What to do with all our stuff?

[Happydaze]

We built a very large shed in the garden to fit all our worldly goods in except the boat. It cost about £800 12 years ago to build and we use some of the stuff when we return and rent a flat for the winter and all seems ok.

 

[Slow_boat]

I spoke to a letting agent yesterday who thinks that a fixed six month let for our place fully furnished is viable, so we'll just put personal stuff we keep in the loft, the car on a mate's driveway and of we go!

Sorted!

 

[Hadenough]

I spoke to a letting agent yesterday who thinks that a fixed six month let for our place fully furnished is viable, so we'll just put personal stuff we keep in the loft, the car on a mate's driveway and of we go!

Sorted!

So was it? Sorted that is?

 

[KellysEye]

When we went long distance sailing we let a house and flat in Muswell Hill, London both were left furnished, tenants prefer that. Our own posssesions were put into storage and we sold two cars.

 

[phanakapan]

Give/throw/charity shop away most. Take photos of 'memory' things- you want to keep the memory not the actual object.

 

[temptress]

The plan is to rent our house out and go sailing. We'll probably be home to work in the winters, when we can rent a place to live for six months.

What do people do with all their stuff?

Swmbo is a hoarder but when we're away we don't miss all our possessions. A lot can go on ebay, freebay or charity and we reckon that stuff we want to leave for years until we come back for good can store in the loft with a lock on, but what about furniture and other stuff we'll be wanting in the winters? We don't want to have to furnish a house every six months then have the same problem again. Where to leave the car, clothes, for instance?

In the 90's I went off and just left behind everything as is with relatives looking after it a bad idea in the end.

When we left in 2001 we put our stuff (including furniture) into storage with Pickfords and left our car in the care of Swmbo's sister. We came back for a while a few years later and rented a house. Unpacking our stuff we realised we neither missed nor needed most of it. When we went off again we got rid of almost everything including the car - you can buy a cheap car with 3rd party insurance plus the AA for a few moths quite cheaply in the uk, then refurbished the garage (insulation/raised floor /pallets/shelving) and left stuff in there. Right now we are back in Ireland having just cleared the garage in London (to rent out seperaty) and shrunk our possessions to a few boxes of must keeps that can't fit in he boat. We have just put them in the loft of my mother's house here.

The longer we sail the more our boat becomes home. We treat spells ashore as glamping while preparing to get back to our real life aboard...

 

[grafozz]

I split my garage in two , built a wall straight down the length so tenants have enough for a car plus a bit of
storage . The cost was about £200 and thats it , security provided by the tenats and all our stuff safe and dry ,
for very little outlay .

 

[Hadenough]

I split my garage in two , built a wall straight down the length so tenants have enough for a car plus a bit of
storage . The cost was about £200 and thats it , security provided by the tenats and all our stuff safe and dry ,
for very little outlay .

Bit like your boat really. A Catagarage :encouragement:

 

[Liz_I]

I've just come across this sorry if it's late!

When hubby and I sold our house we bought a 20' sea freight container to store a lot of our house contents. This was with the view that we didn't know where in the world we would be when we finally swallowed the anchor.
Not only was everything documented but it was all efficiently export wrapped. The container was fully lined with 1" polystyrene foam & heavy tri-wall cardboard. (Fully means roof, walls and floor)!! In addition there was 50kg in 1kg bags of silica gel distributed throughout.
In April 2013 some 19 years after closing it's doors they were re-opened and everything and I mean everything was just as it was when it went in!! The secret is not to polish the furniture before it gets wrapped (paper furniture blankets & 2 thicknesses of corrugated paper). Wash, dry & thoroughly air clothes/bedding etc Hang in a dry place then put in heavy vacuum bags. The only things that will not do well will be leather but that will clean readily. Try and pack the container on a day with relatively low humidity if possible.
We had antique furniture. Oil Paintings. Soft furnishings and most surprising photographs which were all absolutely perfect.
As you are thinking of using certain items when you return to UK it would be possible to pack the front of the container, put in a 'false' insulated wall and keep the items you will need at the back. A Luton could work the same way as long as it was kept under cover.
Conversely how about a refrigerated unit they come ready insulated?