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Old 12-18-2019, 05:09 PM   #1
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Long-term storage for our "dirt" stuff?

It's starting to look like selling the house and taking off for a year or so of extended cruising will become a reality next spring.

The plan is to eventually buy another place, probably somewhere warm. I already started another thread about one location we're looking at. But right now we're in no hurry to do that. We can stay on the boat and explore a bit. Maybe we'll find an even better place along the way.

The problem is, we have "stuff" we just can't get rid of. I know it makes no sense, but we're going to need something more than a 10x10 storage unit for 1-2 years.

I'm wondering what others have done.
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Old 12-18-2019, 05:16 PM   #2
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Are there larger storage units available? Or would it make sense to keep the house and either mothball it or have someone keep it up for you and then sell the house when you're ready for the new house?
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Old 12-18-2019, 05:29 PM   #3
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We sucked it up and got rid of everything.........Everything.

Very liberating and don't regret it for a minute.
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Old 12-18-2019, 06:09 PM   #4
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Perhaps purchase a shipping container and parking it somewhere. I know someone who has one sitting on a friends vacant plot of land near his house. used shipping containers are fairly cheap.
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Old 12-18-2019, 06:34 PM   #5
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Greetings,
Mr bh. I understand where you're coming from but Mr. CT is planning on moving back to the dirt in 1-2 years. I'm not suggesting Mr. CT is some sort of hoarder but IF I were to sell the house and store items there are simply things that are irreplaceable and would not fit in a 10X10 storage unit. Grandad's wrastlin' trophies for instance...


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Old 12-18-2019, 06:37 PM   #6
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Isn't that what kids are for?
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Old 12-18-2019, 06:40 PM   #7
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Greetings,
Mr bh. I understand where you're coming from but Mr. CT is planning on moving back to the dirt in 1-2 years.
Ah. Missed that, Mr. RTF - thanks.
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Old 12-18-2019, 06:47 PM   #8
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We got rid of everything via an estate sale except heirlooms, antiques and some irreplaceable artwork and mementos. From a chock-full 5000 sq ft house to a small maybe 20 foot container. Due to the nature of the contents and being in Dallas, we used climate controlled storage. $325 a month almost 4 grand a year. What we planned as a 2 year adventure turned into over 6. Do we miss a bunch of what we sold? Yes. But the cost of storage racks up high. So when we finally moved back to land, we replaced most of what we sold with the money saved. We had learned that we didn't need a big house anymore to be very comfortable. When in doubt, throw it out.
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Old 12-18-2019, 06:58 PM   #9
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If I were to do that, temperature and humidity control would be of high importance. If I might suggest an ad on craigslist. My nephew found an above the garage, very small apartment for a couple of years near Boston for next to nothing. You never know what's out there that can be had inexpensively.

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Old 12-18-2019, 07:15 PM   #10
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I stored "valuable" stuff for years, at just a few $100 / month. Finally realized all I did was stir it up looking for something small. Finally sold some of the valuable stuff for pennies on the dollar. Gave some to charity and put some in the dump. Thousand$ in furniture stored for thousand$ and sold for a few hundred.



If you're serious about the liveaboard cruising lifestyle just let it go. Now.
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Old 12-18-2019, 07:21 PM   #11
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Greetings,
Mr. PB. The OP wants to move back to dirt in 1-2 years.


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Old 12-18-2019, 07:27 PM   #12
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We don't live on a boat, but we have moved from our house of 25 years into a rental house. We also have been renting a 10'x20' climate controlled storage unit for more than a year. We pay about $220 a month, including insurance. I have autopay for the rent, and they send me a receipt every month. No worries!


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Old 12-18-2019, 07:52 PM   #13
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Thoughtful answers, thanks!

Yes, the ideal would be to toss it all, or better still, sell it. We talk about doing that, but there are too many things with emotional attachments, and I know that list will grow.

We're not going to get any younger or healthier. We assume we'll be back on solid land some day. We figure we might as well set up our "home base" sooner rather than later, if for no other reason than as a place to keep our "stuff." We're hoping for some place with a dock, or at least near where we can keep the boat.

Leaving the house unoccupied is not an option here. Too many things can go wrong in winter, and adding the expense of a property management contract on top of all the other routine home expenses would leave nothing for the cruising kitty.

I've found a web site that lets you search for storage units. I also found "U-Pack," which is a moving company that drops off a pod or trailer for you to pack and moves it to your destination, where you unpack it. They can also store it in transit for a monthly fee, which seems to be on par with or a bit higher than most storage units.
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Old 12-18-2019, 08:15 PM   #14
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We didn't plan on moving back to Dallas, and for that matter didn't really know where we move to. So having it crated up (Ann tells me it was more like 15 ft) eventually made it much easier and more economical to move than storing loose somewhere. We just called the storage company in Dallas and had them van it to NC.
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Old 12-18-2019, 08:16 PM   #15
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Quote:
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Greetings,
Mr. PB. The OP wants to move back to dirt in 1-2 years.



Yeah, you're right. I get that all the time at home. In my defense I'm a couple of beers into the evening and my inability to focus has been duly sharpened.
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Old 12-18-2019, 08:20 PM   #16
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Leaving the house unoccupied is not an option here. Too many things can go wrong in winter, and adding the expense of a property management contract on top of all the other routine home expenses would leave nothing for the cruising kitty.

I was thinking winterize the house like a cabin in the woods (water system drained, etc.), rather than needing to worry about pipes freezing unattended and such. It might still be worth comparing the house maintenance costs vs storage costs for a house full of stuff, provided money from the sale of the house isn't needed to finance the trip.
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Old 12-19-2019, 01:22 PM   #17
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We sucked it up and got rid of everything.........Everything.

Very liberating and don't regret it for a minute.
We are nearly done.
Best storage device ever



Going at our snail pace should have it all done and dusted and tenants paying money by May.
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Old 12-19-2019, 01:33 PM   #18
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I would think that in Southern Maine you could get a decent long term lease / rent with decent tenants to go with it? Nice to have something to go back to if things don’t go as planned.
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Old 01-03-2020, 02:39 PM   #19
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We moved our stored “stuff” three time, finally opened the roach eaten boxes an looked at each other laughing, why did we keep this junk!
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Old 01-03-2020, 04:08 PM   #20
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The planning continues. We're still favoring the option to sell the house. As much as we talk about getting rid of everything, I'm pretty sure we're going to need storage.

Renting the house is not an option. I know some landlords. I know some tenants. I know how much maintenance this house takes, and how easy it would be to inflict irreparable damage. These are not the kind of headaches I want.

I'm finding that storage units aren't as expensive as I thought. I think I can get a 10x20 that would fit into the budget. Even without a mortgage, there are ongoing housing costs I won't have anymore. Some of those savings will go toward boat maintenance and fuel, but there should be enough left over to cover storage.

I'm still weighing the pros and cons of self-storage. Advantage: being able to access it. Disadvantage: having to load and unload at least twice. Advantage: can pack and move it at my own pace the first time, making the final load-out and move easier.

Decisions, decisions!
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