Whether you move frequently or you just have too much for your house, everyone
eventually needs some storage space. And there are dozens of options available
for you. Whether you choose to rent storage space from someone or you decide it’s
more cost effective to build a temporary or permanent storage building of your
own, there’s an option out there for you.
Storing Things At Home
No matter how large your house, how much attic and basement space you have,
or how small your family, chances are excellent that you need to store something
outside the house. Maybe it’s Christmas decorations; maybe it’s
lawn care equipment. If you need to build a storage unit outside your house,
you can find them prefabricated, prebuilt, or in kits with detailed instructions
if you look. Things to check on prior to building include zoning codes, drainage
of your land, and how well your chosen building will blend in your landscaping.
You can do it yourself, or you can hire a contractor if you want to build a
more complex building with wiring and/or plumbing.
Storing Things Elsewhere
Sometimes a storage shed isn’t practical. Perhaps you rent rather than
own. Or maybe you have a large boat or RV that you want to store somewhere it
won’t be unsightly; or you just don’t have enough land to build
a shed suitable to your needs that will blend with your landscaping. In cases
like this, you need to rent space.
You have a variety of options. You can use a self-storage facility, in which
you drive up and put your possessions in a storage room easily accessed from
outside; this is an acceptable solution if you have items to store that can
take changes in temperature or humidity. It’s also a good solution to
storing items like motorcycles, boats, and snowmobiles in the off-season.
If you use a standard storage unit, you should pay attention to size issues.
If you get a unit that’s too large, you’re wasting money paying
for the extra space; but if you get one that’s too small, you’ll
probably not figure it out until you’ve already moved half your stuff
into it. A good rule of thumb for ensuring it’s large enough for your
needs is to visualize how much space you’ll need if you want to be able
to walk all the way to the back. For size specifications, you should speak to
the storage unit manager.
But you may have more delicate items: your grandmother’s furs, wooden
furniture, or books. In this case, you should probably consider an environmentally-controlled
storage building. These aren’t quite as convenient as self-storage facilities,
as they often need to be accessed by employees, and you can’t just wheel
things into them off the street; but they are air-conditioned and heated, and
the humidity will remain stable. For particularly delicate items, you should
consult a storage expert for advice. Environmentally-controlled units are also
perfect for business storage.
Outside Storage
Sometimes you just need a place to park it. If you have an RV or a traveling
trailer, you probably don’t want it blocking your entire driveway. You
can, however, find storage facilities that will allow you to park it on their
premises for a fee; you may also be able to rent parking space from an RV dealer.
You can get completely open-air storage, or you may be able to find carport-style
shelter for it.
Storage When You’re Moving
When you move, you will almost certainly need storage. Any storage facility
can give you excellent advice on what size storage space you need for your size
house. Look for special deals; some moving companies offer storage space for
free or for reduced rates on their lots if you use their moving service. Even
if you can’t find a special deal, you should certainly shop around. Rates
on storage facilities can vary widely, even within a small area. If you don’t
mind driving a little to get to your stored possessions, you might want to consider
a storage facility that’s some distance away.
A recent trend, and an exciting one, is the use of storage containers for both
moving and storage. With storage containers, a large semi truck trailer corrugated
metal box is parked on your property; you can pack it with your possessions
at your leisure. After it’s packed, the entire container can be shipped
via truck, train, or boat to your destination, delivered to your doorstep, and
left there while you unpack your possessions. This is a great and convenient
new way to move, reducing stress and also reducing the chances of breakage to
your possessions.
Storage Security and Insurance
Last but not least, you need to consider security at your storage facility,
and insurance on your stored items. Be certain you check out the security at
the storage facility; is it fenced in? Can people without the password break
in? Are there cameras in plain sight to guard the area? The better the security,
the safer your precious possessions.
And you should always have storage
insurance. Get a good idea of what your possessions are worth, and take
pictures of all the major items. Don’t forget to count things you might
not think about, like books, clothing, and media like CDs and DVDs. When you
know what it’s worth, you should be able to purchase insurance from the
storage facility itself; if you can’t get it there, they’ll be able
to tell you where to purchase it, and probably have a regular agent they work
with.
Remember: if you’re paying to have your possessions stored, you clearly
value the possessions. Be certain to protect them as well as you can, both from
the elements and from damage, theft, or misfortune.
More information available from http://www.unit-storage.com
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