One of the most common questions people have when they are assessing their self-storage needs is, “how large of a storage unit do I need?” The answer to this question will vary for each individual based on what items they need to store and what they are using their storage unit for. Do you need it for personal storage or for work-related storage? Knowing this will help you determine exactly what you’ll need to seek out. With that being said, there are some simple tips that we can share that will help you easily determine which storage unit is right for you.
Make a List of Items You Are Storing
The first place you’ll want to start is with the items you plan on storing. What we recommend is making a list of everything that is going to be put in your storage unit.
An inventory of items in your storage unit will serve two purposes:
- It will give you a better sense of the number of items you need to store.
- This list can be referred to in the future if you are ever wondering whether something has been placed in your storage unit.
When you are creating a list of items you plan on storing, think about whether those items will be placed into a box or whether they will be stored on their own. If they are stored on their own, take a moment to write down their measurements. If they are going to be stored in a box, try to keep a general count of how many boxes or storage containers you think it will take to store all of your items.
If possible, it is helpful to place all of the items you intend to put into storage into the same room. This will make it easier to accurately assess your storage needs, while also streamlining the moving process by staging the items you are going to store in one place.
Consider Your Needs
Take a moment to consider what you need from your storage unit. Whether you are using your storage unit for a short period to hold personal items or furniture during a room renovation or planning on long-term occupancy of a storage unit to hold extra inventory for your business, the intended purpose of your unit can help clarify what size unit you need.
For short-term storage needs, such as remodeling a house or room, choosing a self-storage unit that is appropriately sized for your belongings should be sufficient. For longer storage needs, such as using your storage unit to hold extra inventory for your business, choosing a storage unit that is slightly larger than your current needs can accommodate future growth.
Refer to the Size Guide
The best resource for answering the question, “how big of a storage unit do I need?” is our storage size guide. This tool is best utilized once you have already created an inventory of the items you plan on placing in storage and their relative sizes, as this information will help you hone in on the correct storage unit for your needs.
Price Self Storage offers two different small storage units, one medium storage unit, and three different sized large storage units. Here are the sizes of these units in feet and what they can approximately hold:
- Small 5×5 – This self-storage unit can hold enough stuff for one large closet. This size unit might be ideal for storing seasonal items and decorations, small furniture, unused sporting equipment, file cabinets, or office supplies.
- Small 5×10 – The 5×10 storage unit is appropriate for the contents of 1 room. If you are remodeling a room in your house, it would be a good idea to compare the contents of your room to what this unit can accommodate. You can use this size unit to store a bed, dresser, boxes, and a television. This unit might be ideal for storing items from a whole-house declutter, as it can hold small and medium to large size items that you may not want in the house but don’t want to give away.
- Medium 10×10 – This unit can hold the contents of two bedrooms or two offices. You can fit boxes, beds, a couch, a large TV, a dining room set, or some patio furniture. If you are remodeling multiple rooms in your house, or you are relocating from a 2 bedroom apartment or house, the 10×10 storage unit would be a good place to start to determine if it offers sufficient storage space.
- Large 10×15 – The 10×15 is the smallest “large” unit available, and has sufficient space to store the contents from 3 rooms. This unit is large enough to store the contents of a 3 bedroom apartment/house or the contents of 3 offices. This size unit can hold quite a bit, but if you are looking for storage for a vehicle in addition to furniture you’ll want to size up for more space.
- Large 10×20 – The 10×20 unit is large enough to hold the contents of 4 rooms. This sized unit is useful if you are renovating your house or transitioning to a new home. While capable of holding large appliances and multiple bedroom sets, the 10×20 unit can also accommodate a vehicle.
- Large 10×30 – This is the largest unit available at Price Self Storage. It is capable of accommodating the contents of a 4 or 5 bedroom house along with kitchen appliances and furniture. If you need to temporarily store the contents of your entire house, this could be the right unit for you. This unit is also appropriate for the storage of a large vehicle or boat.
Final Thoughts
If you have been wondering, “how large storage unit do I need?”, this guide should help you get started. Before you start packing a storage unit, you’ll want to start by taking an inventory of the items you are placing in storage, along with their measurements. Take note of what items will be stored in storage containers or boxes, what the size of those boxes are, and approximately how many boxes you will have. If possible, place all of the items you intend to store in the same room so that you can visualize how much storage space you will need.
Once you have a good idea of what you will be placing into your unit, consider whether your storage unit needs will expand during the time you have the unit. If so, you’ll want to choose a slightly larger unit than you need right now.
The last step is to take a look at the storage units available at our storage facilities. Storage units at Price Self Storage range from small to large, with variations in between. For Storage Made SimpleⓇ, we have the helpful storage size guide which can be an invaluable resource for determining the right storage unit for your needs. These storage tips should make your life a lot easier but if you still have questions about what size unit you need, please contact Price Self Storage so that our Concierge Service can help guide you to the unit that is right for you.
Sources
- https://www.move.org/what-size-storage-unit/
- https://www.priceselfstorage.com/blog/how-to-pack-a-self-storage-unit
- https://www.priceselfstorage.com/self-storage/size-guide/
- https://www.priceselfstorage.com/upload/pdf/PSSWhitePaper_092018.pdf
