Storage In And
Out

Moving

Having your items stored in a temporary home can be useful in a large number of situations.

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Moving an apartment might seem much easier than your typical house move, however, this is not always the case.

While apartments are typically much smaller, there are different obstacles that can come into play and easily turn your move into a nightmare if you don’t prepare properly. Buildings come with narrow hallways and sometimes even multiple flights of stairs, which can make your apartment move a completely different experience.

Where

to start?

If you are doing a full move into storage, you need to figure out what you will be keeping, and what you will be tossing, selling or donating. Storage costs can add up, and the larger the unit - the higher the cost. Doing a thorough inspection of your belongings, and what you are actually willing to store inside can significantly reduce your costs due to a smaller unit needed. You will also need a unit size so you can let your local storage movers know how much will actually be moved into storage.

Sit down and make a brief inventory list of what you will be moving, then try to work it out in detail as your move approaches.

How do I choose a unit size?

This can be a tricky one to solve, but not impossible.

After you’ve created an inventory, it’s time to calculate the square or cubic footage of your belongings. Measure your items width and length - if it creates a pile of 5 x 8 square feet - you will need at least a 5 x 8 storage, meaning around a 40 square foot storage unit.

Measuring cubic feet is quite similar - just add your items’ height to the equation. If it creates a 5 x 8 x 5 pile - you’re looking at a storage unit of 200 cubic feet.

You can measure your items individually, or create a stack and measure everything at once.

Unit sizes vary, from small, medium and large, with sizes varying from 5x5 as the smallest unit, up to 10 x 30 large units.

Small units

typically fit about a

1 bedroom place

5x5

5x8

5x10

Medium units

can fit a

2-3 bedroom place

10x10

10x12

10x15

Large units

can fit up to

5 bedrooms

10x20

10x30

Start

shopping around

Just like local moving companies in San Francisco, storage companies offer different things. For example, some companies offer lots of sizes, while others offer more affordable units. You might be looking for good customer service, or lots of availability. Depending on your needs, you will need to find the best storage company to move your belongings into.

  • Extra Space Storage

    - offers all unit sizes, amazing customer service and availability. The only drawback would be the price, as it can get costly with Extra Space.


  • CubeSmart Storage

    - you will definitely find the perfect size of unit for your belongings with CubeSmart. They are also quite affordable. However, you will need to check their availability in advance in order to secure a unit for yourself.


  • Simply Self Storage

    - extremely affordable, but doesn’t offer many unit sizes or availability. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a common unit size, you might have some luck with them.


  • U-Haul

    - you will always find a place for your items with U-Haul. They aren’t even the priciest storage you can find, meaning that you can save some money with them too. They have units of different sizes, and even portable storage that is amazing for in-between moves!


  • Life Storage

    - amazing customer services, tons of sizes and availability. While it is on the pricier side, you won’t feel like you are overpaying as they really do offer everything that they preach.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your preferences, how much you are willing to pay and your experience with different storage companies.

Access Hours

It is very important that you verify the working/access hours of your storage facility, because you want to make sure it is aligned with your moving company of choice. Especially during moving season, you may have to choose an afternoon arrival for your local movers due to low availability. This means that your move might have to happen later in the day, and before you even agree with your movers on the timing - you need to make sure the move can actually happen. Some storages close early but offer access until later in the evening, and some will give you a 24hr access key which is an ideal scenario for your move. Make sure to let your future movers know the working hours of the storage so they can handle the logistics of your move and make it happen!

Start

shopping around

A quick tip on protecting fragile items during the move and their stay in storage.

Padding

More is definitely more in this case. You can never go overboard with protective materials, especially when your fragile items are in question. Make sure to purchase packing peanuts, or use old newspapers to wrap your breakables. Place heavy breakables individually in small boxes, while larger boxes are used for either bulky items or miscellaneous items like children’s toys that can all be placed in a single box without making it too heavy to handle. Make sure your fragiles don’t have much room for shifting in the box by heavily filling the gaps inside.

Stacking

Professional storage movers will know how to ensure your items are safely stored. However, you can always let them know if there are some boxes or items you are particularly worried about, so they can handle the situation accordingly. Boxes with fragile items should not be stacked, or have anything put on top of them - we don’t want the boxes to break along with its contents.

Hire

movers

When you’ve found the storage - it’s time to find the perfect storage movers. You are looking for movers that offer disassembly and professional wrapping of your furniture. Everything needs to be prepared for being stored because those items might be staying there for a long time. The professional storage movers we offer will make your items stand the test of time and wrap them to perfection. It is always advised to have some blankets so your movers can pad your furniture as well. If you need professional packing services for your upcoming storage move - we are definitely the San Francisco movers and packers to call!

Give us a call for a FREE moving quote! Even better - you can request one online and one of our moving specialists will get back to you within 24hrs!

You can give us a call for a free moving quote today! Provide us with the details of your upcoming local move and our relocation specialists will create an extensive moving plan just for you.

Call

Feel free to reach out to us online for a quote as well - our representatives will provide you with a detailed quote within 24 hours. Making your local move easy is what we excel in.

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