Renovate to add value to your home

A spruce of your home here and there can go a long way in terms of adding value, or if you just fancy a change. We’ve come up with a selection of helpful tips to make renovating your home as pain free as booking your storage with Big Yellow… The power of planning Leave sufficient time for planning and building, setting a realistic budget. There’s a lot to consider – workmen’s time, painting, decorations, and don’t forget a place to store your belongings while the work is going on. Big Yellow can help you with storage without blowing your budget – you can store from as little as seven days, and with prices starting at £2.85 a week, you can’t go wrong. Peace of mind Sometimes you could do with a little help for the larger jobs, so outsourcing support […]

8th January 2015
Business Blog - Did you know? - Features - News

Cohabiting couples ditch prized possessions in favour of a quiet life

Half of British cohabiting couples admit to regularly fighting over clutter in their home, bickering 32 times a year on average, our latest research reveals. Londoners are the most likely in the UK to argue about space, with one in 10 arguing at least once a week. These arguments lead to the typical couple throwing away £241.50 worth of possessions they would rather keep, with clothes (42%), furniture (36%) and books (33%) most likely to face the chop. Meanwhile, some go to extreme lengths to get rid of their partner’s clutter with one in eight (12%) admitting they’ve ‘accidentally’ broken one of their other half’s prized possessions so they can bin it. This rises to one in four (25%) for sneaky couples in Newcastle. In one in 10 cases, a lack of space has instigated a move into separate properties […]

12th December 2014
Features

Make the most from your house sale by de-cluttering

If the recent overhaul of the stamp duty land tax has prompted you to think more about moving home in 2015, you will need to ensure your home is tip top to stand out from other properties on the market. One of the best ways to do this is by de-cluttering. Our recent research reveals that not only does clutter deter buyers from making an offer, but homes that appear more spacious are likely to clinch a higher sale price. Two thirds of sellers who de-cluttered before viewings received a higher offer than expected – an impressive £4,811 more, on average.43% of house buyers admit that in hindsight they’ve made a higher offer on a property because it had been de-cluttered and they thought it was bigger. As well as clutter, bug bears that put buyers off making an offer […]

9th December 2014
Features

Room at the inn?

Our research has found that 22% of people dread Christmas gatherings due to a lack of space. While Christmas is a time for family, when they descend all at once it is best to be prepared and try to make the most of the space you have. First things first, if they’re staying the night (or for a few days) you’ll need plenty of space for them to lay their weary head at the end of a fun filled day. Sofa beds always come in handy at this time but if you don’t have one then a good air mattress is comfortable and doesn’t take up too much room (store it inside a suitcase when not in use). At Big Yellow we offer a range of storage spaces which you can hire for as little as one week. These are […]

9th December 2014
Features

Out with the old, in with 2015

We’re all guilty of making resolutions and not sticking to them (we’ve heard that a quarter of the nation doesn’t even make it past the first week). Why not make 2015 the year to make that resolution happen. We’ve put together some resolutions you could start tomorrow… and stick to… if you really want? Get fit After all that Christmas indulgence, a lifetime on the sofa and a few too many on too many occasions, why wouldn’t you want to get back to your best in January? While summer might seem far away, it’s only six months until you’ll need to think about revealing that body beautiful at your closest beach, park or lido. Why not think about a home gym? Reclaim space in your spare room or garage by moving the contents into Big Yellow. We offer flexible storage […]

9th December 2014
Features - Wine Blog

Add some fizz to your festive season

Whether you’re a fan of Cava, Crémant, Prosecco, Sekt or Champagne, our resident wine expert Matthew Wicksteed – based at our Fulham store where we have specialized wine cellars – shares his top tips to make your Christmas sparkle. Let it rest Sparkling wine should always be stored horizontally (to keep the corks moist) in a cool, dry, dark place. If you’re storing champagne, the bubbles will become smaller over time; consequently most vintage champagnes are released at their peak in order to be best enjoyed. Keep it cold If your champers starts out cold and stays that way, chances are that it will retain more bubbles. If time is of the essence and you’ve only got minutes to spare then here’s a guide to keeping your fizz frosty: o 30 minutes: lay it in the fridge o 15 minutes: […]

29th October 2014
Did you know? - Features

Estate agents don rubber gloves to help clinch a sale

Despite bad press it seems that some estate agents are getting their hands dirty to help their sellers clinch that all-important sale. In fact, some of them take a lot of pride in the houses they’re offering to potential buyers and some will even get their hands dirty to help you make the move. Many of them have had to clean properties and hide items ahead of viewings: over a third (36%) have had to open windows to get rid of smells, 31% have pushed things under a bed and 29% have tidied up mess. Others have resorted to age-old tactics to increase desirability, including turning on lights to create the impression of greater brightness (22%) and brewing fresh coffee (15%) to waft through the house. Here’s a list of things some agents have had to do to make properties […]

16th October 2014
Features

Big Yellow wins Manager of the Year

Earlier this month the Big Yellow team took a trip to Stockholm, Germany for the Annual European Self Storage Conference, which is organised by the Self Storage Association (SSA). These annual conferences bring together all the main self storage operators across Europe to talk all things storage – marketing ideas, trends, operations etc. The two-day event includes a series of guest speakers from the industry and a gala dinner with industry awards. This year, we’re proud to announce that our Chiswick store manager, Ali Velayat, won the Manager of the Year award. We submitted Ali for the award based on his commitment to the company and general success during his time at Big Yellow. He has been a real asset to the self-storage industry after joining Big Yellow in 2008. He has managed four stores in his time and has […]

19th September 2014
Charities

On our bike for Millie’s Trust

The benefit of having a little extra space is huge, especially for the local charities that our Big Yellow stores support. But, we don’t just lend a hand with storage. This month Big Yellow Stockport is lending their feet to Millie’s Trust, a charity that was established in 2012 in memory of Millie Thompson. On the 22nd of September, Ben, Kev, Liam and Amy from our Stockport branch will be showing their support by cycling 450 miles on static bikes. That’s the same distance between our most northern store in Dundee to our one in Stockport. The guys (and girl) will be setting up exercise bikes, kindly provided by Pure Gym and sharing this very heavy cycle load over the course of five days. You can pop in to see them in action or donate online to show your support […]

12th September 2014
Features - Trend

We need some space

The first rule of an uncluttered home is to make sure there’s a place for everything. Yet city living means there’s often a limit on storage space – even if you don’t have a lot of stuff. Clever storage solutions are one thing. But once the space under-the-bed, under-the-stairs and on-top-of-the-wardrobe has been filled with your winter duvet, jumpers and scarves or perhaps empty suitcases from holidays past, what do you do? RIBA (The Royal Institution of British Architects) coined the term “rabbit hutch Britain” after it found that the size of a typical new terraced house has fallen from over 1,000 square feet in the 1920s to just 645 square feet today. The average UK home is lacking space the equivalent of a single bedroom but most of us have probably got enough stuff to fill one… maybe even […]