Storage guide
Storage unit vs garage
or spare room: what is it really costing you?
Keeping things at home looks free. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it quietly costs you a room, a parking space or a working garage. This guide helps you weigh it up honestly.
Home storage is not always free
A garage full of boxes does not send you a bill. But it has a cost, just a hidden one. Your car sits on the drive or the street. The workbench is buried. The spare room cannot be a guest room, an office or a hobby space.
None of this means you should rent storage. For many people, keeping things at home is the right answer. The point is to compare like with like: what you would pay for a unit against what you give up by keeping things at home.
This guide uses only our own prices, because they are the only ones we can state with confidence.
What our space costs
Here is what our space costs, worked out per month (weekly price × 52 ÷ 12) and per square foot per year.
| Space | Weekly | About per month | About per sq ft per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 sq ft pod (guide price) | £10 | £43 | £34.67 |
| 35 sq ft pod (guide price) | £17 | £74 | £25.26 |
| 100 sq ft room (guide price) | £34 | £147 | £17.68 |
| 150 sq ft unit | £65 | £282 | £22.53 |
| 160 sq ft unit | £69 | £299 | £22.43 |
| 180 sq ft unit | £78 | £338 | £22.53 |
| 300 sq ft two-storey | £130 | £563 | £22.53 |
Pods and rooms open in spring 2027 and their prices are guide prices, to be confirmed. Electricity in the ground-floor units is charged separately at the supplier rate with no markup. See storage prices explained for the full breakdown.
The garage
A garage is the obvious alternative. It is on your doorstep and costs nothing extra. Ask yourself a few questions.
- Would you park in it if it were empty? Off-road parking matters more on some streets than others.
- Is it dry? Many older garages are damp, with up-and-over doors that let in wind and rain. Furniture and paper suffer.
- Is it secure? Garages are a common target, and a single lock on a door can be a weak point.
- Do you need it as a workshop? Hobbies, bikes and DIY all need floor space.
If your garage is dry, secure and you do not need it for anything else, it may well be the best place for your things. If not, its convenience comes at a price.
The spare room
Rooms full of boxes are common. They are also some of the most valuable space in a home. A spare room could be a home office, a bedroom for a visiting relative, a nursery, or a hobby room.
Try this. Work out roughly how much of the room the stored items take up. If it is a 100 sq ft room and the boxes fill most of it, ask whether you would pay about £147 a month, the guide price of a 100 sq ft storage room, for the use of that room. If having it back is worth more than that to you, storage makes sense. If not, the boxes can stay.
Often the answer is somewhere in between. A pod for the items you rarely need might free up enough of the room to make it useful again, at a fraction of the cost.
The loft and the shed
Lofts are good for light, sturdy things you rarely need. They are not ideal for anything heavy, heat-sensitive or awkward to carry up a ladder. Sheds are fine for garden kit but are often damp and easy to break into.
A storage unit at ground level is easier to load with large items, and with 24-hour access you can visit when it suits you. But you do have to travel there. If you need something weekly, that matters.
Hidden costs on both sides
A fair comparison includes the costs that are easy to forget.
Renting a unit
A deposit equal to one month's rent, paid upfront along with the first month. A good padlock. Boxes and packing materials. Insurance for your goods, since none is included. Fuel and time for trips. Electricity in a ground-floor unit, if you use it, charged at the supplier rate with no markup.
Keeping it at home
Damage from damp in a garage or shed. A room you cannot use. Time spent moving things around to get at what you need. Perhaps the cost of a car parked on the street. And for some people, the steady stress of living with clutter, which is hard to price but very real.
Write down both columns. The answer is often clearer on paper than it is in your head.
If you are running a business from home
For a small business, the calculation is different. Stock in the spare room can spill into the rest of the house. Clients cannot visit. Parcels pile up in the hallway. Working from home also blurs the line between work and family life.
A unit gives the business its own address. Tenants can receive mail and clients, and may use the Rock Factory address on their Google Business Profile. Lighting, electricity and Wi-Fi are already connected. All business use needs prior approval, and business rates may apply to commercial units, so ask us about the unit you are considering.
Our guide to moving a business out of home covers this in more depth, and unit vs shop vs coworking compares other options.
A quick way to decide
- List what you would storeBe specific. It helps you pick the right size, if any.
- Work out what you would gain at homeA parking space, a room, a workshop, less stress.
- Price the right spaceUse the table above, or our size guide.
- Set a time frameShort-term storage for a move or project is a clear yes or no. Open-ended storage deserves a review date.
- Decide, then reviewTerms are monthly, so you can try it and stop with one month's notice.
Our unit size guide helps with step three. If you would like to see the space first, message us on WhatsApp to arrange a viewing.
Questions
Is a storage unit cheaper than renting a bigger house?
We cannot compare with house rents, as we only know our own prices. As a rough guide, our ground-floor units cost about £22.50 per sq ft per year. Compare that with what the extra space at home would cost you.
Is it worth storing things I rarely use?
Only if what you gain at home is worth more to you than the rent. For rarely used items, a small pod at a guide price from £10 a week is the cheapest way to test it.
Can I use a unit like a garage for my car?
No. Car storage is not permitted because of the buildings insurance.
Can I use a unit as a workshop instead of my garage?
Possibly, with prior approval for the activity. Some activities are not allowed, such as melting combustible materials. Units have single-phase electricity only.
Can I share a unit with a neighbour or relative to split the cost?
Yes, as long as one person rents it and takes responsibility for it. Agree in advance how you will split the rent, deposit and access.
Prices are subject to availability. Minimum rental term: one month, then one month’s notice to leave. Electricity usage is charged separately at the supplier rate, with no markup. Business use needs prior approval. Car storage is not permitted.
