Thursday, August 28, 2008

U-Pak-- and pack and pack

In preparation for staging, we had to dump most of our stuff into a portable, self-storage locker. Different companies provide this services (U-Pak is one). Done right, these can hold a tremendous amount of stuff: over 420 cubic feet of items-- the equivlant of a 1 bedroom suite. In packing your container here are some important tips:
  • Use regular sized boxes. It would be perfect if you could use nothing but the same sized boxes. If you cannot do that, you can aim for either two or three sizes that hook together. Or, aim to get a least 20 boxes of the same shape. The goal is to get enough boxes of the same shape to do one entire layer of boxes. Our favorite: paper boxes like those you find at print shops. They hold a handy weight, they are strong and they are usually free (or they should be).
  • Pack heavy on the bottom, light on the top. Books at the bottom; teddy bears on top. U-Paks will get moved and stored for a week to a month. It's important to remember that gravity is working all the time. If your stuff will survive a day before getting crushed, how will it fare after two months of weight?
  • Layering is okay (Shelves are your Friend, Episode I). When you have table tops and removable shelves, you can use these over top of a layer of boxes. They will distribute the load and prevent crushing. You can also use these vertically to prevent avalanches (what I have dubbed 'crudalanches') of stuff.
  • Fill the voids (Shelves are your Friend, Episode II). When you pack a layer of boxes, but in a layer of furniture. Then, pack items in another around the furniture. This is important for two reasons: 1) it uses the maximum amount of space; 2) if you don't fill the spaces, stuff could shift and end up in these holes but end on their sides or busted open; 3) if the furniture is heavier, it is less likely to move. When you move in a bookshelf, make a point of filling the shelves.
  • Clothes are good (so are cushions and blankets). When you pack clothing, try to pack them in sturdy garbage bags. Don't overstuff the bags, you want them to have about the area of a shirt and about 4"-8" thick. Use these soft flat bags to fill in the gaps. This will limit motion, settling and breakage.
  • Don't be afraid to repack. This is tetris. If you have a big gap of space, pull out several boxes and leave them near the door. Try to pack them again and do a better job. Don't go nuts, but be willing to back up and and re-try.
  • Go for a consistent height. My goal is always to pack to the ceiling. If you cannot get to the ceiling, make sure everything is consistently packed to about the same height.
  • Lock off the last layers. Save some large items (shelves, couches, etc.) When you get to the end of the U-Pak (the door), put in these large items so that they in the doorway and in the corner so that should you have a crudalanche the items will not spill out the door. In one of these, I was lucky: I had broken down some industrial shelves and had these sturdy 6'6"" bars available. I hooked them into a shelf at the door so that if anything travelled, it would hit the bars and the bars would hit the side of the doors.

Labels: ,

posted by Shawn DeWolfe @ 6:57 AM 0 comments

Monday, August 25, 2008

Solutions For Packing You Self Storage Unit

Moving home or undergoing a house renovation etc can come with its ups and downs as well as its thrills and frustrations but one way that you can make the whole process a lot easier is by enlisting the help of a self storage unit but if you are using the help of a self storage unit you need to make sure that you pack the self storage unit in the correct way.

In order to make sure that you have gathered all of the household items and personal belongings that you want to place into storage as well as making sure that all of these items are placed into the storage unit in the best way you need to be organised.

Whatever situation you are in that has meant you have needed to enlist the help of a self storage unit you should make a list of all the items that you are placing into storage so that you have a record of where all of your items are.

The one aspect that people always seem to have trouble with when it comes to getting their belongings into storage is packing. This is because it is guaranteed that you will probably need more boxes and packaging material than you originally think that you will so it is a good idea to always buy more packaging material and boxes than you actually need just to make sure that you have enough to cover all of the items that you want to place into storage. Also boxes come in all shapes and sizes so no matter what you want to store you can do; however it is not advised that you store precious items such as jewellery and financial or legal papers.

The purpose of packaging the items that you are placing into storage is primarily to protect and preserve them and secondly to improve the presentation of them. This protection is needed when your items are being transported to the self storage unit as you may encounter uneven road surfaces that cause the vehicle to jolt on the road, which could potentially damage your items if they aren't protected properly.

You will need packaging items such as boxes, bubble wraps, un-printed packaging paper and packaging tape. All of these items will help to cushion your items whilst you are getting them over to your self storage unit. As previously mentioned make sure that you buy more than you need of these as any unused supplies can be returned after you have got all of your items over to the unit.

When you are packing all of your belongings it is a good idea to fill your boxes completely and store heavy items in smaller boxes for easier lifting. If you are storing clothes you can get a special wardrobe shaped box in which you can hang your clothes.

As a general rule when you are placing your items in your self storage unit you should place heavy items at the rear of the unit and then work your way forwards and upwards with your lighter and more fragile items. Also the items that you need more access to should be placed near the front of the storage unit. You also need to take into account if you need walking space within your self storage unit, depending on whether you do you may have to leave room for a walk way.

Make sure that all of your items are safely and securely placed in your self storage unit and ensure that when it comes to removing your items you can do so with ease.

Helen is the web master of Keep Safe Self Storage, who are specialists in providing you with all of your Self Storage needs, including all of the Packaging Material you will need. Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Cox

Labels: , ,

posted by Shawn DeWolfe @ 7:48 AM 1 comments

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Adventures in Home Sales - Part 1: Staging

We are packrats. We love to get stuff. People love to give us stuff: so much so, that prior to my 40th birthday, I asked scrubbed my wish list and replaced it with "A House." I figured if I said, "Matches and gasoline" and something happeneded, I would be in serious trouble.
So, step 1 of the prep work is the stager. Staging: two things are staged. Crime scenes and house sales. So, you need to stage so that people see your place. Because so many places are staged you fall behind by honestly showing your home as it normally looks. It's like being the one Playboy bunny who doesn't have breast enhancements. You don't want to do that what bunny does: make up for it by being cheap.
Our realtor (great guy), sent in his stager. She gave us a long and painful assessment of our situation.
If you don't have money for a stager, here is a cheap and less annoying way to achieve the same:
  1. Book a night at a nice hotel. If you are in the thick of home selling, you will need the getaway.
  2. Bring a digital camera.
  3. Take LOTS of photos when you first come in-- even before you bring in your bags. Cupboards, bedroom, etc.
  4. Take the pictures home and go over them with a fine-tooth comb. You want to make your home look like the hotel.
    • Devoid of character.
    • Neutral colors.
    • Calm and uncluttered.
    • Ironically, you make your place looking liveable by making it look like no one lives in it. It's the burger concept: if someone else takes a bite out of your burger (proving it's fit to eat), it becomes much less appetizing.
  5. Hide everything you can until your home looks like those hotel photos. Our solution: use a U-Pak. It's a combo-move: we will load items into a shipping container. The container gets stored for a few months at their warehouse. Then it gets delivered to your new home. It's like a moving truck, with a terrific pause button feature.

Labels: , , ,

posted by Shawn DeWolfe @ 10:56 PM 0 comments