Running out of space in your home? Well some folks are turning to storage units to solve their woes.

What do you think of when you picture outside storage units? When I think of storage units I think of those corrugated metal boxes with locks on the front that people stuff with their things and subsequently abandon once they realize that they can live without them. Oh yeah, and that the unit leaked and ruined everything anyway.

I certainly don’t think of a place that I would want to go to and hang out. Last month the NY Times featured people who have turned their storage units into home away from homes. Places that are complete with carpeting, air conditioning, cable television, and wireless internet.

[People] with more toys than space, are spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep their weekend wheels and gear in high style. In response, a growing number of self-storage units are ditching the bright lights, long hallways and sterile atmosphere to become destinations unto themselves.

For many people this is a solution for storing their boats, winter sporting equipment, or motorcycles; things that would be forced to live under a tarp in their backyard or take up their entire garage. For others the storage unit has become a destination that they purchase like a condo. In fact, many places are calling their storage units “condos.”

(photo credit: NY Times)

Do you picture something like this? No, me either.

These large storage areas, which top out at 2,000 square feet, hold not only sports cars and skiing equipment, but also pool tables and personal gyms, or as in Mr. Hunt’s case, a batting cage.

From the outside, the Idaho garages look like industrial warehouses with metal siding, roofs and roll-up doors. Step inside, and the units can resemble an art gallery or rec room. They have become places where people want to linger for a televised football game or a poker game in the clubhouse or just hang out with other condo owners.

While I understand the need for storing items like small boats and jet skis, especially when neighborhood associations prohibit the building of sheds in backyards, the idea of using a storage unit as a place to hang out is lost on me. Maybe I just don’t have enough stuff.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 6:19 am and is filed under In The News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.