How Can Storage Units Help During A Home Move Or Major Declutter?
Most people think of storage units as catacomb-like storage facilities for the long-term storage of excess inventory for businesses such as clothing retailers, auto parts retailers and even real estate companies that specialize in storage of multi-million dollar mansions, yachts and art work. Storage units are actually most valuable to the average individual in the various phases of transition in their life. These phases include moving into a new home, down sizing to a new home, dividing inventory with family members, separating from a spouse or loved one, or rebuilding a home after a devastating renovation or disaster.
Move In/Out Advice – Declutter the Home & Prepare for Packing
The move to a new home and the stress involved have long
Moving costs are often determined by weight and volume. Many people pay for empty space in their moving truck because they keep things with no real value for years until there simply is no more time. Why not let someone else reap the benefits of your gently used items?
Most professional movers have noticed a phenomenon whereby most families moving tend to fill far too much space into a box and consequently end up shipping 30-40% over what they actually require in their new home. The immediate costs are those of a larger truck that requires more fuel to move more volume which in itself takes more time to load and unload and therefore incurring greater labour charges. The unfolding drama of unpacking, so long and arduous that most people can’t even look forward to the event with excitement but rather dread it, can be avoided entirely.
Storage units offer a different path entirely.
Renovation projects and the space squeeze
Whether it’s somewhere to store paint and rollers before you get to pin up the wallpaper, or a place to stash all your shoes and boots whilst you’re knocking down the skirting board to reveal your original flooring, every home renovation project seems to present its own storage headache. But for many, the biggest storage conundrum of all is the kitchen renovation, where all your appliances and dishes need to be kept safe whilst your new kitchen is being installed – usually late into the night.
Don’t be tempted to overcrowd your unused spaces with all of your goods; instead have your things professionally organised and stored. While moving home is stressful enough, let us alleviate another pressure point by professionally packing your items whilst your home is under renovation and then carefully storing them in a secure, climate controlled storage facility nearby.
By storing your contents on a short-term basis, you can gradually refurbish your home in stages. This means whilst you are refurbishing one room, the rest of the house can be in full use until you come to refurbish it. This can greatly reduce the overall period required to complete the whole project.
Downsizing without the emotional trauma
Deciding to downsize is difficult. Deciding what to keep when all of your items tell the story of your life is even harder. Many of your belongings serve as memories that you don’t want to part with. That dining room table where your children completed their homework every night for the past 12 years. That bookshelf with all of the novels you have promised yourself you would read someday. That treadmill, exercise bike, or set of free weights you thought would get you that beach body four years ago.
The usual advice for organizing is to make a fast decision and move on. But your items are personally important to you, and you are going through the process of grief and change. I don’t recommend that you be rushed into decisions during a major life transition. Decisions made during retirement, or the empty nesting of children, tend to be those that are later regretted.
Storage solutions will allow you to strip back the items you have and only bring the essential items to your new smaller home. The rest can be stored and brought over at your own pace.
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Flexible storage solutions for every transition timeline
No longer do storage solutions have to fit in a “box” that doesn’t suit. Whether you need storage hire for a few short months for that fast approaching sale or for a month to month storage solution as your needs change. Storage units Bunbury can provide storage for as little time or as long as you require. Whether you require a few months to complete the finishing touches on a kitchen renovation or a year or so to decide what to do with all the treasures you never knew you had in your old home following your big move. Storage Bunbury can provide the space you require.
Cambridge Storage recommends that items containing liquid, electrical components, photographic materials and wood products be stored in a climate controlled environment. Security is not an afterthought for Cambridge Storage; it is a top priority for the storage of your personal property during your transition period.
This need not be a consideration after a few months. In most cases people find that they don’t really miss most of the items they possess. This is one of the advantages of making decisions about what to keep or throw away while decluttering, because you can base your decisions on what actually happens, rather than considering what might happen months later.
Reclaiming garage space
When the average Australian homeowner needs to find space to stash everything from surfing gear to antique furniture, the garage has become the natural destination. Often the car sits idle in the driveway while boxes, old toys and worn-out shoes clutter the garage, until the day of ultimate garage clear-out.
It can be tempting to cram family treasures and favourite childhood items into boxes before the move, then unpack them straight away to decide what to do with them all. Instead, let the items go straight to storage and take your time to decide if they have a place in your new home. As you unpack the boxes and revisit the contents of those now-wrinkled moving folders, you may well find items you had forgotten about that can be sold to help offset the cost of storage.
Making storage work for your situation
Storage is most useful when it’s utilized on a short-term basis for a specific purpose. Rather than putting off decision time indefinitely and therefore risking less-than-ideal decisions, you want to have enough time to make smart, thoughtful choices. Give yourself a time frame in which to decide whether or not you need an item, then allow sufficient time to go through storage and work to sort and select the things that really add to your life.
Storage can turn what could be a chaotic process into a civilized one step process. Storage facilities can assist in the packing and labeling of boxes and objects so that the process is as efficient as possible for the individual. This can make it easier to manage and complete a move, renovation or downsizing. By storing some of your belongings, you can give family members time to decide what family items to keep and what to store or discard. This can save you stress and allow you to focus on treasuring the family mementos that are truly important.
