4 Tips for Picking the Perfectly Sized Storage Unit

By Christine Ascher on October 18, 2017

Moving is almost inevitably a stressful experience, but you can limit the hassle by being as prepared as possible. If you’re going to be storing some items, this means booking a storage unit well ahead of time.

Because storage can get expensive, you can keep the cost from getting out of control by ensuring that you’re being efficient and not paying for more space than you need — while also avoiding the nightmare scenario of finding out on move-out day that your storage space is too small for your belongings.

Though it can be difficult to determine how much space you’re going to need before you’ve actually begun the laborious packing process, it’ll be worth it in the long run to ensure that your unit is a perfect size before you commit. In order to do so, keep these tips in mind.

Image via https://pixabay.com

1) Start early and measure

The best way to determine the size that you need for your storage unit is to start packing early. This will allow you to get a decent estimate of the size of your belongings right away and to base your reservation for a storage unit on some actual measurements. When you begin boxing everything up, place all of the items that you’ll be storing in the same area so that you can get a visual of how much space they’ll take up.

It wouldn’t hurt to get out your tape measure as well to get a more exact idea. Remember that, in addition to the height and width of your storage space, you can also take into account the height — so instead of placing all of your items side-by-side, you will have some room to stack them. You can also check out the different size options for storage units on the website of the facility that you’ve chosen.

Some sites, such as ExtraSpace Storage, even give you some information on the type of furniture or number of boxes that can fit into each unit so you can find one that’s just right.

2) Make a packing list

If you don’t have time to actually begin your packing well enough in advance, make a comprehensive packing list instead so you can get an idea of what you’ll need to store. You may find that certain items can be thrown out or donated, and therefore won’t need to be accounted for, so you’ll get a better idea of the number of items you need room for if you think ahead.

Again, even if you haven’t started physically rounding everything up, estimate the amount of space that your items will take up. If you’re not sure, it’s best to err on the side of overestimation, as you’ll face more trouble if you underestimate and find at the last minute that your storage unit is too small.

3) Decide if you’re storing furniture

If you have some furniture that you need to stow away in addition to your smaller items, that’s going to make a big difference in terms of the type of storage unit you’ll need to rent. Make sure you’ve decided if you’re going to be storing any larger furniture pieces before you reserve a unit.

Generally, you can find out on a facility’s website what types of units they recommend for various sizes of furniture, so do some research to find out what will best fit your needs. Remember that some pieces can be stored vertically, as this will save you some room, and take into account whether any other boxes or small items can be stored on top of your furniture pieces.

4) If you’re storing with a friend, collaborate

You can save a lot of money by storing your items with a friend, and it’s probably even more convenient if you’re sharing storage with a roommate — that way you won’t have to divide all of your shared items before you pack them away. However, there’s always a danger in this scenario that your friend will end up with more to store than anticipated, and that there won’t be enough room for both of you.

To avoid a disaster such as this, make a plan early on with your friend to determine how much each of you wants to store. Count boxes, measure, and check out each other’s packing lists so there aren’t any surprises for either of you. When you’re researching storage units, it will help if you estimate the combination of your items by how many total rooms are being packed up.

Rather than trying to guess the number of boxes you will each have, for instance, consider the number of bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens being packed up. Then check with your storage facility to see what they would allocate to different storage units; they’ll often tell you if a certain size is suitable for a studio apartment or a one- or two-bedroom.

To get an idea, check out the website of a popular storage facility such as Public Storage.

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