When you do a renovation you may be doing the house one room at a time or having the builders do the renovation while you move elsewhere. What are the advantages of self-storage over storing in the garage or in other rooms of the house? How can you use self-storage to your best advantage when renovating? Here is a comprehensive guide to using self-storage when renovating!
Self-storage versus using a garage or room during your renovation
When you renovate you might assume that storing your household furniture and items in the garage or moving them from room to room may be the most convenient and cost-effective solution. This is not always the case! Here are the main advantages to using self-storage:
A garage is not built to store everything – storage units are!
Many self-storage units and modules and the warehouses they are stored in are temperature controlled, waterproof, humidity controlled and more. Your garage may not be built to protect your items which could lead them to get damaged and mouldy. Some self-storage places are also insured whereas if you are storing your items in the garage you will need to check if your insurance will cover any damages.
Furthermore, your garage may be too small to fit all the items which means moving things from one room to another and increasing the chances of damage through double handling in and out of the garage and each room. When you get a storage module or unit that is the right size it can store all your items at once.
Give yourself more space during your renovation
During a renovation, there will be noise and dust flying around. You’ll either have a lot of items in the garage or move them from room to room making your home feel very crammed and uncomfortable.
When you store your items in self-storage, you can keep the bare essentials at home during the renovation giving you a bit more space and peace.
Self-storage also encourages you to declutter so you can also focus on how you would like the new space to look like and decide which items will or won’t fit into your new aesthetic.
The flexibility of self-storage
Self-storage allows you to store month by month and allows you to access items when you need them. When you’re renovating and storing at home, it may become difficult to access your items from different rooms when there is painting and plumbing and electrical happening.
It can also be inconvenient to grab your winter apparel when you’ve crammed as much as possible into your garage and have to squeeze between your car and a wall of boxes you have to move around.
Most storage places give you access to your items either by providing notice or allowing 24-hour access. You can also pack the storage module or unit in such a way as to give you easy access to items towards the unit or module door and giving yourself an aisle to access the items.
Renovation can often take longer than what you planned so living in a home where you’re both renovating and storing can feel constricting if you must do it for a prolonged period. When a renovation is delayed but you’re using self-storage, you can simply extend the storage period with the only inconvenience being the fee.
How to use self-storage to help you renovate
Now that you have decided to you use self-storage to help you renovate, here is the best way to go about doing it:
- Ask for at least 3 storage quotes so you can compare rates and services included.
- Choose a local storage company which provides easy access to your items as you may need to access items that you realised you actually need.
- Request a flexible storage plan as renovations often get delayed.
- Whether you are renovating yourself or hiring subcontractors, find out exactly what needs to be removed from each room including furniture, contents and items on walls such as hooks, artwork, lighting. Make yourself a list or inventory of all the items in every room that must be emptied.
- Plan which items will go into storage. We recommend keepsakes, out of season clothing, decorative items and artwork, books, and all the furniture used to store them. Make a final inventory of items going into storage.
- Consider using professional removalists to pack your items into storage for you. They are less likely to damage them during the move, and will know how to wrap everything so it is well protected. Renovations are hard enough work, outsource labour when you can!
- Do not book your move out of storage until you are certain of the date your home will be ready. Often, we have had so many customers reschedule and incur cancellation fees because the renovation company kept pushing back the end date for the renovation to finish.