Storage Ottawa — Secure Between-Moves & Short-Term Storage

FAQ

Two Storage Options for Two Different Customers

Most Ottawa moving companies offer one storage product. We offer two, because a between-moves customer doesn’t have the same needs as a long-term archive customer.

1. Vaulted Storage (For Move-In / Move-Out)

Your belongings are loaded into wooden moving vaults — sealed, palletized, individually labelled, and stacked inside our 10,000 sq ft warehouse. This is the right product when:

• Your closing dates don’t line up
• You’re staging a sale and need furniture out
• You’re moving long-distance and we’re consolidating loads
• You don’t need access between drop-off and final delivery

Vaulted storage is billed monthly, per vault. The advantage: no double-handling. Same crew that loaded the truck loads the vault, and the same vault gets delivered intact to your new home. We don’t shuffle items between trucks and self-storage units.

2. Self-Access Storage

If you need to retrieve items mid-stay (laptop, seasonal clothing, kid’s bike), we book you into a self-access locker at one of our partner facilities. We deliver, you access on your schedule, we pick up when you’re ready. This is heavier on labour fees on each end but pays off when access matters.

Not sure which fits? Our quote team will ask three questions and recommend the right one in writing. Get a written flat-rate storage quote — no obligation.

What’s Inside the Warehouse

Our flagship warehouse at 15 Bd Fournier in Gatineau (10,000 sq ft) and our Ottawa east-end facility at 2768 Sheffield Road handle the bulk of our storage volume. Both facilities are:

• Climate-controlled — temperature and humidity managed year-round, important for wood furniture, electronics, art, and instruments
• Monitored — 24/7 video surveillance with off-site recording
• Access-controlled — staff-only floor access, no public roaming
• Insured — your goods are covered under our $50K cargo policy while in our care
• Pest-managed — quarterly professional service contract, never an issue

We don’t store hazardous materials, food, perishables, plants, or live animals. We don’t store firearms, ammunition, or anything illegal under Canadian law. If you have specialty items — antiques, fine art, instruments, collectibles — let us know at quote time so we can pad and crate appropriately. Our white-glove furniture delivery team handles the high-value pieces.

Access Policy

For vaulted storage, access requires 24-hour notice and is billed at minimum 1-hour crew time (since we have to unstack vaults to reach yours). This is by design: it’s the trade-off that keeps monthly costs low and prevents shuffling damage. If you anticipate needing weekly or monthly access, choose the self-access option instead.

For self-access storage, you get 24/7 access at your partner facility on standard rates with no notice required.

How Long Can I Store With You?

There’s no minimum and no maximum. We have customers who store for two weeks while their kitchen is being renovated, and customers who’ve been with us for over five years while a property is in probate. Monthly billing is straightforward: prepay 30 days at a time, cancel any time, no exit fees.

What to Pack vs. Leave to Us

Storage protection starts with how items are packed. We strongly recommend our professional packing service for anything going into long-term storage — improperly packed items in storage are the #1 source of damage claims industry-wide. If you’re packing yourself:

• Use new, unused boxes (ours are linked from the Moving Boxes Ottawa page)
• Wrap wood furniture in moving blankets, not plastic (plastic traps moisture)
• Drain all fuel from outdoor power equipment
• Empty and dry all coolers and refrigerators before storage
• Don’t store batteries inside electronics — they leak

Four Simple Steps From Your Door to Our Warehouse — and Back

One quote. One crew. One clean process from start to finish.

Pickup

Our uniformed crew arrives on your booked day, pads and wraps your belongings, and loads them with the same care we’d use on a full move.

Transport

Items are transported in our own trucks to our secure warehouse facility in the Ottawa-Gatineau area — never left overnight in a driveway or a rental truck.

Storage

Your belongings are catalogued, palletized, and placed on our organized rack system inside a dry, indoor, professionally-managed facility.

Delivery

When you’re ready, we redeliver on your schedule — unload, unwrap, and place items where you want them. One call, door-to-door.

Storage Options

Your Belongings, Handled Like Our Own

Storage is only as good as the facility and the team behind it. Ours is built for moving companies, by moving companies — which means every piece of your home gets the same protection it would on moving day.

• Indoor warehouse facility — no outdoor containers
• Pad-wrapped, shrink-wrapped, and labelled
• Furniture protection on every item
• Organized, palletized rack system
• Restricted-access, monitored premises
• Professional, uniformed, insured movers

Pair It With

Preparing your items for storage

A little sorting before pickup makes the redelivery far easier. Six things our storage customers find worth doing:

• Decide what goes to storage and what goes with you. Keep daily-use items out of the warehouse so nothing has to be pulled early.
• Pick the timing. Book the pickup for the day before closing and the redelivery for the day after possession, so the crew is never waiting on keys.
• Empty and clean furniture. Drawers out, appliances defrosted and dry, mattresses in bags; we pad and wrap everything on the truck.
• Write a one-page inventory. Room by room, with box counts; we tag every item at pickup and you get the list.
• Label by destination room, not by origin. The redelivery crew places boxes where they belong on the first pass.
• Tell us about access needs. Vaulted storage is sealed until redelivery; if you may need something mid-stay, say so at booking and we set it aside.

More moving and storage questions

Everything Ottawa customers want to know before booking — cost, safety, timing, and availability.

How much does storage cost in Ottawa?

Cost depends on three things: the volume you’re storing (measured in cubic feet or pallet positions), how long you need it, and whether you bundle it with a move. Short-term storage during a closing gap is often much cheaper than a hotel or a self-storage rental — and you don’t pay for a truck twice.

Because every move is different, we always quote based on an exact inventory. Get a free, no-obligation quote →

Are my items safe in your warehouse?

Yes. Every item is pad-wrapped, shrink-wrapped, labelled, and placed on a palletized rack inside our secure warehouse facility in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. The facility is indoor, dry, dust-controlled, and restricted-access. And because our own crew handles pickup, storage, and redelivery, your belongings never leave our custody.

How long can I store my things for?

As little as a few days, or as long as you need. We offer month-to-month short-term storage, discounted long-term storage, and in-transit storage for long-distance moves. There are no long contracts — you keep control of the timeline.

Do you have availability this month?

Usually, yes — including for same-week pickups — but peak moving weeks (the end and start of each month) fill up fast. If you have dates in mind, book now or call 613-800-0917 and we’ll confirm availability immediately.

Can I access my items while they’re in storage?

Yes — partial retrievals are welcome. Because everything is catalogued and racked, we can schedule a redelivery of specific items (a bed, a dresser, a box of winter clothes) without you needing to unpack the whole stored load.

Is storage cheaper if I also book a move with you?

Almost always. Bundling moving and storage avoids double pickup fees, double truck charges, and any self-moving steps in between. We quote it as one job, not two. Ask us about our Moving + Storage, Packing + Storage, and Junk Removal + Storage bundles.

Can you store just a few large items (piano, safe, appliances)?

Yes. We specialize in difficult or oversized pieces — pianos, safes, gym equipment, appliances — because we handle them on moves every day. Our rack system and handling crew are already built for them.

Ready When You Are

Storage FAQ

Not every Ottawa mover offers its own storage — the 2026 comparison of Ottawa movers notes which companies do.

Is the storage facility climate-controlled?

Main storage zones are climate-controlled and maintained between 15-22°C with humidity management. Warehouse zone (unheated) is priced lower for items tolerating temperature variation.

What is the minimum storage term?

1 month is the minimum. Most bookings are 2-6 weeks. Shorter custody is possible under a day-storage rate.

Can I access my items while they are in storage?

Yes, with 48 hours notice. We pull your items from the depot and make them accessible during business hours.

Is my stuff insured while in storage?

Yes — included basic coverage is $0.60/lb. For high-value items you can declare a value and increase coverage.

How are items packed for storage?

Everything gets wrapped in moving blankets, padded, and placed on pallets. Fragile items go in boxes with paper cushioning.

Can I receive items in my storage unit?

Yes — e.g., online furniture purchases that arrive before you are ready. Tell us what is coming and we will receive, inspect, and store.

What cities do you deliver to from storage?

Primary delivery is anywhere in Ottawa region. Long-distance delivery (e.g., Ottawa storage → Toronto destination) is billed as a long-distance move.

How do I transition from self-storage to your Ottawa storage?

We pick up from your self-storage unit (Storwell, Dymon, public self-storage), load to our depot, store at lower cost per cubic foot. Usually saves 30-50% vs self-storage monthly.

Do you store vehicles, motorcycles, or large outdoor items?

Not vehicles. Yes to motorcycles, kayaks, patio furniture, holiday decorations, garden equipment. Weather-sensitive items go in climate-controlled zones.