One of the questions we’re often asked is ‘what size of storage container do you think I need?’. Sometimes this is not an easy question to answer as the quantity of contents will vary from home to home. The only way the size of a storage unit can be determined is by providing an estimate of how much each unit can hold.
To assist our potential customers in their decision making we detail the dimensions of our units on our website, with some helpful volume guidelines:
Our 10ft unit
Volume holds: Regular ‘Transit’ Van, Apartment / Studio Flat, 75-100 18” boxes
Our 20ft unit
Volume holds: 7.5 tonne lorry, 3 bed house, 150-200 18” boxes
Estimating Your Space
Utilising a self-storage unit is a fantastic way to declutter, store your possessions whilst moving home or for your business requirements. It can be difficult to estimate how much space you will need, especially before anything has been packed away in boxes or having not yet been dismantled, such as bedframes. The most effective way to establish the unit size you’ll need is to take an inventory of your large items, such as beds, white goods, cabinets etc and to also count how many boxes you will have once everything is packed. If you’re using a removal company you can also ask them to estimate the quantity of goods you have (in cubic feet or meters) which will help determine what size unit you’ll need. After all, they will need to have calculated this in order to provide the right number of men and vehicles for the removal.
The most important thing when you start storing is to take into consideration how you will store your items in the unit. Although units are a certain amount of feet wide by a certain amount of feet long, most people forget about the height of the unit, especially when this can be utilised to stack items, providing efficient use of your space.
Use Your Storage Space Efficiently
The best way to store your furniture is to give yourself enough time to methodically and strategically place your items to prevent any accidents of furniture falling or becoming damaged. Place larger and heavy items to the rear of the container and at floor level with lighter items on the top. Don’t be afraid to stack to the ceiling, but it’s a good idea to leave an inch gap to the walls and leave the air vents free to allow air to circulate.
Try not to leave hollow spaces. If you’re storing cupboards and drawers, then use these to store items too. You can even use fridges and freezers for books and DVD’s (although it’s worth leaving the doors ajar for circulation). As we previously advised, be sure all white goods such as fridges, freezers and washing machines etc, are fully defrosted and drained down.
If you have the space then it’s worthwhile leaving an aisle up the middle of your container or a walkway down one side so that you can access things more easily during storage, should you need to. Take time to think about what you may need to access so this is within easy reach with labels on boxes facing the aisle / walkway.
More storage tips from PadStore
Other Considerations
Other than thinking about the size of the unit you require; you will also need to think about the ease of access to your storage unit. Some self-storage facilities are indoors and upstairs with others storing directly opposite you. This could create potential issues with loading and unloading if the walkways and lifts are too narrow for manoeuvring your items. To ensure our customers have plenty of space we leave a minimum width of 6m on all our access roads in between our rows of units.
Then of course there are the costs to consider, as well as security and location. All our facilities are easily accessed off main roads and with our electric gates, only those whose mobile numbers have been pre-programmed are able to gain entry.
We pride ourselves on our clean and secure facilities. With our competitive hire rates and friendly staff, you can be rest assured your possessions are safe and we’re always happy to assist with any enquiries our prospective or existing customers may have.
