Start with what you’re actually storing
Choosing a storage unit can be difficult when you’re looking at a list of dimensions and trying to imagine how your home’s contents will fit inside.
The easiest way to approach it is not to start with the unit. Start with what you’re storing, how long it will be there and whether you’ll need to get to anything while it’s in storage.
A little planning at the beginning can save you from paying for space you don’t need — or discovering halfway through moving everything that you haven’t allowed enough.
Make a rough inventory before choosing your unit
You don’t need to catalogue every box. Start with the larger items: beds, wardrobes, sofas, tables, appliances, garden furniture and anything particularly bulky or awkward.
Then estimate how many boxes and smaller items will be stored alongside them.
It’s also worth thinking about items you can dismantle. Removing legs from tables or taking apart suitable furniture can make a big difference to the space required.
Think in three dimensions
One of the easiest mistakes is to think about storage purely in terms of floor area.
A storage unit also gives you height.
Boxes and suitable furniture can often be stacked safely so that careful packing can make much better use of the available space.
That doesn’t mean filling every possible gap. Keep heavy boxes near the bottom, protect fragile items, and keep anything you may need during storage accessible.
Allow for access
If you’re putting everything into storage until moving day and don’t expect to touch it again, you can usually pack the unit relatively tightly.
If you’ll be visiting regularly, that’s different.
Leaving a small walkway and keeping frequently needed items near the front will make life considerably easier.
This is particularly important for business users storing tools, equipment or stock. The smallest possible unit isn’t necessarily the most practical one if you have to empty half of it every time you need something from the back.
Use your home as a starting point
Your property size can provide a useful starting point.
At Elm Self Store, our current storage units include 10ft, 20ft and 30ft options. As a broad indication, the 10ft unit can suit the contents of a small flat or garage, the 20ft unit approximately a two-bedroom house, and the 30ft unit approximately a three-bedroom house.
These are guides rather than guarantees. Two three-bedroom homes can contain very different amounts of furniture and belongings.
That’s why it’s worth considering what is actually going into storage rather than choosing solely from the number of bedrooms.
Don’t forget garages, sheds and gardens
When people estimate how much they’re storing during a house move, it’s easy to concentrate on what’s inside the house.
Then moving day arrives and there’s still a garage full of tools, bicycles and shelving, plus garden furniture, plant pots and everything from the shed.
Include these areas in your estimate from the beginning.
Bulky outdoor items can take up more space than expected, particularly when they can’t be easily stacked.
Pack with storage in mind
How you prepare your belongings affects how efficiently you can use the unit.
Use reasonably consistent box sizes where possible, avoid making individual boxes excessively heavy and protect fragile possessions properly.
Empty fridges and freezers and let them dry before storage, leaving the doors slightly open. Also fully drain washing-machine pipes. Elm provides further practical storage guidance on its existing storage page.
Label your boxes clearly — preferably on more than one side – rather than assuming you’ll remember where everything went.
You probably won’t.
Still unsure? Ask
It’s normal not to know how many cubic feet your belongings occupy.
We deal with storage every day; most of our customers don’t.
Elm Self Store has operated in Elm, near Wisbech, since 2003, providing storage for households, tradespeople, and local businesses. If you tell us roughly what you’re planning to store, we can help you choose the option most likely to suit you.
It’s better to spend a few minutes talking it through before you start moving than discover you’ve chosen the wrong amount of space afterwards.
Need help choosing a storage unit? Contact Elm Self Store on 01945 861171 or use the website enquiry form and tell us what you’re planning to store.