Moving to One of Toronto's New Condos? Assess Your Storage Options First
Dec. 14 2024, Published 3:00 a.m. ET
Toronto is the fastest growing city, not just in Canada, but in continental North America. The city is being transformed by luxurious condo developments that are attracting both celebrities and their followers. But if you plan on joining them, you’ll need to think hard about storage options before you sign on the line. Let’s find out more.
Home of Canada’s rich and famous
Drake is arguably Toronto’s most famous resident. He coined the city’s latest nickname of The Six, which refers to the city’s six main area codes of 289, 315, 416, 437, 647 and 905. But he is by no means the only celebrity to fall in love with the city and make it his home. Others include Mark Wahlberg, Shawn Mendes, Jim Carrey, Margaret Atwood, Kiefer Sutherland and Elton John, to name just a few.
Interestingly, The Six’s celebrity residents are no longer concentrated around the traditional upscale neighbourhoods like Forest Hill and The Bridle Path. Luxury high rise developments like 1 Yorkville and 10 Belair offer high-scale living and incredible waterfront views, all within walking distance of the city’s bustling nightlife. In fact, the only thing these condos lack is spare space to store all the belongings we tend to accumulate. No basement, attic or storage barns here! But that’s where external storage comes in useful.
Exterior storage is fundamental to Canadian condo living
You might have noticed that storage facilities have popped up across Canada's most populous cities offering heated storage units for householders. This is especially the case in Toronto, but it also applies in other popular and rapidly-growing Canadian cities like Vancouver and Calgary.
In years gone by, people used facilities like these for storing spare items of property that might not be needed from one year to the next such as spare furniture or items with sentimental value but little practical use. Condo living is changing all that. We can’t all afford to be like Drake and splash eight figure sums on 5,000 square-foot penthouses, so minimalist living in a compact apartment is the way to go.
That means placing anything of size that you don’t use every day into the storage facility. This might include sports equipment like golf clubs, books, even extra chairs or bedding that are only used when you have guests. It means the storage unit is more like an extension of your home, and you might go there every few days to grab something or put something away. So you need to choose carefully when choosing the storage facility.
How to find the best storage facility
From the above, one thing that becomes immediately obvious is that the storage facility needs to be convenient. One of the key benefits to living in an apartment in any major Canadian city is that everything is close to hand, meaning you can live day-to-day without needing a car. Obviously, that is negated if you have to drive three miles to get to the things you placed in storage.
Fortunately, as we mentioned earlier, secure and professionally operated storage facilities are rapidly appearing across Toronto, and other major Canadian cities, too. This means you’ll be able to find one that is quick and easy to reach, so you can use it to its full potential.
The second important consideration is temperature and environmental control. We specifically mentioned heated storage units earlier because winter temperatures in Toronto typically drop to around -5C (23F) during winter, and can drop as low as -30C (-22F) in extreme cold snaps. So it is even more important to choose heated storage in Canada than it is in other places.
Next, think about size. The major Canadian storage facilities offer anything from a storage space the size of a closet to something equivalent to a double garage. Obviously, this partly depends on what and how much to plan to store. For example, some of Toronto’s famous residents have valuable artwork, speedboats, even classic cars in rented storage. One point to keep in mind is this: While the price obviously increases according to size, the comparative cost of, for example, a 10x10 or a 10x15 unit is not huge. So if in doubt, it is worth erring on the larger size so you have extra space available when you need it.
Finally, take a look at security. Professionally operated facilities should have 24/7 security, double locks, CCTV and patrols. Toronto has a relatively low crime rate, but you should still take security seriously, as much for your own peace of mind as to guard against the risk of theft.
Organizing the storage facility
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A wise man once said that when you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. Let’s be honest, organizing your belongings in a storage unit is nobody’s idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon, especially in a vibrant city like Toronto where there is so much more to do. But throwing everything into a truck and then piling it up in the storage unit is a recipe for disaster.
Use proper stackable storage boxes for smaller items and write a few words to describe their contents on the side and the top. Then number the boxes and make a brief manifest of what is where. It is probably easiest to store this on your phone, so it is always to hand if you need to retrieve something at short notice.
Also, be sure to use some logic when placing the boxes and larger items in the store. Put items that you are less likely to use at the back so that you do not have to move things around too much when fetching the things you need more often. Another advantage of renting a slightly larger unit than you need is that you can stack things to each side and leave an aisle down the middle. This means that everything you have placed in storage is accessible and can be retrieved in a matter of seconds.
