Storage in houses without a garage or cellar?

[chezchaos]

Where do you keep all your stuff? Really like a property with a boarded attic (which I haven't yet looked in) and a small garden shed. We will need space for all our camping gear and boxes of various keepsakes, books etc as well as bikes and scooters. Our cellar and outhouse in our current house are both packed full. The garden in the housr we're considering isn't big enough for another good sized shed or bike locker. This needs to be a potential forever home so wondering if we really need a property with a garage instead..

If it's your forever house, can you afford to Loft convert? Or could you declutter some of the stuff? Or is it all stuff you use regularly? We bought a house with a smallish garden in the full knowledge we'd never have room to extend, but decided we could live with that. plus the location is what swung it for us. We have no room for a shed either but do have a garage. If there's none at the property, could you consider renting a seperate garage/lockup nearby? Or even factoring in trying to buy one into your asking price?

I guess what this comes down to how much you really like the house and its location. We'd love a utility type room where we are but don't want to convert our integral garage as it's too useful as storage!

Our current house has about 2x2m of the loft boarded, plus a small shed. No cellar or garage. That's fine for us, but I have a very different idea of camping gear (ours, including roll mats, tent, sleeping bags and cooking gear, all fits in the tiny cupboard under the stairs, along with dog stuff and the gas and electricity meters. Shed just has room for 3 adult-sized bikes, lawnmower, ladders, tools and gardening crap... as long as its kept neat and tidy. And I think anything kept in a box and not seen from one year to the next isn't valued highly enough to deserve house room (does that sound a bit cold?)

If we have a hoarding vice it's books, but every room (except the bathroom) does its bit to house those... Book cases everywhere, and shelves lining every alcove. I wouldn't keep books in a loft, garage or cellar anyway, except maybe well wrapped in roofing felt (tip from a friendly archivist!)

Thanks both, yes could look at least a partial loft conversion in the future and we do need to de clutter! Will see what cupboards etc the house has for camping gear as we didn't really notice them on the first viewing. Not sure if there are garages for rent nearby but will check that out :)

Self storage, though it costs a fortune. Putting stuff in well-labelled translucent plastic crates means you can stack them and see what's inside. At intervals you can chuck it away.

We've just demolished our garage, to make way for an extension and it was rammed with stuff. Most of the things which will stay stored (camping stuff, few boxes of papers, old baby things) has gone into the small loft space. Bikes, tools and garden stuff is in our shed, well organised. I would never store books anywhere but in a bookcase. We have built ins all over the house, although I do cull regularly.

We have kept camping stuff under the stairs before now as well, could easily fit the massive tent, sleeping bags, airbeds, rugs, lamp and inflatable sofa under there.