Other Uses for Storage Containers

Due to the nature and characteristics of shipping containers, many have found alternative uses for them which usually require some conversion, additional fittings or adaptation.

 

 

They often become, therefore, static units with a new purpose or function that in the long-term provides cost benefits and savings when considered against traditional construction techniques.

 

Let A MovingEstimates Company help you find storage today!

All containers, of course, can be quickly and easily moved and relocated offering considerable advantages for those with portable requirements.

 

 

Additionally, insulated shipping containers make ideal temporary accommodation on building or construction sites for site offices and weather-proof staff rest rooms.

 

 

The following list is not exhaustive, however.

• Site offices
• Portable workshops
• Ablution or toilet units
• Accommodation units (known as shipping container homes)
• Lunch, rest rooms or staff canteens
• Training containers

Shipping containers come in two sizes; 8’x20’ and 8’ by 40’. You can buy them new or used. Many of the used containers have been on ships sailing the ocean and are exposed to salt water, which means they may have rust. The US has an abundance of these. In the CNN video below, the reporter says we received 7 million containers into America, carrying goods, but only 2.5 million left, exporting goods. This means there is a huge amount of these things available. Most are near shipping ports, but many make their way inland via trains. Some businesses have sprung up due to the popularity of them. They can be used for everything from a shed, essentially placed on property and left alone, to offices or emergency shelters during a hurricane or other natural disaster. They have also been used to make multi-level homes and even fallout shelters.

 

Why You Should Consider Self Storage

Storage can be used for many different reasons. If you're trying to sell your home you may want to free closets and rooms of extra clutter so that the place shows better. Maybe you have too much furniture for your new home; the kids have moved out but you can't part with all their childhood memorabilia; you want to store items for different seasons; you have stacks of documents that you need to keep but don't want them to take up living space.

No matter what the reason, finding storage units is made easy here with our direct link to self-storage companies located in your area. Within a few minutes you'll know what size storage is available, how much it will cost and determine which is best for you.

Despite their popularity, self-storage facilities have always had a bit of an image problem. Often a speculative real-estate play for yet-to-be gentrified areas (several of the biggest self-storage outfits are quite profitable Real Estate Investment Trusts), they bring—comparative to their size and infrastructural requirements—few jobs or sales-tax benefits to towns. They tend not to be particularly aesthetically pleasing, and their marginal location, as well as the transitory nature of their "product," has long seemed to attract people doing something they don't want to be caught doing at home.

 

Types of Self Storage

For an industry that emerged from nowhere with no inherent allure, no collective marketing savvy, and no tangible product to take home, the rental self-storage industry has piled up impressive numbers.

Fifty-thousand storage facilities now dot the American landscape, most of them austere, nearly windowless buildings wedged into commercial strips and industrial zones. That means the industry boasts more domestic locations than McDonald's, Subway and Jack in the Box combined.

Indoor self storage offers you a storage unit inside a building that might contain several floors of storage. These are the most likely to be climate control storage, but be sure to ask because not all indoor storage is heated and cooled. Most mini storage units are found in indoor storage facilities, too. The doors can be roll-up doors like a garage or ordinary doors. These have better security than drive-up and outdoor storage, and are good for people who need climate control storage or just prefer to house their items in an indoor setting, rather than a warehouse or garage-type storage unit.

Outdoor storage usually costs less than both indoor storage (which is the most expensive in almost all cases) and drive-up storage. You can rent storage units big enough for huge RV storage or small enough for a one-person recreational vehicle, like a motorcycle or four-wheeler. The might be covered with a carport, featuring cement or gravel floors. Security of the entire storage area is of utmost importance when you choose outdoor self storage.

What is Self Storage?

Self-storage (sometimes called mini-storage or self-service storage) is an economical alternative to the traditional moving and storage warehouse option. In the traditional moving and storage experience, a moving company will come out to your residence or office, pack up your belongings and then take them to their warehouse to store them in a wooden crate(sometimes 3 to 4 high). Access to your goods is very limited and the cost to have someone pack and move your belongings can be very expensive.

Tenants store many different type of items in self-storage facilities. This may include furniture, clothes, books, office equipment, office files, or retail goods. Some tenants may come to the facility everyday to pick up or deliver something to their unit. Other tenants may need to store their property and then be gone from the area for some extended time-maybe a year or more depending on their job or circumstances. If a problem develops during the tenants absence, the operator of the self-storage facility may only learn or know about it if the tenant calls it to the operators attention. The problem may include a leak in the roof, rodents (if another tenant stored food in a unit), a break-in or theft, or a door not working properly. The Owner/Operator will typically take care of any problem that arises as soon as possible upon being aware of a it since their reputation, and therefore livelihood, depends on the customer's good experience. But, as stated before, the operator is not legally responsible for any personal property stored in a self-storage facility. That is why a typical rental agreement will not recommend storing highly valuable or sentimental items in a self-storage unit. In these cases, a self-storage facility may not be right for you. In all cases, if you rent a self-storage unit from any company-large or small, it is highly recommended that you insure you personal property.

Storing excessive items that you don’t really need is the best possible solution you can apply. Storage companies offer ideal ways of storing and keeping your belongings in good condition.

They usually have a computerized gate system in a well lit and fenced facility with security cameras, so even your most valuable properties and investments can be kept in our self-storage facility. Some provide 24-hour access you can have regular access to anytime you need something from your stored items.