Winners of the 2009 Maison & Objet show in Paris, these storage shelves are very sexy!
I’ve called them storage shelves but they really look like hives and are ideal for storing or displaying magazines, books or art-work. Each ‘hive’ has 3 open storage slots and is made from wood composite and finished in matte white.
This article was posted on the Daily Mail Online 2nd July 2010.
The bearded man seemed strangely familiar as he wheeled a large trolley towards the bank of lifts. We had clearly seen each other before, but I wasn’t sure where.
Then I realised that he was a neighbour, albeit not in the conventional sense. His self-storage unit and mine were on the same floor, just around the corner from each other in a newly-built self storage facility. But we had never spoken, until now.
‘It happens every time,’ he said. ‘I go up to my unit with the intention of throwing stuff out - but I just can’t do it. So I lock up again, go home and repeat the whole thing a few weeks later. What a performance.’
Oh, I know the problem only too well. Hundreds of thousands of us do much the same thing. Which, in part, explains why the self-storage industry has taken off in the past decade, with spectacular results.
They’re everywhere: Self Storage facilities are all over the south east. And they’re not just to be found in out-of-town industrial estates but bang in the middle of residential communities, with people coming and going 7 days a week.
Here are the figures: in 1995 there were a mere 60 self-storage sites in Britain. By 2000, that number had risen to 187 and today there are no fewer than 800.
The Self Storage Association UK, which represents 150 companies in this burgeoning sector, estimates that 240,000 of us rent a self-storage unit and that increasingly we regard them as spare rooms to help ease the burden on our cluttered homes.
And it’s good business. The industry generates revenues of around £350 million and directly employs almost 3,000 people.
Self-storage companies prosper best when the housing market is thriving. You sell your home but haven’t found anywhere to buy, so you rent a smaller house or flat and bide your time. But you have excess furniture and several boxes of possessions.
So whats the solution? You could get your removal company to store everything, but the snag is that you won’t be able to get access to it until the day you move permanently. And that’s where self-storage comes in. ‘It’s like having a garage or an extra room that just happens to be off the premises, ‘The great bonus is that it gives you flexibility. You can go round any time you want and you can easily change units if you want a bigger or smaller one. You are the person in control.’
All kinds of factors have led to the self-storage boom. The increase in divorce has played a part, as has the trend for downsizing. But it’s also the case that most newly-built houses in the UK are too small and don’t have enough storage space.
A report by the Commission for Architecture and the Built environment last year concluded that 47 per cent of those surveyed thought their homes weren’t big enough for all their furniture and 35 per cent said their kitchens were too small even to accommodate a toaster.
Some of the other things people get up to in their storage spaces include: band practice, keep-fit classes, ballet lessons and entertaining. Hosting a party in a square box might not sound especially glamorous, but the chances are you won’t annoy the neighbours. And, afterwards, you can lock up the mess and go home!
Lok’nStore Self Storage offers the cheapest most secure storage in the industry. For more information call, 0800 587 3322 or visit our website at loknstore.co.uk
Greg Close and his wife Becky Anderson bought their Portland home for a dollar. So what’s the catch? “We had to move it,” Close says. “And we like a good challenge, so we decided to do it!”
Relocating a house isn’t a new concept — from our earliest nomadic days; humans have built and dismantled shelters as necessary. However, today’s version of moving a house is vastly different. “It was surreal to say the least,” Close says.
Keith Settle, owner of highly rated Northwest Structural Moving in Scappoose, Ore., moved the couple’s one-story house 15 blocks. “We have to coordinate all public agencies and utility companies,” Settle says. “Some moves have as many as 40 additional people involved.”
Settle says he can move any type of structure and averages 60 jobs a year. “We get asked to look at some pretty off-the-wall ideas, like lowering a house 40 feet over the side of a cliff,” he says. “We have to decide if the project is financially feasible for the client.”
Cost depends on a number of things: the size and weight of the home, the length of the journey, and a new foundation are some of the biggest factors. Industry experts estimate costs for just the move itself on a 1,800-square-foot home runs roughly $12 to $16 per square foot.
Jody Barrett, owner of McDowell House and Structure Movers in Amarillo, Texas, charges between $6 and $15 a square foot and says his customers see it as a low-cost housing option. “It’s less expensive to have an existing house moved than to purchase a new one,” he says.
There are a number of reasons for moving an existing structure. If a home is subject to dangers such as flooding or is in the way of encroaching development — which is often the case with historic homes — they can be relocated.
Don Toothman Jr., owner of Toothman Structure Movers in Springfield, Tenn., agrees the green factor is the No. 1 reason he enjoys moving homes. “You’ve saved a house and you’ve saved someone the cost of demolition — which is more than monetary,” Toothman says.
The structural moving industry is comprised of mostly family-owned operations with a long tradition of apprenticeship. “You can’t get this type of training in school,” says June Cook, co-owner of Baxter Cook House & Building Mover in Searsport, Maine.
Historical homes are often relocated to accommodate encroaching development. Structural movers can relocate a variety of buildings, including old barns.
Companies first assess the home’s weight and then cut openings in the foundation in order to insert steel support beams. A unified hydraulic jacking system is placed under the beams, which keeps the house level while being raised. Sliding dollies with tires are placed under the house and attached to a truck.
Thus the journey begins. As the truck crawls along a designated route, a small army of professionals accompanies the parade. Workers from the utility companies shimmy up poles to move wires. Movers push tree branches out of the way and neighbours stare from their porches.
While the novelty may never get old, it’s a job that makes businesses in the industry proud. “It’s a wonderful way to recycle and preserving the historic integrity is so important,” says Brett Schulz, owner of highly rated Brett Schulz Architect, who often works with house movers in Portland, Ore. “It’s a challenge, but I like suiting up for the challenge.”
In trying to keep it all topical, Loknblog found this fantastic pair of lederhosen containing on board storage!
This fetching pair of leather lederhosen, modelled at a German trade show for sport fashions earlier this year, features a bluetooth remote control for an MP3 player with full on board storage for music and video.
Lok’nStore Business & Household Self Storage provides a full range of storage services at the lowest cost in the industry. Lok’nStore does not however provide lederhosen with onboard storage, but should a customer request that item, we would obviously do our best to help.
Give your local Lok’nStore Self Storage centre a call for availability on all sizes of storage units. Lok’nStore promises the lowest priced self storage in the industry and the friendliest service. Visit our website for to find the location of your nearest storage centre or call freephone on 0800 587 3322 for more details.
Have nice weekend and enjoy that sunshine!
We wrote a piece on the main lok’nStore website last year when things were tough and we wanted to give some advice on money-saving tips. You can see this our household (domestic) storage page.
Basically the gist is that you can rent a room in your home for £85 a week TAX FREE.
Now that we’re being promised more austerity, maybe it’s time to have another look at this.
And there are some other money saving ideas on the Lok’nStore website too. Checkk ot our special money saving ideas page, for businesses and for householders cleverly using Lok’nStore self storage!
Lok’nStore has made three videos trying to help customers get a better understanding of self storage. That includes information for those after domestic/household storage and business storage - which includes a lot of government or civic organisations like colleges, hospitals, emergency services and local councils and NGO’s or “organisations” which in turn includes charities and voluntary groups.
This last video has Neil, the Lok’nStore Sales Director talks about why businesses and organisations use Lok’nStore. He explains that nearly every type of business may need self storage one day and why storing at Lok’nStore is so popular. But I won’t tell you the ending and spoil it…
Easy rent office space from Lok’nStore is available at various locations providing you and your business with a choice of office solutions to suit ‘any’ budget. Not only does your Lok’nStore Office Space come fully inclusive of rates and utility bills but you also have a choice of terms, by the day, month or year. ‘Offering you total flexibility for your business, with office space that can easily expand or contract according to your needs.’
With offices available to let from just £5 a day, we guarantee the most cost effective office rental in the South East.
What next?
Talk to our office sales advisor Debbie Friend. She’ll discuss your requirements and will work with you to find the best possible solution. Please call her on 01252 521010 or 07753 719001. Or if you don’t have time and just want an idea of costs, drop her a quick email with your office rental requirements and she’ll get back to you with the best solution for you and your business.
The Lok’nStore Self Storage centres with office space are:
Basingstoke 01256 474700
Eastbourne 01323 749222
Luton 01582 721177
Milton Keynes 01908 281900
Northampton Central 01604 629928
Northampton Riverside 01604 785522
Poole 01202 666160
Reading 0118 9588999
Southampton 02380 783388
You can call or email any of the Lok’nStore Self Storage centres that have office space available for rent or let and they will help you find the most cost effective solution.
We put up our “Welcome to Lok’nStore Self Storage” video last week on the blog and today I’m please to say here’s offering number two. Thi video is much ore specifically about just how much storage space you might need and gives you a rough guide to the sizes of the steel storage units from 25 square foot upwards.
If you want a static view of the units and a guide to what they will hold check the page on our main site for storage space estimator. This page is being upgraded very soon to show two or three different ways of making a space estimation.
Meanhile enjoy the video with our very own Anita from Lok’nStore in Farnborough…
Have a look at our new video which helps to explain about Lok’nStore and about self storage.
More videos about self storage for businss users and domestic household users to follow… Meanwhile, enjoy.
We have a range of office sizes available at many locations across the country including Basingstoke, Eastbourne, Luton, Northampton, Poole, Reading and Southampton. Give Lok’nStore a call on 0800 587 3322 or visit our loknstore.co.uk for more details.
