Estimate my move

Storage and Container Planning Hub

Compare storage options, price the complete stay, check volume and weight limits and map the belongings you need to retrieve during the rental.

MoveDayPlan Editorial Updated

Begin with the length of the storage gap and the items you may need during it. Compare actual access and billing terms, then draw a layout. Volume-based calculations identify candidates; they do not establish safe stacking or individual item fit.

What each group decides

The articles and comparisons cover the choices of storage during a move: a self-storage unit or a portable container, climate-controlled or standard space, short gaps between homes and longer stays, shared units, transfers and ending a rental. The calculators size a unit or a container from your inventory, price the whole stay including promotions and visits, and check shelf and floor space. The checklists cover moving in and moving items between units.

Start with the length of the gap

How long you need storage decides most of the rest. For a few days, keeping the loaded truck or container may be simpler than unloading twice. For weeks or months, compare a unit near the new home with a container stored at the company’s facility, including the cost of every visit you will need. Then size the space: the storage unit size calculator turns furniture and boxes into a floor area, and our home-size reference shows the unit our model suggests for a studio through a four-bedroom house.

First steps

List the items you may need during the rental and plan to load them last. Compare the total cost of the stay, not the first month: promotions, fees, insurance or protection requirements and rate changes all count. Check access hours, vehicle access and door size before you sign. Draw a layout with an aisle if you will need to reach things. Keep the inventory of what is in storage with your moving records.

Unit and container sizes on these pages are nominal published sizes; usable space, door openings and weight limits depend on the actual unit or container you are assigned.

Related tools & guides

Articles and comparisons

Calculators and reference tables

Checklists and timelines

  • Storage Move-In Checklist

    Inspect the assigned storage unit, map access and count the packages entering it so the inventory remains…

    Checklist

  • Storage Unit Transfer Timeline

    Move between storage units with overlapping access, a traceable inventory and a final closeout that follows…

    Timeline

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