Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Renting a storage unit is the easy part

Renting a storage unit is in all honesty the easy part, you come in choose a size to fit your needs, paper work all filled out and you are on your way. Now comes the real work, Choosing the correct way for you to get your stuff to storage. If you are storing a large amount of stuff then you are going to need a truck and there are commercial companies that you can rent from there are websites to browse through if you want to use something or someone more private and local, you can find just about anything. When renting from your commercial companies it is pretty much a do it yourself job. After renting the truck it is back home to load it and on many occasion I have had new renters pulling in with massive size trucks for not too much stuff and the reverse. If indeed you are renting a large unit then the truck should be about the same size. Trucks are measured by feet and so are the storage units as well so you want to ask as many questions of the staff as possible, and not just where you’re storing but where you may be renting a moving truck as well. Some of our facilities have the option to rent a truck, the staff can direct you in the direction you will need and make any move as easy as possible. You also want to remember to look up, yes up. Most forget that you have at least eight to ten feet in a truck so stack away!! And all of our units here at Storage Station in Middletown are eight feet high, so if at all possible get boxes that are uniform in size and storing your belongings will be much easier. We can help with that too! Moving supplies are available to purchase as well.  At some point we have all had to move, so renting trucks and movers and calling upon friend’s to help is guaranteed.

Let’s chat about hiring out people to do the moving for you. There are big commercial companies who can come to your home and walk around and tell you almost exactly what you are going to need. Then comes the question on whether you want to do it yourself or hire them. A lot does depend on age, if you are of retirement age then most likely you will get a company to do it for you, there is a lot less hassle. My parents actually did just that when they moved from one home to another even though it was local it was easier for them. Trying to get enough of us together at one time was almost impossible with work and kids and the demands of everyday life.  They called and bang, a done deal, from one house to another in just a few hours, where if we had helped it would have taken all weekend. Potty breaks for the kids, lunch, dinner….. Etc. With moving company’s it is a job and if you find a good company these guys are like magicians and packing and moving. They done it hundreds of times so they could probably do it in their sleep, where most families would have more discussion about which way to do it, you know everybody has an opinion and then you must debate and then the work finally begins. If you are going with a moving company do make sure you get a few estimates from various companies, they usually come for free and if at all possibly take a ride to the office site and peek at their trucks, the condition of a moving company’s truck says a lot about how they will care for your personal belongings. You will also get a first hand look on the size you may need, the internet is a great tool, but when it comes to square feet, it is better to see then guess.

Here is a quick size guide reference on a truck…..
•    26’ foot truck will move 4+ bedrooms
•    24' foot truck will move 3-4 bedrooms
•    17' foot truck will move 2-3 bedrooms
•    14' foot truck will move 1-2 bedrooms
•    10' foot truck will move a studio or small 1-bedroom apartment

Now here is a size guide reference we have handy for anybody who needs it.


SIZE GUIDE

5’X5’    25 Square feet ( about the size of a small walk-in closet)
This space will hold small furniture such as a chest of drawers or a chair, plus boxes and miscellaneous small items.  Perfect for your office or personal records and/or work tools and equipment.

5’X10’   50 Square feet (about the size of a large walk-in closet)
This space will hold some furniture, for example, a couch and chair, chest of drawers or dresser, box springs and mattress set, plus small items and boxes.  Also great for outdoor furniture, lawn mowers, garden tools, bicycles and/or motorcycles.

10’X10’    100 Square feet  (about half the size of a standard one-car garage)
Contents of a 10’ Van
This space will hold furniture from a one-bedroom apartment without appliances, small boxes and small items, office furniture, files.

10’X15’  150 Square feet  (about the size of a standard one-car garage)
Contents of a  14’ Van
Approximately 3 to 4 rooms of furniture or the furniture from a two bedroom house with appliances, miscellaneous items and cartons.

10’X20’   200 Square feet  (one car garage size)
Contents of a 14’ or 17’ Van
This space will hold approximately 5 to 6 rooms of furniture.  Average size car or truck.

10’X25’   250 Square feet
Contents of a 24’ or 26’ Van
This space will hold approximately 6 to 8 rooms of furniture of the contents of a two-bedroom house with appliances, miscellaneous items and cartons.  Large vehicles, commercial storage, small boat.

10’X30’  300 Square feet
Contents of a 40’ Moving Van
Furniture from a 3 bedroom house with miscellaneous items and cartons.  Also may be used to store a car or a truck and other small items.


I’m sure you have picked up on the similarities of the two, ours is definitely more detailed due to the fact that that we are storing your belongings not just moving them. If you noticed we use a reference to a one car garage size. Why is that you ask, I shall certainly tell you. It is the easiest most common size comparison for just about anyone , most of us nowadays drive a car and at some point have garaged it , if you throw out square feet well a blank look occurs more often then not, unless you work in contracting or maintenance square feet are of no consequence, I myself recently had just such a blank look when a contractor came to do a estimate and asked me how many square feet we were here in Middletown, he laughed and so did I and said no worries, I will take a walk and see what we have. Sure I could have figured it out, the long way where he did it five times faster since his brain is wired for square footage and mine is definitely not. We learn all about measurements in school, they are for the most part drilled into our brains but in reality if you don’t use those conversions everyday they get erased and the space is filled with other necessary information, the know how to figure it all out is there so sometimes you have to go back to the basics. I know I have on more then a few occasions. So definitely take the time to look at all your options, and ask any question you need, we are here to help as much as possible

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