What Life Has in Storage: Self Storage Prices & What You Will Need

Self storage is more popular than ever. Moving, long-term renovations, downsizing, and divorce are just some of the reasons why. And while self storage is at an all time high, self storage prices are very low.

The interior designer Tom Dixon once said that we Westerners had hit “peak stuff”. Specifically, he said “for a long time, we’ve had far too much stuff”. Now Tom Dixon made a name for himself as a minimalist, so of course he thinks we have too much stuff. But maybe he also has a point.

And with anything, it can be a bit tricky to know where to start; especially if you’re thinking about using self storage solutions for the first time.

Common questions include:

How much does self storage cost?

Is there a limit on how long I can keep my items there?

How much space do I need for my belongings?

When will I be able to access my stuff?

 

Three of these questions can be answered quite quickly. Self storage prices are very cheap, costing as little as £5 a week. Most of them are open almost all day, every day, and there is no limit on how long you can keep your items in storage.

With that out of the way, let’s get down to the more long-form question: How much space do I need for my belongings?

It all depends on your circumstances.  At Adams Self Store, we can cater for all your storage needs, no matter what you require.

So, what are your circumstances? We’ve put together a little Q&A that we believe will answer any questions that you have. Feel free to skip to the parts relevant to you.

Are you a student?

Almost every major town or city in the UK has a university or university buildings in it. Students often move away from home to study and many even ‘adopt’ the new city; choosing to stay for life. This process may involve the need for self storage two or three times, including:

Relocating from the family home to student apartments.

Moving from apartments to student housing.

A \’limbo\’ period between the end of university and finding permanent residence.

Because students tend to carry light, most of them don’t need a whole lot of space. So if you are a student, or if you are thinking about a friend of child who is a student, they’ll probably do just fine with many of our smaller spaces. These include:

Individual, interior storage lockers. Our absolute smallest storage spaces are lockers. Lockers are useful for just storing a few bits out of the way, for the time being.

Student luggage ‘telephone boxes’. For more than just a few bits, our telephone boxes are a bit bigger than the ones you see on the street – at 10 square feet. In fact, you can store up to 20 boxes in them. We’d like to see you try that at a payphone!

Student luggage ‘walk-in wardrobes’. Student loans on occasion tend to vanish, and are replaced by definitely too many clothes. Despite the name though, that’s not the only reason why our walk-in wardrobes are popular. At 16 square feet, they can easily accommodate up to 25 boxes – perfect for those who pack a bit heavier.

And finally: the ‘small garden shed’ of student luggage. By the third year, most students will have an idea whether they want to stay in their adopted city for good or not. Students with this mindset tend to take more stuff up with them at every home visit; especially if the move is permanent. Whatever the reason, our 25 square feet \’garden sheds\’ will likely be the answer to your storage solutions. Storage spaces of this size can hold approximately 35 boxes.

Are you a young, independent adult?

All that hard work at university has finally paid off. After a few months working a little job, with a bit of interning on the side, things are looking up. You\’ve finally grabbed hold of that first rung on the career ladder. Maybe you’ve met someone and settled down. Either way, it’s time to move. Onwards and upwards, to bigger things. What storage size do you need?

The chances are you have a bit more stuff than the university-dorm days but still not an enormous amount. If you’ve been living alone or flat sharing, you probably still only need about a garden shed-sized space for everything. This brings us to:

The ‘small garden shed’ of student luggage. A storage room about this size is good for approximately 35 boxes. It\’s generally a good size for young adults and those living the semi-nomad lifestyle. For most young adults finding their feet, spending power isn\’t exactly something to brag about. The chances are you haven\’t added a whole lot of stuff to your list of personal belongings. So, even if university life ended six months ago, the amount of \”stuff\” is unlikely to have budged a whole lot.

The ‘garden shed’. A storage room the size of a typical garden shed is about 35 square feet. This is more than ideal to store all the property of a studio flat. A storage room this size is the perfect fit for that little work desk, bed, and armchair (among other things).

The ‘half single garage’. A storage room this size – approximately 50 square feet – can comfortably fit all the belongings of a 1 bedroom flat. This provides plenty of room for private washing machines and dryers and everything else that a studio might not have had. A young adult with her own personal bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. Things aren\’t looking too bad already, are they?

Are you a couple, still in the city?

Life is flourishing as a young, independent adult in the city. You may have finally met the one, and settled down together in a small, cosy apartment. Making ends meet isn\’t easy, but together, it’s do-able. (And you have the lowest self storage prices in town.) The four walls you\’ve matured in are full of warm, unforgettable memories. If there\’s a second bedroom in the apartment, it\’s filled with all of the stuff that, together, you\’ve accrued over the years. All with each increasing wage slip. Maybe it\’s been two or three years since graduation or since your career really kicked off. Either way, all that hard work is paying dividends. Now it\’s time to move — maybe even to think about buying — a bigger place. Maybe you\’re even thinking about becoming a parent, or getting a pet. Either way, it\’s definitely time to move on. In this scenario, you will need:

The‘half single garage’.A storage room this size – approximately 50 square feet – can comfortably fit all the belongings of a 1 bedroom flat. This provides plenty of room for private washing machines and dryers and everything else that a studio might not have had. Don’t worry; there will be plenty of room for all of her belongings and his.

The ‘transit van’.Some apartments are larger than others, irrespective of the number of bedrooms. If your 1 bedroom apartment is a bit bigger than the average, then our \’transit van\’ sized storage solutions should be the best option. So if you and the one have a California king-sized bed, an L-shaped sofa in the living room, and plus a whole bunch of other stuff, the transit van is for you. Transit van-sized storage rooms are approximately 65 square feet in size.

The ‘Luton van’. A storage room of this size (approx. 80 square feet) can easily put away the items of a 2 bedroom flat — even if that second bedroom is basically a junk depository. If you have a 2 bedroom apartment; one that\’s probably fuller than you\’d like to admit, don\’t worry. It won\’t be out of place here. In fact, everything will be neatly in place. That includes all those drinking board games from university, photo books, and impulse-buy musical instruments.

Are you a family looking to move?

It\’s getting better all the time. Not long after swapping the hustle of the city for the calmer suburbs, the first child is born. This new home has already cemented memories for life. Including where the child took his/her first steps. Life at home in many ways has calmed down, in a good way. Less money is spent on drinking, and more on gardening and decoration.

Then the second child arrived and perhaps you’re thinking about a third. Maybe you need more space for an extra bedroom, study, or at-home office. Money is no longer as much of an obstacle as it once was. You’re either looking to move to a bigger home, or planning a major renovation. You will need:

The ‘single garage’. A storage room this size is about 100 square feet. That\’s plenty for a house that\’s 2 or maybe 2 bedrooms in size. In other words, it\’s perfect to accommodate a small, young family find their feet. A room this size will take care of that old crib (put to one side for later), all those gardening tools and children\’s toys, and everything else.

The ‘one-and-a-quarter garage’. The average household in the UK holds 2.4 people. Well, a storage room of this size is enough to accommodate a 3 bedroom house — easily. That\’s space enough for all the belongings of a couple and two children, and everything in-between. So if you\’re a typical homeowner looking to jiggle things around a bit, there\’s more than a good chance this is the storage room for you. The one-and-a-quarter garage size is 125 square feet in size.

The one-and-a-half garage (or ‘7.5 tonne lorry’). This storage room gets its unimaginative name(s) from its size. At 150 square feet, it can comfortably store everything inside a big 3 bedroom house, or everything loaded into the back of a 7.5 tonne lorry. If there\’s the fear your home has already hit \”peak stuff\” like Tom Dixon reckoned, don\’t worry. 150 square feet will be able to put those fears away (with a little room to spare).

Are you moving into your dream house?

You’ve made it. The kids are all right (and grown up), and you’ve all the possessions and the quality of life that you ever dreamed of. Now it’s time to move to your dream house, a content place to live out the rest of your life. A place where the grandchildren will love to visit on weekends. Maybe it’s in the countryside, or in a hamlet with a scenic drive on to the motorway, back to the city.   You’d cycle to work if it wasn’t impractical. There’s a lake nearby, so you bought a boat. Why not? It\’s a lovely way to spend the summer, out on the lake.

Or maybe all the compounded years of knowledge and expertise at work has given you free-reign. Now you\’re your own boss. Decades in the industry has granted all the know-how, the namesake, and the independence to establish a business. Self-employment, with all the flexibility to mind the grandchildren – things are all right! In that case, you need:

The ‘double garage’.This storage space, around the size of a double garage, is approximately 200 square feet. Enough to store a 4 bedroom house. That\’s one for all the kids — although the eldest has already packed his boxes and gone to university (for more on that see our student storage). Well, in that case, there\’s room for the private gym equipment, the American-style refrigerator, and the bookshelves from the study as well.

The ‘studio flat’. Now we\’re getting really big. Big storage, even bigger dreams. The studio flat is, um… the size of a studio flat, approximately. That\’s big enough to accommodate the load of a 20 foot storage container, and is about 250 square feet in size. There\’s incidentally enough room to store a massive house crammed with stuff, and even a place to put the boat away during the winter months. And, when the interior designer comes to give the place a makeover, the space is there to make room for the renovation.

The ‘school bus interior’.At 350 square feet, this storage solution is our second-biggest option. Big enough to fit a 5 or even 6 bedroom house. Big enough to live in itself.

The home-away-from home. This mammoth-sized storage solution can quite literally be a home away from home. (Or should we say \’home\’ sized, seeing as — at 500 square feet — it\’s about the size of the floor plan of a house?) You can store anything away here: boxes, motorcycles, boats; hopes and dreams; even character and personality. Not to mention all the IT equipment that makes up your private business. You\’ll need somewhere to put it as you expand your horizons.

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You might never know what life has in store, but you’ll know what you can store with us — for the lowest self storage prices in town.

Did you find what you were looking for? Have we answered your questions? If not, we want you to Contact Us. It’s not a question of if we can help you, but how. If you are still unsure of the storage solution it is that you need, just get in touch and we’ll find the right one for you (and provide a free quote at that).

We have storage centres in easily accessible parts of Liverpool, Birkenhead, and Bolton. If you’re in the area, stop on by. Remember, we have the lowest self storage prices in town.