If your move has a gap in it, containerised storage in Blackpool is usually the right answer when you want your belongings collected, wrapped, listed and left untouched until you need them. Self storage is the right answer when you need to get at your things regularly and are happy to do the loading yourself.
That is the whole decision in one sentence. The rest of this guide explains why, and what each option really costs once van hire and your own weekends are counted.
The difference in plain terms
Self storage is a room you rent. You hire a van or borrow a friend’s, drive your furniture to the site, carry it up the corridor and stack it in a unit that you lock yourself. You can go back whenever the site is open, and you pay a monthly rate for the space whether it is full or half empty.
Containerised storage is a service rather than a room. A removals crew comes to your home, wraps each item, lists it on an inventory that you sign, and loads everything into sealed containers of 250 cubic feet. Those containers are then held inside a warehouse and are not opened again until you ask. You never see the unit, and you never lift a sofa.
| Containerised storage | Self storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the loading | The removal crew, at your home, as part of the move | You, with a hired van, at the storage site |
| Handling | Loaded once, sealed, not touched again | Handled every time you visit, plus two van trips |
| Access | By appointment, or a single item delivered to you | Walk in during opening hours |
| Security | Sealed containers inside a gated, floodlit warehouse with 24 hour CCTV | Varies by site: a padlocked unit in a shared corridor is typical |
| Pricing | Per container per week, from £10 | Per unit per month, usually with a minimum term |
| Insurance | Arranged by the removal firm against your valuation | Often an extra policy sold at the counter |
| Best for | Gaps between properties, downsizing, long stays, anything valuable | Frequent access, hobby kit, stock you dip into weekly |
How containerised storage in Blackpool works
When we store goods for a customer, the storage is part of the removal rather than a separate errand. The survey counts the containers needed, purpose built cartons arrive free before the move, and on collection day the crew wraps furniture in heavy duty transit blankets and export wraps anything that marks easily. Every item goes on the inventory as it leaves the house, and you sign that inventory before the vehicle moves. Each container is then closed, given a reference number and held under cover in our own warehouse near the M55. When you are ready, the same crew redelivers and the inventory is checked back off item by item. Our containerised storage in Blackpool page covers the sizes, prices and access arrangements in full.
The point of all that process is simple. Furniture that is wrapped once and left alone arrives in the condition it left in. Furniture that is loaded into a van, unloaded into a unit, walked past for six months and loaded again is handled four times, usually by people who are not paid to be careful with it.
How self storage works, and when it wins
Self storage is honest about what it is: you are renting square footage, and the site is not responsible for what you put in it or how you stack it. If you run a small business and need stock you can reach on a Tuesday afternoon, or you are storing a bike, camping gear and paperwork you rummage through every few weeks, a self storage unit will suit you well.
Where it goes wrong is with house moves. The gap between two properties is stressful enough without adding a van hire, two days of carrying and the discovery that the unit you booked is a size too small. Self storage was designed for access. A house move needs the opposite: somewhere your things can sit safely while you get on with everything else.
What each option really costs
Self storage headline prices look low, but the monthly rate is only the start. Add the van hire for two separate trips, fuel, a padlock, the insurance policy the site will ask you to take, and the fact that most units are charged by the month with a minimum term, so a three week gap is billed as four or more. Then count two weekends of your own loading and unloading.
Container storage with us is charged per container per week from £10, and collection and redelivery are quoted as part of your removal rather than added as a separate fee, so a fortnight’s gap costs a fortnight. The number of containers is fixed at the free survey and the price is confirmed in writing. Our guide to what house removals cost in Blackpool explains what else moves the figure up and down.
A worked example
A three bedroom semi with a three week gap between completion dates typically needs four to six containers. At £10 per container per week that is £120 to £180 for the storage itself, with the collection and redelivery already inside the removal quote.
The self storage route for the same house means a unit big enough for a three bed home billed for a full month, a van for two days, fuel, a padlock, insurance and two weekends of your own labour. Cost it properly before assuming it is cheaper.
Security and insurance
A sealed container inside a gated, floodlit warehouse with 24 hour CCTV is a different proposition from a padlocked unit in a corridor that hundreds of other customers walk down. Only our own staff handle containers, and only when a customer has asked for something. Insurance follows the same logic. Your goods are covered by our comprehensive insurance in transit, and cover in store is arranged against the valuation you give us at the survey, so anything valuable is declared, wrapped and covered in one conversation rather than bought as an add-on at a counter.
Access: the question that decides it
Be honest about how often you will actually need to get at your things. In our experience, most people storing between houses never open their container. The paperwork and the Christmas decorations they might want go in a separate “keep with me” box before the crew arrives. If you do need something during the stay, we open the container by appointment or deliver the single item, which covers the rare occasion without paying for walk in access you will not use.
A two week gap or a six month stay?
Two to four weeks
A chain delay or a late completion. Containerised storage, charged weekly, is almost always cheaper and far less work than a monthly self storage unit for a gap this short.
Two to six months
Building work, a rental between homes, or a new house that needs work first. Containerised storage keeps furniture untouched and insured; self storage only wins if you need weekly access.
Six months and beyond
Working away, downsizing in stages, or clearing a family home. Long term container storage is planned so the items you are most likely to want are easiest to reach, and the weekly rate simply continues.
Whatever the length, the stored goods travel with the same crew that moves the rest of the house, so there is one survey, one inventory and one phone number. Our vehicles leave the depot each morning for removals in Lytham St Annes, Blackpool, the Fylde coast and Preston, and our weekly runs north and south mean goods can go into store here and come out at the other end of the country.
What we have learned from years of storing furniture
September is when we see the most storage enquiries of the year, because summer chains break in the last week and completion dates slip. The people who cope best asked about storage at the survey, before they needed it, so a container could be added with one phone call. Ask every firm on your shortlist what happens if your completion is delayed; it is one of the nine questions worth asking a removal company and the answer separates firms quickly. Ours is that the same crew, vehicle and inventory carry on, and nothing changes but the date.
The second lesson is about wrapping. Export wrapping costs a few pounds per item and is the difference between a dining table coming out of storage as it went in and coming out scuffed. We wrap for storage as a matter of course, as part of the removals and packing services quoted at the survey.
Frequently asked questions
Is containerised storage cheaper than self storage?
For a house move with a gap of a few weeks, usually yes, once van hire, insurance, monthly minimums and your own time are counted. Our container storage is from £10 per container per week. For frequent access to a small amount of kit, self storage can work out cheaper.
Can I get to my belongings while they are in containerised storage?
Yes, by appointment. We open the container for you or deliver the single item you need. It is not walk in access, which is why the containers stay sealed and your goods stay untouched.
How many containers will my house need?
As a rough guide, a one bedroom flat fills two 250 cubic foot containers and a three bedroom semi needs four to six. The free survey confirms the number before you are quoted.
What happens if my completion date moves again?
Nothing except the date. The containers stay sealed where they are, the weekly charge continues and redelivery is rebooked. This is exactly the situation containerised storage exists for.
Do you store goods for people outside Blackpool?
Yes. We collect from Lytham St Annes, Fleetwood, Poulton le Fylde, Preston and across Lancashire every day, and our weekly runs make storage for long distance moves straightforward as well.
Is anything not allowed in storage?
Perishable food, plants and hazardous items such as paint, gas bottles, fuel and aerosols. We run through the list at the survey so there are no surprises on collection day.
Ask us which option fits your move
If you are not sure, tell us the dates and we will tell you honestly which option suits, even if the answer is a self storage unit. Call Michael Clark on 01253 691 481 or send us your dates through the contact form and we will come back to you within 24 hours with a free survey and a written price for the move and the storage together.
HJ Clark & Sons · Blackpool · Five generations, over 100 years