Getting Ready for Winter with Storage in Ottawa
With the autumn winds blowing here in Ottawa, one thing is for sure:
Winter is – shudder – right around the corner.
The transition of seasons is the ideal time to address your needs for storage in Ottawa. What items will you be taking from your storage unit? What will you be putting in? Perhaps you’re looking for more space, or maybe even renting storage space in Ottawa for the first time? Let’s take a look at what you’ll want to keep in mind, and how Acceptable Storage in Ottawa can help your winter storage needs.
What Goes In? What Comes Out?
The first thing to think about for winter storage is what you’ll be putting in. Right along with that, of course, is what you may want to take out from your existing storage unit.
Items, Gear & Equipment to Put in Storage for Winter:
- RVs
- Boats, canoes, kayaks, etc.
- All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
- Jet-skis
- Fishing gear & camping equipment
- Barbecues, patio/balcony furniture, etc.
- Summer (“all-season”) tires
That gives plenty of food for thought when it comes to what kind of storage space you’ll need. If you already have a unit, will it be enough? Well, let’s talk about what you might be taking out of that unit for the winter:
- Snowmobiles
- Winter/snow tires
- Skis, snowboards, snowshoes, etc.
It’s entirely possible that you’ll have more going in than coming out. Might be time to take a bigger unit? Let us know, we’ll be glad to help. Now let’s take a further look at how to go about getting everything ready for winter.
But Wait: Why Not Store Items in Your garage?
We’ve all either seen this or done this: fill the garage with “stuff,” and park the car in the driveway. Makes enough sense, right? You can’t leave your stuff out in the driveway, after all. But is this really the best way to be utilizing your most valuable assets: your home and your car(s)? If you were to add up the value of the items in your garage, chances are they’d only amount to a fraction of the cost of the car you’ve displaced. That means you’re paying (rent or mortgage, taxes, etc.) for garage space and leaving your car vulnerable to theft, break-ins, damage from the elements, and so on. Driveways are getting shorter and narrower, and many garages can only fit one car nowadays. If you’ve got two cars parked in the driveway, you might be prone to getting a ticket for being over the sidewalk or onto the street. Why risk it??! Instead, why not park your car in the garage, sheltered from the harsh Ottawa winter (ice storms and freezing rain, anyone?!) and take some of those lesser-used items to your storage unit? Many insurance companies will give a lower rate if they know your car is parked inside a garage. And you’ll have peace of mind, knowing your car is safe.
Okay, Now for the Winter Prep
We’ve got some helpful articles on specific prep and storage tips for Boats and RVs (and other summer gear). At our Acceptable Storage facility on Bank Street in Gloucester, we’ve got storage space to fit nearly any kind of vehicle or equipment. Being in a transition season, however, we encourage you to get in touch with ASAP to reserve ahead. That way you’ll rest assured that your winter storage space is available and ready, and you can begin moving things over.
One aside: is there anything you don’t want to keep? Transition seasons are a good time to assess what you own. If you haven’t used something in a good while, and you can’t envision when you’d use it next, it might be time to sell that item or give it away. Take a look at our article on decluttering to get some further ideas.
A great idea for any project is to begin with a plan. Start with the end in mind, as they say. You might want to draw out the dimensions of your storage space, then make a list of what will be going in; and finally draw in each item in the approximate location you’d like to put it in the storage unit. If you’re not an artist, that’s okay, even just the act of writing down the list should give you a better idea of how much space you have to work with. Now it’s time to decide how you’ll transport the goods to Acceptable Storage. It might require a couple of trips, but if you can do it all in one, the prior planning will have paid off. You can also take a look at what’s in your basement and/or in your garage, and decide what all will be going from there. It’s also not a bad idea to think ahead to what you will need at which points in the springtime. That way, you can identify the items you’ll need access to first, and make sure you place those towards the front of your storage unit. If you think you may need something during the winter, you can keep that in the very front as well, of course.
Get Ready for Winter at Acceptable Storage in Ottawa
Now is a great time to get geared up for winter. Ottawa is a four-season kind of place, and the transitions between seasons are when you’ll want to take advantage and get projects like this done. Give us a call or contact us via our online form, and we can discuss storage options and planning with you. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff have a wide array of experience in this area, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have, as well as give you some “storage insider” tips and advice. Our facility is secured, with staff and monitoring on-site 24/7. Acceptable Storage is consistently among the best value options for storage in Ottawa, and we look forward to serving you.