When you’re packing up and moving out you may find yourself in need of a storage unit. Anyone who has ever had to procure such a space knows that there’s a fine art to figuring out just how much room you need.
In Square Cow Movers‘ line of work we’ve spent a fair amount of time at storage facilities. We’ve discovered a few ways to better estimate which size unit will work best.
Evaluating Your Items
Before you secure a storage unit figure out what all will need to fit inside. Be extremely thorough and itemize everything.
- Go room-to-room making your list – opening drawers and looking in closets.
- Note the weight and general dimensions of each item.
- Note whether or not an item can be boxed up.
Now that you have your list together there are a few more things to do before contacting storage units.
Box Things Up First
The most accurate way to estimate how big a storage unit you need, and to maximize your use of the space, is to box up as much as possible from the get go. It’s easy to measure the cubic feet of a box (see below), and boxes are easy to stack without leaving empty unused gaps.
Figure Out the Cubic Square Footage
Loadmasters (an actual occupation) understand how to utilize all of a given space. That includes a lot more than the floor square footage. When considering different size storage units factor in the height. This will give you the cubic square feet of a storage unit, which is much more accurate measurement for packing it all in.
Width x Length x Height = Cubic Square Feet
QUICK TIP: If you need items to be accessible keep this in mind when calculating the space you need. Allow yourself a little extra room for free space so you can move through the unit easily.
Storage Unit Size Comparisons
There’s a wide variety of storage unit sizes. To help you get a better idea of what typical sizes are like we’ve put together a comparison list:
5’x5’ = small walk-in closet
5’x10’ = large walk-in closet
10’x10’ = bedroom
10’ x 15’ = large/master bedroom
10’ x 20’ = one car garage
10’ x 25’ = large one car garage
This should help you figure out if all your items will fit in a particular size unit. Take a look at a similar space in your home. Could you pack everything in there?
A Little Bigger is Always Better
The worst-case scenario is laying down the first month’s rent on a storage unit, unloading your stuff and then realizing that you’re not going to have enough room. You have to either find a place to put the remaining items or start moving everything into a larger unit.
Save yourself the headache by erring on the side of caution when it comes to storage unit size. Having a little leftover space and paying a little more a month is much better than figuring out too late that you’ve gotten an inadequately sized unit.
Get Advice From The Storage Company
Now, you may be concerned that the storage company will try to upsell you on a larger storage unit. Reputable storage companies like Amazing Spaces and Metro Mini Storage are highly rated by clients for being honest businesses that provide quality service.
If you feel like a business is trying to sell you on a unit that’s much bigger than you need or that they aren’t being very accommodating with information, then take your business elsewhere. Calling around to get suggestions from different companies can be a great way of not only figuring out what size storage unit is best but also finding the storage facility that you can trust.
Original Source: https://squarecowmovers.com/how-to-choose-the-right-size-storage-unit
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