Long-term storage for our "dirt" stuff?

[CaptTom]

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.

 

[rslifkin]

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?

 

[boathealer]

We sucked it up and got rid of everything.........Everything.

Very liberating and don't regret it for a minute.

 

[Lollygag1]

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.

 

[RT Firefly]

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...

 

[leeman]

Isn't that what kids are for?

 

[boathealer]

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.

 

[caltexflanc]

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.

 

[O C Diver]

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.

Ted

 

[Portage_Bay]

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.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. PB. The OP wants to move back to dirt in 1-2 years.

 

[JLD]

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!


Jim

 

[CaptTom]

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.

 

[caltexflanc]

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.

 

[Portage_Bay]

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.

 

[rslifkin]

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.

 

[Simi 60]

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.

 

[Cigatoo]

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.

 

[Tingum]

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!

 

[CaptTom]

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!

 

[BandB]

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!

Wifey B: You also have to consider whether you need climate controlled or not. Would be a shame to spend on storage and then find your most precious items damaged.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. CT. Yup. Tough choices and I fully appreciate those items that DO have sentimental value. Here's a somewhat morbid thought....What would you absolutely save if you had to vacate your house and had 1/2 hour's notice? Might help to set priorities.

 

[Bigal6030]

My motto “if in doubt throw it out”
It’s stuff, give it away, donate it, free yourself of it.

Or not ?

 

[meridian]

We’ve had a storage unit for 7 years, close to 10 grand to store a thousand dollars worth of junk.

 

[JLD]

As I mentioned earlier, you definitely will want climate controlled storage. The huge plus is humidity control, as nothing destroys stuff in storage faster than exposure in a hot, HUMID environment.

For our climate controlled storage, I have learned to pack a lot of stuff into totes when possible. Totes keep stuff dry if water gets into the unit (either a flood at the floor or possibly a leak from the overhead fire sprinklers). Totes also are easier to move and more mice-resistant than cardboard boxes.

My go-to tote is this HDX tote sold by Home Depot (although I have seen similar totes elsewhere at higher prices):

They are very heavy duty, stackable without the lid collapsing (you want to maximize storage height in your unit). I favor the 27 gallon size and they only cost about $8 each.

Jim

 

[Woodland Hills]

Ditto on the HDX totes. You also may want to build a platform to keep items elevated above any possible flood line or at least off of the concrete floor. Finally, if it is long term storage and you are selling the house and cutting ties with a particular area, consider finding a storage space convenient to your new life and not your old one.

 

[BandB]

As I mentioned earlier, you definitely will want climate controlled storage. The huge plus is humidity control, as nothing destroys stuff in storage faster than exposure in a hot, HUMID environment.

For our climate controlled storage, I have learned to pack a lot of stuff into totes when possible. Totes keep stuff dry if water gets into the unit (either a flood at the floor or possibly a leak from the overhead fire sprinklers). Totes also are easier to move and more mice-resistant than cardboard boxes.

My go-to tote is this HDX tote sold by Home Depot (although I have seen similar totes elsewhere at higher prices):

They are very heavy duty, stackable without the lid collapsing (you want to maximize storage height in your unit). I favor the 27 gallon size and they only cost about $8 each.

Jim

Wifey B: We use a similar stackable tote for personal and for business. Sold by Lowe's and Home Depot and Ace Hardware. We like those with transparent sides so you can see what's in one from the side. Also with the top that folds open so you don't have to remove it to get into it.

OMG, need many more totes as the crazy girls added more Christmas decorations this year.

 

[localboy]

...nothing destroys stuff in storage faster than exposure in a hot, HUMID environment.

Or a cold, wet environment like the PNW.

 

[Shrew]

I kept a storage unit for about 3-4 years. I just blindly paid the monthly bill and felt secure in the knowledge my stuff was there. One day I had to head over to the storage unit to look for something. As I started going through boxes I decided to load some junk into the truck and hit the dump on the ride home.

By the time I was done, only about 20% of the storage unit was filled. I dumped the junk, unloaded the unit and cancelled the storage unit.

When I told my wife, her reply was ("We paid 36 months x $95.00 = $3,420") to store that junk rather than just taking it to the dump?? The dump would have stored it for free!!!!"

Is that couch really going to fit in the Florida condo??

 

[Marlinmike]

A lot of good advise, we are in the process of clearing out out home of 34 years to a more modest condo, really requires a few rounds to get the "stuff" down, I actually sold a bunch and I would post other stuff for free on Craigslist as curb alert, every-time someone came by, nice not sending stuff to the landfill. Things we decided we needed ended up going out after re-review a year later, amazing what you realize you don't use, but have to keep. Start the process of clearing out early and often, even one closet can consume a lot of time, but before you know it you get it down.
Know a few people that retired, bought a house near the kids and had movers come in and load tractor trailers full, they all said we don't know why we did that. In most cases I think its just easier to say keep then get rid of. GOOD LUCK!