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Salisbury Handyman: Carpentry, Painting & Handy Services

Need clever storage? Salisbury Handyman expertly handles carpentry, painting, and handy repairs. We convert wasted space into bonus storage, like this garage stair project!

HOMEOWNER TIPSCARPENTRYFINISHED JOBS

11/11/20252 min read

Before and after of crawl space access
Before and after of crawl space access

On November 10, 2025, Salisbury Handyman helped a customer convert wasted space into bonus storage space under their garage stairs. When we arrived, the customer had a section of drywall that had been removed for access that an electrician had needed. The customer brought us in to create an easy access to take advantage of previously unused space.

I quickly cut out the opening to grant larger access to to the storage area. We pulled out our trusty laser level to make sure the opening would be plumb, level, and square.

After framing out the opening, we did a dry fit of the doors. We used 1/2" BC plywood for these doors, since it was a garage, we were more interested in durability and cost effectiveness rather than a sleek appearance. Here is a rough fit i did to make sure it would work for the customer.

Now because the customer usually parks two cars in their garage, I wanted to give him access even with the cars in the garage. Sorry I didn't take more/better pictures, but you can see the four dark round objects in the corner of the right opening. These are rare earth magnets inset into the framing to allow the panels to pop on and off. I alos installed casters on each panel so could be pulled off the magnets and rolled out of the way for access.

Below is a finish image. The access panels were framed with a simple wood frame trying to have it match the Shaker style cabinets in their kitchen. Just because it is a garage doesn't mean it can't look finished. Here is a picture of Salibury Handyman's latest finished project and satisfied customer. (apologies for the bad image making the right panel look really rough, not sure how the light hit the plywood, or if I had clutter on my lens)