10 Convenient DIY Attic Storage Ideas (With Pictures)
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Kristin Hitchcock
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Attics are made for storage. However, getting an attic organized and able to store many items can be challenging. After all, it’s hard to organize a large, open room. If your attic had some storage built-in, then it probably isn’t enough. If your attic had no storage, you might be looking at it and wondering how you would instill a sense of organization.
Luckily, many others have walked this path before you. There are tons of ideas out there that can be used to organize your attic. Most of these are easy to accomplish and require little work.
The 10 Attic Storage Ideas
1. Easy-to-Install Storage System by Porch Day Dreamer
| Materials: | Closet organization system, peg board, heavy-duty hangers, ribbon or wire |
| Tools: | Power drill, drill bits, level |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
Install a closet storage system in your attic for instant storage. The example shows hanging wreaths on this storage system, as well as stacking various boxes. However, you can use this for practically anything. You could store old coats, clothes you don’t wear, or just about anything else. These systems often come ready to install and are pretty straightforward to put up.
Therefore, they are an excellent option for those looking to add some storage to an attic quickly. You can even hang more than one system for wall-to-wall storage, which take very little installation time.
2. Stair System by Instructables by Instructables
| Materials: | Skateboard bearings, 5/16 inch washers, 5/16-24 nut, 5/16-24 X 1-1/2 bolt, 2 pulleys, 50ft of paracord |
| Tools: | Nail gun, saw, clamps, socket wrench, 3D printer, drill with bits, speed square, tape measure |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
Sometimes, getting boxes and storage items into the attic is the issue. Being able to take pre-packed boxes up to your attic can make storage much easier—and it makes it more likely that you’ll take the box up to the attic.
This pretty simple system can be used to quickly move boxes into your attic without dangerously carrying them up. This straightforward pulley system is pretty easy to install, though it is a bit more involved than some of the other ideas on this list. Plus, a few different tools are required, so it helps if you have some DIY experience.
You do need a 3-D printer to create some of the materials, and these can get expensive. Therefore, this likely limits the usability of this plan a bit.
3. Add a Shelf by Tom Builds Stuff
| Materials: | Various cuts of wood, nails |
| Tools: | Hammer, screwdriver, saw (optional, depending on the wood you purchase) |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
An easy way to add more space is to add a shelf to your attic, which is precisely what this plan outlines. With some pretty basic steps, you can easily add a shelf to the side of your attic, allowing you to store more boxes with ease.
This will require some know-how since each attic is a bit different. However, it shouldn’t take much previous experience to be able to install another shelf easily. The main issue is getting the shelf flat, so spend plenty of time leveling.
The steps in this plan are simple to follow and come with constant pictures. There are probably more pictures that the plan needs. However, for visual learners, these pictures may it extremely easy to follow the guide.
4. DIY Storage Shelves by Cut Out + Keep
| Materials: | Plywood, 2x4s, screws |
| Tools: | Level, drill |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
Kickers remove a lot of function from the attic, but you can add it back with these easy storage shelves. The simplicity of straight cuts and a few screws will ensure you knock it out without any aggravation. Bust out the table saw, measuring tape, and drill, and you’ll double your box storage in minimal time.
The most challenging part of this project is getting accurate measurements. But being in the attic, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s an excellent way to reclaim space when ducting and utility lines make the floor space unusable.
5. Easy DIY Storage Shelves by The Frugal Homemaker
| Materials: | 2x4s, plywood, screws |
| Tools: | Level, drill |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
The Frugal Homemaker borrows from another shelving design to bring you a basic shelf system for the attic. Exposed wood studs make it easy to find attachment points in the plans. Depending on your attic’s design, you may have to tweak your strategy to fix the shelves to the wall.
Otherwise, the build couldn’t be more straightforward. Again, measuring is the most challenging part, and you don’t have to expect a work of art when you’re finished. The point is the purpose, which it has in spades with its limitless potential for added shelving.
6. Easy DIY Attic Shelves by Foley Woodworking
| Materials: | Plywood, dimensional lumber |
| Tools: | Drills, table saw, measuring tape |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
It takes a relatively specific setup to get the most utility out of this DIY attic shelf idea from Foley Woodworking. Unless you have an accommodating truss arrangement, you won’t be able to get the tiered storage to the top of the attic. Then again, you can always customize a few trusses if you wind up loving these plans.
With the proper attic arrangement, this project is a breeze. You shouldn’t have any problem getting at least 2–3 shelves in the mix, letting you optimize your attic usage. And with such an undemanding approach, you can create all these storage opportunities in only a few hours.
7. Attic Storage by Scott Brown Carpentry
| Materials: | 2x4s, plywood, screws, nails |
| Tools: | Saw, drill, angle grinder, nail gun, reciprocating saw |
| Difficulty: | Advanced |
If you want attic storage, you first need an attic. In this walkthrough from Scott Brown Carpentry, you’ll learn how to open up a whole new section of the attic by starting with an entrance. The design is extremely complicated and will not suit many DIYers. But for those brave enough, you’ll open all new possibilities with an approach you probably never considered.
As the builder remarks, this is generally a two-man job. Depending on your setup, you’ll also need to acquire some fairly specific tools and research your local building codes.
8. DIY Attic Storage by Evan and Katelyn
| Materials: | Floor tiles, plywood, 2x4s, 2×4 brackets, L brackets |
| Tools: | Drill, miter saw, jigsaw, circular saw |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
Blown insulation doesn’t offer much room to move, much less to store anything. If you have a rough attic floor, this attic storage walkthrough from two everyday DIYers should give you the confidence to add a usable surface.
Attic Dek floor tiles cut down on steps without losing quality or sturdiness. As the makers of these plans show, you must be extremely careful walking on floor joists and working with insulation. But once you get a few tiles down, you’ll see the potential in the new storage space.
9. Attic Storage Organization by DIY Creators
| Materials: | Plywood, carpeting, screws |
| Tools: | Drill, utility knife |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
Attic storage is better when you feel comfortable getting to it. The area above the ceiling can be dark, creepy, and uninviting. By laying flooring and installing lights in this attic storage update, DIY Creators reveal how you can effortlessly and inexpensively change your attic into a comfortable space for overflow. Roll out the carpet for a quick upgrade from plywood to make your storage spot cozier.
Hanging the light can be the tricky part depending on your comfort level. Working with electricity is always dangerous, and you must be comfortable with a custom wiring job to change the lights.
10. Easy Extra Storage Space by The Ryker Dane
| Materials: | Plywood, 2x4s |
| Tools: | Drill, saw |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
When trusses offer opportunities but have no current support to hold flooring, this DIY storage space video is the one to watch. Here, a collection of 2x4s becomes the foundation for a new plywood platform.
The video maker had to work around a few utility lines, giving you some handy tips if you run into a similar issue. By the end of the project (and depending on the size of your attic), you’ll have tons of extra square footage to solve your storage problems.
Conclusion
There are many ways you can effectively add extra storage to your attic. If you’re using your attic exclusively for storage, then keeping everything nice and organized may not seem like a huge deal. However, keeping everything organized makes it much easier to find stuff and can keep you from avoiding the attic altogether.
With a few simple systems, you can quickly turn your attic into a storage haven—instead of a place where you just shove everything. In this way, you can be much more effective and store more items.
- Related Read: Convenient DIY Can Organizers Ideas (With Pictures)
Featured Image Credit: A-photographyy, Shutterstock
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