How To Calculate Your Storage Costs

When making the decision to hire a self-storage unit, one of the most important factors to consider is the storage cost. You may be solving one life problem by putting certain items into storage, but you could easily find yourself faced with another if you end up with a unit that costs more than what your budget will allow.

While there are affordable self-storage options in Perth, it’s best to estimate how much you will be looking to pay before you start making enquiries. By doing some rough calculations, you’ll be able to get an idea of how much space you’ll need and determine if self-storage is a viable option for you. Plus, when you do start reaching out to storage companies, it will be much easier to gauge whether you’re getting value for your money.

Try following these steps to calculate how much your storage is likely to cost.

Make a list

Let’s start simple. Get yourself a pen and paper or open up the Notes app in your phone. Go through your home room by room and write down all of the items that you would like to move into a storage unit in a perfect world.

Once your list is complete, rearrange it according to priority. At the top of your list should be the critical items that must move out of your home no matter what. These items could be taking up too much space in your garage or may be too valuable to leave behind while you’re travelling. It all depends on your situation and your personal preferences.

As you move through your list, the possessions of least importance should come at the end. These are the belongings you’re willing to compromise on; while it would be ideal to put these items into self-storage, you could feasibly keep them in your home if needed.

Measure it up

When hiring a self-storage unit, you’re paying for the amount of space that you’re using. As part of calculating your storage costs, you need to figure out the exact size of each of your possessions. Use a toolbox tape measure on solid, bulky pieces or a sewing measuring tape for pliable, oddly shaped items and record the height, width and depth of each one.

Calculate cubic metres

After collecting all of your measurements, it’s time to determine how much space each item will need. To do this, you need to calculate the size of your belongings in cubic metres.

Multiply the depth by the width by the height for each item. If you measured in millimetres, you will need to divide the total by 1,000,000,000 to convert it to cubic metres. Or if you measured in centimetres, you will need to divide by 1,000,000.

Once you know the total cubic metres, you can identify the size of the unit you will require. Storage companies in Perth will generally have a breakdown of storage unit sizes and the associated costs available online, allowing you to see how much you will be looking to pay for your self-storage.

If the total is outside your price bracket, you can refer back to your priority list and start removing non-essential items to help bring down the cost.

Use a storage calculator

If maths isn’t your strong suit and the idea of calculating the cubic metres for each of your belongings seems overwhelming, have no fear. You could use a storage calculator instead.

A storage calculator will break down the most common items that are likely to be found in each room of the house and will show the average size for each one in cubic metres. All you have to do is punch in the quantities for each item and voila, you’ll have a total cubic metres estimate, use our storage calculator now. 

While a storage calculator will make everything a lot easier, it’s important to note that the total cubic metres it provides to you will be a very rough guide. Your couch or bookshelf may be a bit larger or smaller than what the calculator has approximated, so it will never be 100% accurate.

Budget for packing materials

It’s easy to get hung up on the cost associated with hiring a storage unit and forget about the little extra things that you will need. Make sure you factor packing materials into your budget. You will need cartons, bubble wrap, tape and other accessories to protect your items while they are kept in storage.

Affordable Self-Storage Options

At Ezi Storage, we offer flexible contracts and affordable prices on our large range of secure self-storage units. Located close to the Mitchell Freeway just north of Perth, we can take care of all your storage needs. Contact us today to find out more.

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