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Offline GamesPoet

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Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« on: September 04, 2019, 12:57:55 PM »
I have a storage unit located inside a mill building a short distance from my place.  Mostly I keep some furniture there for expanding into a better location at some point, although I do have some boxes of stuff that need to be sorted through eventually as well.

The other day I saw a lady with a much larger storage unit working inside it with all her sewing material and associated things, perhaps hobbying, perhaps a place for storing inventory as part of a business, perhaps both.  It dawned on me that wouldn't it be a nice idea to at least temporarily have such a space for hobbying, at least until I can find what I am looking for as living space.

And so ... I'm thinking of this weekend moving all my hobby stuff located at my place out and into a storage unit that can be used for sorting, organizing, maybe even gaming if large enough, until I eventually decide where I'll be living next.  It'll all be more accessible, sorted, perhaps even better used and moved along with progress than it currently is.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2019, 02:31:02 PM by GamesPoet »
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline KTG17

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2019, 01:24:28 PM »
I don't know... I have thought if I would ever do that, and I don't think I could. I am too attached to my stuff. Does this unit have AC? My fear is that something would happen to my stuff and I wasn't there. I just think the environment would be a little tougher on boxes and paint and all that as opposed to a closet.

If I can't fit everything in my closet I have too much stuff!

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2019, 02:39:13 PM »
All the units are inside an air conditioned building.  It was originally a textile mill.  There is quite a bit of security as well.

I've been around for a good while in life, probably don't have more hobby things than SteveB did, and certainly not as much as Midask (:engel:), and  so ... all my things couldn't fit in a closet.  Unless maybe it was a walk-in closet. :icon_lol:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline Victor

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2019, 02:43:36 PM »
These storage units seem to be quite popular in the US. There is a German TV station that shows series like 'Storage Wars' etc., which is my source of information.   :icon_wink:  I would be way too scared that something would go wrong and the contents of my storage unit would get auctioned off to some douchebags without proper warning.  :icon_confused: :icon_lol:
« Last Edit: September 04, 2019, 08:08:32 PM by Victor »

Offline Gankom

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2019, 02:58:22 PM »
I've seen people run hobbying businesses out of storage units before. I believe its not technically legal, and they often get shut down, but that's usually because they're trying to run a business. A hobbying space I bet would be fine, and if the storage room is pretty decent it could be fun! Not that much different from a garage.

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2019, 03:47:56 PM »
Have no idea what "storage wars" means.  No one's storage unit gets sold off that I'm aware of.  If a monthly storage fee isn't paid, maybe that is a separate issue.

I don't have this storage idea as a plan for long term use, more like temporarily, until I have a better option.  It could be of benefit as a way to unclutter it from it's current space, and sort it into some sort of useful organization of it all as well.  The it is ready for repopulating some other spot, and hopefully having a better separation of it's parts into fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and all the various subsets of the historical stuff.
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline KTG17

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2019, 05:13:48 PM »
Storage Wars is a show about a group of people who bid on storage units that renters have stopped paying for and left their stuff behind. So the owners lift the door, then shut it, leaving the bidders to just get a glance on what is inside. They bid accordingly hoping to get something useful or valuable. Completely ridiculous.

Americans have too much crap. So we have to rent storage places to store all of our crap. Storage places can be found all over the US.


Offline Fidelis von Sigmaringen

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2019, 06:53:16 PM »
In a store above the ground there lived a hobbyist. Not a nasty, dirty, wet store, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy store with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbyist-store, and that means comfort...
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Offline Midaski

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2019, 07:54:13 PM »
Just a word of caution GP.

I have a large shed at the top of the garden which I planned to use for hobby stuff.
Electricity - lighting - heating - lots of shelving.
The idea was that I could go and disappear up there for hours of fun and leave things 'out' - not have to tidy up or put things away.  :biggriin:

The reality is I seem to 'forget' it's there - forget to go up there - then at the end of a day when I have done very little except lounge around, I wistfully think: "Oh I must spend more time in the Shen* on hobby stuff."

And that is a 30 yard walk to get to it.  :closed-eyes:


*   "Shen"   - A cross between a Shed and a Den. 
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Offline ZeroTwentythree

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2019, 02:15:31 AM »
Just a word of caution GP.

I have a large shed at the top of the garden which I planned to use for hobby stuff.
Electricity - lighting - heating - lots of shelving.
The idea was that I could go and disappear up there for hours of fun and leave things 'out' - not have to tidy up or put things away.  :biggriin:

The reality is I seem to 'forget' it's there - forget to go up there - then at the end of a day when I have done very little except lounge around, I wistfully think: "Oh I must spend more time in the Shen* on hobby stuff."

And that is a 30 yard walk to get to it.  :closed-eyes:


*   "Shen"   - A cross between a Shed and a Den.

I have been thinking about doing this but have not for several reasons. One is the Cleveland, Ohio weather. Anything I would leave in there would have to endure temperatures between -10 and 100 F. (Higher, if it's sealed up and baking out in the sun.) From having left various hobby supplies in my car before, I know those temperatures are not kind to paints, glues, etc. as well as resin or even plastic figures. Also, wild pests (especially wasps, ants, and mice) in our neighborhood seem to get into/infest everything. I wonder how others in similar environments deal with these issues. (Or does it not work?)

On a similar note, I shared an art studio in an old factory -- probably similar to your setup, GP. It was an old building partitioned off into studios & work spaces of various sizes. (Artists, band rehearsal spaces, very small scale manufacturing, a few offices.) My friend and I had a 20' x 60' space with a rolling "barn door". It was heated, but no AC (and could get a bit warm in Summer.) He decided to give up his portion and I decided not to seek another studio mate. (At the time I was mostly using it as an office for design work, which I could do at home.) If I ever get back into regular gaming and my living conditions don't change, I would definitely consider looking for a space like that -- especially if the cost could be split between a few people.


Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2019, 10:18:19 AM »
I am a bit afraid of putting it all in a storage unit, and then not doing anything with it.  The problem of things being out of sight, is they can become out of mind quickly.  Except currently it is all in sight, unorganized, and nothing is being worked on anyway.

I want to rent the space, and make sure I have plenty of space to lay it all out, and start sorting through it.  It's going to need to be a dedicated undertaking to make it happen.  If I can get it accomplished, I imagine things could be more fun on the other side.

I actually want a spot where it can all be laid out and organized, and then get it back closer to home, and then use it more.  Although need to find a better home, too. The latter is another one of those dedicated undertakings that I have been haphazardly looking for along the way.

I've had my other furniture and boxed up stuff at the current storage location for almost two years.  It is clean, no pests around, and temperature controlled, which are all wonderful things to have.  However, don't want to leave my hobby stuff in such a nice spot for too long, and eventually want to get my hobby things back into my home as quickly as possible.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2019, 10:20:33 AM by GamesPoet »
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline ZeroTwentythree

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #11 on: September 06, 2019, 01:53:06 AM »
Just pack the furniture from one of your rooms at home into the storage unit, and make that room a hobby room at home. For example, how much do you really need a bed, for example?

Offline KTG17

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2019, 03:19:08 AM »
How about this, divide your stuff into three groups:

Tier 1 - The most prized posessions
Tier 2 - Nice to haves
Tier 3 - Taking up space and time from 1 and 2

Get rid of 3, put 2 in storage, and concentrate on 1 at your home.

Offline ZeroTwentythree

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2019, 04:36:33 AM »
I'm contemplating my own advice. Maybe my daughter can sleep on a pillow in the dining room, next to the dog. I can claim her room as hobby space.  :engel:

Offline StealthKnightSteg

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #14 on: September 06, 2019, 06:58:25 AM »
Or just have a 5 bedroom house with an attic and a shed (brick one for gardening stuff and bikes)

I have all my need to be dry stuff I don't really need in the attic and got one of the bedrooms as my hobby room (though I still paint at the dinner table downstairs..)

If there would be any stuff that I can't put away in the house anymore then I probably don't need it anymore.. getting a storage unit for stuff that I won't use at all is just waste of space and money to keep such a storage unit.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

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Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #15 on: September 06, 2019, 08:14:27 AM »
Just pack the furniture from one of your rooms at home into the storage unit, and make that room a hobby room at home. For example, how much do you really need a bed, for example?
:icon_lol:

If you saw my "living" room, that's where half the hobby stuff has been dumped for the last two years since my last move.  For furniture there is ... a desk, chair, book shelves, a filing cabinet or two, a T.V. that hardly ever gets watched.  Oh and then all the boxes of books and hobby stuff that need to be sorted through filling up the rest of the 156 square foot floor space.

Did I mention I have hobby stuff in my dining room?  And of course there is the bedroom too. :icon_rolleyes:

Thankfully none in my kitchen.  Unless ya count the rather large combined space of the kitchen and dining area as one room. :icon_mrgreen:

Seriously, not much hobby stuff in the "dining" room. But the bedroom has more books and hobby stuff, and we'll leave it at that. :icon_lol:
« Last Edit: September 06, 2019, 08:38:58 AM by GamesPoet »
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2019, 08:37:49 AM »
How about this, divide your stuff into three groups:

Tier 1 - The most prized posessions
Tier 2 - Nice to haves
Tier 3 - Taking up space and time from 1 and 2

Get rid of 3, put 2 in storage, and concentrate on 1 at your home.
An interesting idea.  Although for the moment my organization is initially going to go something like this ...

Sci-Fi ... definitely want to get my minimal stuff in this category all together in one spot.  This is mostly GW stuff for 40K, and really isn't much, mostly Orks, and then a miscellaneous hodge podge of Space Marines, Tau, and a bunch of figures from the defunct Wargames Factory outfit probably to use for IG or other humans.  Oh and there are the "bugs"!

Fantasy ... will take center stage, so to speak.  It is all mostly Empire, but I am branching out a little bit ... Orcs & Goblins, Elves, Rats (Skaven? They don't exist), Dwarfs, Ogres, WoC, Bretonnians, Westfalia Halfmen ... which leads me to the next category.

Historicals ... oh my.  The classification process for this, eek!  Not sure I want to list each category yet, and not sure I wouldn't forget a few.  This is by far the worst situation.  Way too many projects from Ancients to WW2.  I even have some modern forces for a fantasy 3rd World Imagi-Nations project.  It is all mixed up in various places and in much need of getting a grip on all of it.

Scenery ... not a ton of this, yet.  However, there are three 4x2 game boards, and a lot of projects started, plus more waiting for me to get my hands on them.  A couple of years back I started creating sloping hillsides for the Napoleonic era in Spain (maybe even Spanish Civil War, or places in Africa for Colonial era, or that 3rd World Imagi-Nations project I mentioned above), something I see as being a long term effort, and I mention it because these are big scenery structures that need a home.  I have a whole set of Mediterranean buildings I got from a recent kickstarter that can be used for fantasy and historicals.  The list goes on and on, and imagine this will end up taking more space than the miniatures.
« Last Edit: September 06, 2019, 11:39:38 AM by GamesPoet »
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2019, 08:40:53 AM »
I'm contemplating my own advice. Maybe my daughter can sleep on a pillow in the dining room, next to the dog. I can claim her room as hobby space.  :engel:
She might like that idea initially, yet suspect it'll get old after awhile. :icon_wink:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #18 on: September 06, 2019, 08:43:17 AM »
Or just have a 5 bedroom house with an attic and a shed (brick one for gardening stuff and bikes)

I have all my need to be dry stuff I don't really need in the attic and got one of the bedrooms as my hobby room (though I still paint at the dinner table downstairs..)

If there would be any stuff that I can't put away in the house anymore then I probably don't need it anymore.. getting a storage unit for stuff that I won't use at all is just waste of space and money to keep such a storage unit.
Been house shopping recently, maybe at some point.  In the meantime, no more one bedroom places for me, and looking for a two or three bedroom spot currently.  The storage idea is only intended to be "temporary".

And by the way, Midaski probably tells his wife that the shed is for his garden tools and bike too.  As long as your lady doesn't read this site, you can keep us apprised of how well the air-conditioning unit that sticks out the back of your shed is doing, and all those extra figures you've got hiding in there as well. If I need to delete this part of my post, let me know, so she doesn't see it. :icon_wink:
« Last Edit: September 06, 2019, 08:54:22 AM by GamesPoet »
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline StealthKnightSteg

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #19 on: September 06, 2019, 11:07:20 AM »
Or just have a 5 bedroom house with an attic and a shed (brick one for gardening stuff and bikes)

I have all my need to be dry stuff I don't really need in the attic and got one of the bedrooms as my hobby room (though I still paint at the dinner table downstairs..)

If there would be any stuff that I can't put away in the house anymore then I probably don't need it anymore.. getting a storage unit for stuff that I won't use at all is just waste of space and money to keep such a storage unit.
Been house shopping recently, maybe at some point.  In the meantime, no more one bedroom places for me, and looking for a two or three bedroom spot currently.  The storage idea is only intended to be "temporary".

And by the way, Midaski probably tells his wife that the shed is for his garden tools and bike too.  As long as your lady doesn't read this site, you can keep us apprised of how well the air-conditioning unit that sticks out the back of your shed is doing, and all those extra figures you've got hiding in there as well. If I need to delete this part of my post, let me know, so she doesn't see it. :icon_wink:

No worries there.. she enters the shed pretty often and there are actually bikes in there.. You do know we are dutch right? Like it's almost mandatory to have a bike here at least 1 per person, so 5 bikes in there... Where would I need to put them otherwise? :)

Besides it's just a one layer brick shed.. no insulation what so ever.. so it's damp and cold in there, as it is now it wouldn't be a very good location for me to put hobby stuff in there.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

Offline StealthKnightSteg

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #20 on: September 06, 2019, 11:08:19 AM »
I'm contemplating my own advice. Maybe my daughter can sleep on a pillow in the dining room, next to the dog. I can claim her room as hobby space.  :engel:
She might like that idea initially, yet suspect it'll get old after awhile. :icon_wink:

I think the dog will claim the pillow first thing!
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #21 on: September 06, 2019, 11:29:40 AM »
Or just have a 5 bedroom house with an attic and a shed (brick one for gardening stuff and bikes)

I have all my need to be dry stuff I don't really need in the attic and got one of the bedrooms as my hobby room (though I still paint at the dinner table downstairs..)

If there would be any stuff that I can't put away in the house anymore then I probably don't need it anymore.. getting a storage unit for stuff that I won't use at all is just waste of space and money to keep such a storage unit.
Been house shopping recently, maybe at some point.  In the meantime, no more one bedroom places for me, and looking for a two or three bedroom spot currently.  The storage idea is only intended to be "temporary".

And by the way, Midaski probably tells his wife that the shed is for his garden tools and bike too.  As long as your lady doesn't read this site, you can keep us apprised of how well the air-conditioning unit that sticks out the back of your shed is doing, and all those extra figures you've got hiding in there as well. If I need to delete this part of my post, let me know, so she doesn't see it. :icon_wink:
No worries there.. she enters the shed pretty often and there are actually bikes in there.. You do know we are dutch right? Like it's almost mandatory to have a bike here at least 1 per person, so 5 bikes in there... Where would I need to put them otherwise? :)

Besides it's just a one layer brick shed.. no insulation what so ever.. so it's damp and cold in there, as it is now it wouldn't be a very good location for me to put hobby stuff in there.
Don't tell Zak 5 bikes have taken over you're miniature shed.  He'll claim it's an example of paranormal activity, for sure.  Fortunately he mostly hangs out over on the Back Table, and won't see this.





 :engel:





 :icon_lol:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #22 on: September 06, 2019, 12:58:48 PM »
And I won't tell him my miniatures have taken over my living space, and I'm having to kick them out.  At least "temporarily". :icon_wink:
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Offline StealthKnightSteg

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #23 on: September 06, 2019, 09:01:09 PM »
 :biggriin: :icon_lol:
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989

Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Hobbying in a Storage Unit ...
« Reply #24 on: September 07, 2019, 05:31:43 PM »
Well ... it is official ... started renting a 12' wide x 17' deep storage unit.  It even has a window at the opposite end of the door with some decent light coming in for sorting, organizing, and maybe even gaming, if I get a table set up near the window.  It is located on the second floor, just around a couple corners and all the way down a hallway that dead ends just off the main circle of hallways.

Going to start taking photos as things move along, although need to learn how to upload photos from my phone to this site, too.
"Not all who wander are lost ... " Tolkien

"... my old suggestion is forget it, take two aspirins and go paint" steveb

"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

"Until death it is all life." Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra