4 Ways To Store Items During A Home Renovation

As a homeowner, you might think of renovating your home from time to time. Renovating helps add value to your home. In addition, it allows you to change its stylish look and space, especially if you add such factors as different lighting design and paint job.

Even though renovation might be exciting, it can bring a storage dilemma. Your belongings can get damaged during the renovation process. Additionally, they can be obstacles during renovation and cause trips and falls. Thus, it’s crucial to have them out of the way.

There are various options you can use to store your belongings as the renovation goes on. It can be the best option if you have a storage structure within your compound. However, if the space is limited, you can move your items to a temporary storage facility or a friend’s home. Moving household items can require you to get the services of moving companies as it may require a large moving vehicle and labor.

You can read below to find out more about the options you can use to store your items as your home undergoes renovation.

1. Hire A Portable Storage Container
2. If you’re doing an extensive remodeling of your home, you might want all the rooms in your home to be clear of all items. Thus, every item in the house would need to be taken off the premises. On the other hand, you might need to access or use most of these items. This means you need to store them at a location you can access easily.
3. If you have enough space within your compound, a portable container provides you with one of the best options. Hiring a portable container means you have your items out of the way. However, they’re also nearby to access them whenever you need to. You can contact your local moving company that offers a portable container storage option.
4. Portable containers are lockable, but the rental may not come with a security lock. Thus, you may have to purchase one if you don’t have one at hand. It’s essential that while arranging the container, you can place the items you need the least at the back and far from the door. Additionally, it’d be best to have a path that allows movement from the entrance to the back of the container. Such an arrangement allows you more access and can reduce your time when trying to access an item in storage.
5. Portable rental containers come in different sizes too. Therefore, you might want to understand the approximate size you need for your items. Some rental companies may have a calculation guide on their websites. This would help you not to under or overestimate the space you need for storage. Generally, you can find small, medium, and large-size containers. The size you need can depend on the volume of your items or their size. For instance, if you have several large couches, getting a large container may be the better option to avoid chances of damage when moving them in and out of the container.
6. As part of the rental, the company would deliver the container to your home and collect it when your renovation work is done. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about transporting the container before and after use. It’s essential to get the correct estimate for the period you need the rental container as it might attract extra daily charges if you extend beyond the agreed-upon date. Thus, you need to have the correct end-of-renovation date.
7. In some cases, you might live in a neighborhood and don’t have a big backyard or compound for the container. Thus, you might need to check with the residents’ association on the rules of having it on your driveway.

2. Designate One Room Or Use Your Garage For Storage
3. Sometimes, you may not be renovating the whole house. You might even do partial renovations room by room. Thus, some rooms may not need to be accessed by the remodeling team.
4. You can choose one of the rooms to stash away your belongings and avoid the dust, painting, and movements of the renovation areas. If you have more than one spare room, it can help you store more belongings without looking for other options. For instance, if you have a guest bedroom and a basement, they can come in handy as a storage solution. Additionally, other areas like a cellar or garage can give you more space.
5. While choosing which items to place in what room, it’s vital to take note of accessibility, fragility, and weight. For instance, taking items to the basement means going down a staircase. If you carry heavy items, you risk damaging these items or the walls. Alternatively, if you have a cupboard with fragile utensils, you might want to keep them in the nearest where it involves minimal movement.
6. In addition, if there are items you need now and then, it’d be best to store them with accessibility in mind. You wouldn’t want to be making numerous trips down to the basement every time you need to take out something from the drawer.

3. Enlist The Help Of A Friend Or Family Member
4. Sometimes, you may need a cheaper option to store your valuable belongings. Additionally, the spare room or garage might not be enough to accommodate all of them. You can call up one of your friends or family members to store your items at their place. You can check with your friend or family for someone with a spare room or garage to help you as a storage space.
5. It’s vital to remember that using their home as storage might be inconvenient, even if it’s a spare room. Therefore, it’d be best to find out if it’s okay and give an estimated time your home renovation would take. This ensures that you’re both on the same page regarding how long your items will be in their place. Additionally, the time estimate allows them to give you a convenient time to bring in and pick up your belongings.
6. While it’s a cheaper option than a portable container or self-storage facility, you’d still need to hire a moving company to transport the items from and to your home.

4. Use A Temporary Storage Facility
5. There are instances when you might not require to use the items you choose to store away during renovation. Additionally, you may live in a neighborhood that doesn’t allow you to have a portable storage container. In such scenarios, you can get a self-storage unit. You can search within your location for the available options. The search also allows you to compare prices and other provisions.
6. While checking out storage facilities near you, you should also find factors such as the sizes of the storage units and if the units get affected by moisture. A moisture-prone storage unit can damage your items, especially since renovation takes time and you might store the items for a long time. Additionally, it’d be best to ensure that the storage unit isn’t prone to rodent infestation.
7. The storage units are off your home location. Therefore, you’d need to hire a moving company. This would help with the transport and labor to move to and from the storage unit. As with portable containers, you should know the space estimate you require for your items. You can use a visual space estimator to help you get the correct size.
8. In addition, ensure you check the contractual terms for the storage units. This is crucial as some units may have a lock-in period of six months. If your renovation schedule is two to three months, you might pay for an extra period you won’t require the unit’s use. Overall, a self-storage unit helps you get your items away from the dust and paint of renovation work. It also ensures your valuables are secure from strangers.
9. It’s important to note that some self-storage facilities may charge you for access to the storage unit within the period. Thus, it’d be best to store items you won’t need to access frequently during renovation. Also, due to the security of the storage units, you can be sure of getting your items in the same condition you left them.

Things To Do To Prepare Your Items For Storage During Renovation

While you can adequately plan the renovation process, there are other things you need to plan that don’t directly relate to renovation. Storage of your items is one of the things you need to prepare for. During this planning, you need to look at your storage options and determine which one can work best for you.

Additionally, prepare an inventory list of the items you need to store and separate the ones you might want to discard after renovation. The inventory list would help you determine what you might need to access frequently. The list can also help you settle on a more appropriate storage option regarding space requirements and bulkiness.

Apart from the inventory list, ensure you get packaging materials in advance. The materials don’t need to be expensive, but they should be enough to cover your items from dust and keep the fragile ones from breaking. Additionally, they should be easy to label. While gathering the packaging materials, you should also ensure you get duct tape.

Conclusion

Renovating your home comes with the hard decision of where to store your household items. The above options can help you narrow down and settle on a suitable storage option. Factors such as accessibility, cost, and convenience can affect your choice. However, they provide safe and secure solutions to store your items during your home renovation.