DIY Network

Office Under the Stairs Put that wasted space to work. From "Wasted Spaces" episode DWSP-309

A home office in the guest room can be handy – unless you actually have guests over. To keep everything up and running, homeowners Luc and Olivera want to move the office to their basement living room. But that high-use area is already laid out for family fun, including piles of toys that have nowhere to go. Host Karl Champley finds the perfect location for a compact home office: the space under a flight of stairs. There's even enough room for a storage closet where Luc and Olivera can stow their children's toys, freeing up floor space for the whole family.

This functional little office...

takes almost no floor space.

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Office Under the Stairs

Tools: chop saw table saw drill and countersink bit 18 gauge brad nailer 16 gauge finish nailer compressor orbital sander measuring tape 4 foot level carpenter’s pencil safety glasses framing square

Materials: 3/4" birch plywood carpenter’s glue 3/4" decorative trim 2-1/2" drywall screws 1-5/8" drywall screws finish nails 3/4" pressure treated plywood 1x2s, 10' long subfloor adhesive wood stain polyurethane staining rags/pads Colonial trim

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Design the office. Before starting this project, Karl worked with homeowners Luc and Olivera to cut away the drywall under the studs and clean out the space. Carefully measure the space (figure A) and sketch out a design for the home office (figure B). Karl designed the office inside a giant box for easier installation and construction.

• Cut plywood. Cut out the pieces for the office "box" from 3/4" birch plywood. Since one side of the office box is angled, Karl mitered the edges of the plywood at those joints for a better fit. Also cut pieces (including ledger strips) for the office desk and shelves, according to the design.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses when working with a power saw or any other power tool.

• Pre-assemble the box. Assemble the office box using 2" wood screws. Drill pilot holes using a countersink bit before driving the screws into the wood (figure C). Don't use wood glue on the pieces yet – they will be taken apart and re-assembled in the office space.

• Disassemble, stain and finish. Once the box is assembled and all joints fit properly, carefully back out the screws and disassemble the office. Sand and stain the box pieces, then apply several coats of polyurethane sealer to protect the wood. Also stain and finish the pieces for the desk and shelves.

  Tip: Why build the box just to take it apart? Pre-assembling the box shows whether the pieces fit properly before they're stained, finished and moved indoors for installation.

• Prepare the office space. The office is being installed over a concrete slab in the basement. Cut a piece of pressure-treated, 3/4" plywood to fit the concrete floor under the office, then use subfloor adhesive to adhere it to the concrete slab. This brings the floor under the stairs level with the rest of the room.
  

  	Figure D
  	Figure E

  Tip: Moisture from the earth can leach in through concrete and rot out wood. If wood will come in direct concrete with concrete, always use pressure-treated wood to combat rot.

• Re-assemble the office. Bring the box pieces to the office area and re-assemble the box using screws and wood glue. The assembly should go much faster this time, since the screws go back into their original holes (figure D).

  Tip: Place the bottom of the office box on blocks of 2" x 4" lumber for easier assembly and movement.

• Install the office. Slide the box into the cavity under the stairs, lining it up with the angled cut in the drywall (figure E). Use screws to secure it to the studs in the back wall.

• Install ledger strips. Install the finished ledger strips in the box: Strips on the back and right wall will support the desk; a strip on the left wall will support the shelf.

• Install the desk and shelf. The desktop and shelf are supported by the ledger strips and by a vertical support. Attach the desktop and shelf to the support, then attach the entire structure to the office box and ledger strips.

  Tip: Tack these pieces in place with a nail gun to hold them steady, then install screws for strong support.

• Finish the office. Nail 3/4" decorative trim to finish the edges of the desk. Cut and install wider wood trim around the office opening to give a finished look and cover any gaps between the office box and the surrounding wall.