If you need to move items out of your home and into storage—say you're remodeling rooms in your home and can't simply shove the furniture into a corner—storage units are an obvious option. However, if you have a storage shed in your backyard, it might occur to you to put things in there and save some money. That may not be the best idea, though. While a storage shed might seem OK, an actual storage unit can be a better choice. While you'd pay money, you'd also get extra protection for your belongings.
Pests
While storage facilities can have their pest problems, a facility can take care of pest control. A storage shed in your backyard is subject to any backyard pest that wants to crawl in under the door, and you have to take care of pest control yourself. You're better off going with a professional storage facility that can move your belongings to another unit if there's a real problem.
Environmental Conditions
Storage facilities are sometimes climate controlled. While your storage shed can be wired for air conditioning and heating, the offsite unit's price includes utility costs. Using the air conditioning and heating in your shed will increase your utility bills. The shed is also subject to wet ground and minor flooding in heavy rains. Storage facilities are graded so that rainwater flows away from the units.
Size
Offsite self-storage units are available in different sizes, so you can tailor the storage space to your needs. While your own storage shed is pretty much free, assuming you've paid for it fully and don't have costs lingering on a credit card, you can't change the size. You could rent another shed, but that would cost you more money. You may as well choose one offsite storage unit that will fit everything.
Security
Moving items to an offsite storage unit might sound much less secure than leaving the items in your own backyard. However, self-storage units are usually kept behind several layers of security, from locked gates around the facility to at least the heavy-duty door on an outside storage unit. Units on the ground floor that are accessible from the outside usually have metal doors; interior units can have wood doors, but those units are still inside locked buildings.
Your shed isn't nearly as secure—all you have protecting it is maybe a locked side gate that someone could get over with a ladder or a flimsy lock. And backyard storage sheds have other weak points such as windows. Unless you live in an area where no one ever passes by your home, using the locked storage unit offsite is safer.
Want more information about storage unit sizes and other perks? Contact a storage facility. Units open up all the time, but they also get reserved quickly, so do not wait if you've got to get your belongings into storage.
Share29 October 2015
When I realized that my things would be in storage for a few years, I realized that packing efficiently was going to be the key to my success. Instead of tossing everything into boxes and hoping for the best, I worked slowly and deliberately, carefully wrapping knick-knacks and family heirlooms. I didn't want anything to get crushed or damaged while it was in storage. I loaded my storage unit carefully, and made a map of where everything went. It might seem silly, but my careful preparations made a huge difference when I unloaded my unit later. Check out this website for tips on how to pack more efficiently.