeat with the opposite side board.

Glue the bottom and sides of the front of the bin and stick it in place, flush with the bottom and inside the overhang created by the bin sides. Nail similarly. Repeat with the back piece. Allow the glue to dry before continuing.

Measure from the floor of the bin opening up to the drawer slide height desired -- generally 3 or 4 inches beneath the top of the bin. Check for level. Hold the rail slide in place as a template to mark the holes required. Drill pilot holes before driving screws through the slide to attach, one per side.

Match the opening's drawer slide height to the side of the bin. Attach the slide inserts similarly, using short screws to avoid penetrating the bin walls.

Insert the bin into the opening, engaging the separate pieces forming the glides together. Set the bin top in place, and slide the bin into the under-stairs area to complete.