It’s autumn, you’ve got some larger seasonal items you need to store, there is absolutely NO room left in the basement, garage, and/or your tiny little shed. Winter is coming. How do you find storage options before the snow flies?

What Are Your Storage Options?

Most people have seasonal items they store away for winter, such as spring/summer clothing, holiday decorations, and pool accessories. Those items typically wind up being stashed at home, especially in northeast Ohio with the fluctuation in weather. The vast majority of seasonal items being stored away for the winter are larger and require a bit more storage space. Some examples of these types of seasonal items are the following:

Cars/Motorcycles
Watercraft
Campers/RVs
Golf carts
Trailers
Grills/Smokers
Pool Pumps/Heaters
Pool/Patio Furniture
Porch Swings/Hammocks

Most of the items listed above should definitely be stored undercover and out of the elements. You might also wish to consider climate-controlled storage options for some of these seasonal items, and you can read more about that in our article Why Temperature-Controlled Storage is Worth the Extra Money. So what are some winter storage options for these types of seasonal items? Let’s take a look.

New Construction Storage Options

You could always build a bigger shed or accessory building on your property, but this can be cost-prohibitive and very time-consuming. The cost of building something large enough to store some of the aforementioned items can be pretty expensive. Even a larger shed can cost thousands. Plus, you’ll also need to check with your local zoning board to determine if you have enough land to be able to build a larger shed or accessory building on your property. Zoning laws are very specific about spacing between the main structure (your house) and accessory buildings as well as the placement of accessory buildings in relation to boundaries/easements, frontage, etc. If you determine that you are able to construct an accessory building on your property, you’ll need to pull a permit, pay fees, and work through the entire process with your local zoning board. The ground might be frozen under a foot of snow before this little construction project gets off the ground, and winter is coming.

Portable Storage Options

Portable Storage Options were introduced in the late 1990s. These types of storage units are designed to be brought to your home to be filled and then picked up to be taken to a secure off-site facility. When you want access to your stuff, you’ll need to make an appointment to have the portable storage until brought back to your home. Some portable storage companies say that you can store the portable unit at your home. This is misleading. Zoning laws in most communities do not allow you to keep a portable storage unit on your property indefinitely. Furthermore, there are limitations to what you can store in one of these portable storage units. Items such as lawnmowers and other motorized vehicles cannot be placed in these types of storage units. Portable storage units fall short when considering seasonal storage options.

Winter-Only Seasonal Storage Options

Winter-Only Seasonal Storage Options are typically one big steel insulated building with a concrete floor. This type of storage option typically is not climate-controlled let alone heated, and they only take certain items. Payment for the entire winter storage period is required up front as most do not bill monthly. Pricing is based on items stored rather than square footage of the storage space. This means everything is being stored in a common area. Yikes! Winter storage periods range from between September to April each year. So whatever is being stored must be removed by the last day of the winter storage period. There typically are several days on the front end and back end of the winter storage period that items must be brought in for storage and removed from storage. Furthermore, unless you are paying a premium price for access, you will not have access to your stored items during the entirety of the winter storage period.

Self-Storage Options

Self-storage facilities offer three types of storage units: non-climate-controlled, temperature-controlled, and climate-controlled. These units can be leased on both a short-term or long-term basis, so they are perfect for winter storage! Here are some other reasons you should seriously consider a self-storage unit when looking for winter storage options:

Self-storage is the best value when compared to other available winter storage options
You can store ALL your seasonal items in a self-storage unit, including motorized vehicles
Self-storage facilities offer climate-controlled storage options, which should be considered if you plan to store motorized vehicles and/or lawn equipment
Self-storage facilities allow you to make monthly payments
All of your items are stored in a secure, separate storage unit that is yours and yours alone
You have secure access to your stuff 24/7
Most self-storage facilities offer stellar security and pest control treatment adding another layer of protection for your belongings

It’s a no-brainer really. Self-storage is truly the crème de la crème of winter storage options! Don’t wait too long to secure your self-storage unit as it won’t be long before the snow begins to fall.