What size storage unit do you need for your large family? A family of four, five, or more may have different square footage needs compared to a single person who is storing their stuff solo. If you're not sure which size of unit is the ideal option for your bigger brood, take a look at a few questions to ask right now.
What Size Storage Units Are Available?
Before you start the decision-making process, you need to know more about your options. A smaller self-storage unit is typically around 10-by-10 feet. The sizes of individual units go up from there. But this doesn't mean that every storage facility will offer every possible size — or have every one of their options available.
Even though your storage facility of choice may have a menu of sizes, some of (or many of) the units may be unavailable. To better understand your options, you will need to know more than just the sizes of units the facility rents. You will also need to ask the rental manager or a knowledgeable staff member which unit sizes are currently unoccupied.
How Many People Are in Your Large Family?
Everyone doesn't have the same definition of a large family. You may feel that your family of five is large, while someone else may not. Whether you believe your family is medium, large, or extra-large, you need enough space to accommodate each person's belongings.
Instead of quantifying your family with a size word (such as medium or large), count each person who will have items in storage. This could also include extended family members who don't live with you or college-aged children who only live at home during the summer.
Some family members may have nothing to store. If a family member won't add to the overall haul, don't count them in the family total.
How Much Will Each Person Store?
Now that you know how many people in your family will store items in the rental unit, you need to take the next step and figure out how much each person will actually add. Even though you may have seven people in your family, each person won't necessarily add the same number of items to the unit.
Beyond the specific number of belongings, each person may have items of different sizes. Your young adult child who lives in an off-campus college apartment for nine months out of the year may only want to store a few pieces of furniture. While their total item number is low, the actual pieces are large and will take up a significant portion of your storage unit. Instead of going by number alone, factor in the size (and shape) of what each family member wants to store.
How Will You Organize the Unit?
You could line everything up on the floor, but this strategy won't save you space. Vertical storage, such as shelving units or stacking bins, allows you to choose a smaller rental unit. If you plan to use this type of organizational strategy, think about how many items you can reasonably stack and how much square footage the base of each tower will require.
Even though vertical storage is a space-saving idea, it won't always work for every family member's items. You could stack several bins or boxes filled with your child's stuffed animals on top of each other. But if you take the same approach with fragile artwork or your collection of glass vases, your items could break. Never stack fragile or breakable items or place a heavier box on top of a lighter one.
Are you ready to rent a storage unit? Contact Tysons Self Storage for more information.
