Storage: A Need Everyone Has

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