12th May 2023
Doing a home renovation is difficult for homeowners in many ways. Not only is it a messy job, where routines are disturbed, but also household contents in particular can potentially be damaged. This is due to the activities of the builders who are working in the house and the materials being used. Depending on the time the home renovation is going to take, it’s particularly important to do something to protect the house contents while renovations take place.
Quick Self Storage is a sure solution. With storage facilities in Peterborough, Darlington and Liverpool offering short-term and long-term rentals, a self storage unit rental is perfect to keep possessions safe during the renovation.
The fact that you can keep your precious household possessions safe and out of harm’s way for a while at a small cost is a bonus compared with the potential damage that the renovations may cause to them. Self-storage is the cheapest storage you can find and storing for short periods in this type of situation is a huge advantage to homeowners.
With your possessions out of the way, you can get your renovation done. To get your renovations done in the time frame you are planning, avoid some of the pitfalls that typically occur. Here are some pitfalls to look out for, which have been provided by the experts:
Renovations: What to Watch Out For
There are a lot of things that can go wrong when doing a renovation, causing unnecessary delays.
Finding an unexpected surprise while you are building will set your time frame off course, and add extra to your budget. This often happens, so look out for the following when you get going.
- Old Plumbing and Electric
Old plumbing and electrics are common in old houses, and you can be sure you will encounter some problems. Just about all old houses have the original plumbing and electrics that were installed when the house was built. Houses were fitted with galvanized pipes which these days are outdated. Nowadays PVC pipes are the answer, which means that you are likely to have to replace all your plumbing as the two don’t work together well.
Electrics also get outdated, and you will often find that your household requires an upgrade to accommodate modern-day electrical requirements. Old electrics tend to become a fire hazard as they get older too.
- Water Damage
Often water leaks are only found when renovations take place. This is because they may be in inner walls or under concrete where the only evidence of them is a wet patch or a bit of mould. The best way to look at this is to thank goodness that there was no bigger damage and you found it in time. So, maybe it’s a sign to get it fixed once and for all!
- Bad Workmanship
Plaster and paint are commonly used to cover bad workmanship. Especially in the case of a previous homeowner who has decided to do a DIY job before putting the house on the market. So, it’s no use putting good on top of bad, and unfortunately, the best bet is to simply knock down the bad workmanship and rebuild.
- Structural Cracks
These are also nasty surprises that only emerge when you do a bit of digging. It’s not a pleasant piece of news when the builder tells you what he has discovered, and you know that you are in for a few bucks to sort it out.
While it could be a ground fault, and be out of your control, it’s also sometimes the fault of the original builders using poor construction practices in the first place.
The only remedy is to underpin the foundations or repour concrete foundations to ensure your foundations are stable.
So, Back To Storage Options
Let’s look at the options that present themselves: Hire a storage unit
Using a self-storage unit to store household items during the renovation period is one of the simplest and easiest things to do. It’s cheap storage arranged easily with no hidden costs or contracts. By being the only key holder to your own unit you can come and go as you like.
The benefits are.
- Come and go as you please if you need anything.
- We are centrally situated with good access.
- Choose the size unit you need: there are good options.
- Security and safety of your possessions
- Inexpensive way to store with no contracts involved.
At Quick Self Storage, we offer convenience and accessibility.
Finding Space in the House to Store
Keeping your possessions in a dedicated space at your home or someone else’s home may save you money in the short term, but when something gets damaged it may cost you more. This option may be one that you choose for cost purposes. But as we will see this is not always the wisest thing to do.
At home, you are never assured that your stored items will be safe from damage. Storing these at a friend or a relative could lead to complications later, particularly as renovations frequently go over budget and take longer than you planned.
Perhaps consider this factor and it may well save you hassles later.
A Few Useful Tips for Storage During Renovation
Being organized when you store your possessions makes it easy to identify and access them when you need them again. By labeling boxes and packing systematically (pack by room, by cupboard) you will know exactly where everything is, should you need to find something when in storage.
The items that you clearly won’t be wanting during the storage period should be packed at the back of the unit.
Choose the right size unit once you know how much you want to store by measuring the cubic size of the load and matching it to a unit available.
Storage Answers when Renovating
Let us take that worry out of the renovation. We hope you have found the advice useful regarding what to look out for and how to secure your possessions over this period. Quick Self Storage will look after them for you while you upgrade your house.
Call or visit us if you would like to view a self storage unit or get in touch when you require one.
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Peterborough, please contact us at 01733 834183 or visit Self Storage Peterborough
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Darlington please contact us at 01325 489562 or visit Self Storage Darlington
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Liverpool please contact us on 0151 8324000 or visit Self Storage Liverpool
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