Storage During Remodeling: Where (and How) to Store Your Stuff

Remodeling your home is an exciting process with a lot of moving parts. And in addition to asking yourself the obvious questions (like “do I want quartz or marble for my new kitchen island?”), you also have to figure out logistics. Among them: where you’re going to keep all of your stuff. Storage during remodeling can be a bit tricky, since you need your things out of the way while also maintaining access to them. Fortunately, there are a variety of temporary storage options you can take while you work on creating your dream home. Here are five of them.

Rent a storage container

Designate another room in your home for storage

Hire moving labor

Store your things with a friend or family member

Use self storage

Additional tips for storage during remodeling

Once you know where you’re going to store your things during a remodel, you’ll have to figure out how. The same rules that apply to any storage situation apply here, too; with the added caveat that you may need to access these items more often than you would if you were storing them for another reason. Because of that, be sure to follow these tips.

Label your boxes. Put together a labeling system so that you can quickly identify what’s where. You can label the contents right on the boxes themselves (tape a piece of paper on to them if you’re using a plastic bin), or you can number the boxes and put together a corresponding spreadsheet with details of what’s inside. If you don’t label your boxes, you risk having to do without whatever is inside of them for the duration of your remodel.

Store your most-used items front and center. Make it easy to grab what you need by storing the items you use the most at the front of your storage pile. Alternately, put those items that you don’t expect to need during your remodel (think: furniture and seasonal items) in the back.

Leave a clear path between boxes. For safety and convenience, leave yourself a path between your stored items. That way, you won’t have any trouble getting to an item in the back if you need to.

Try to figure out your storage plan as soon as you know a remodel is going to happen. The earlier you can find your ideal storage solution, the more time you can invest on the really important question (you know, like that quartz vs. marble debate).