Storage when your new home is not ready

Northern Nevada has a lot of new construction, and a new build rarely finishes on the day the builder first named. A final inspection, a missing appliance or a utility hookup can move a closing by weeks. Meanwhile the old house is sold, the lease is ending or the buyers are waiting, and the moving truck is still on the calendar for a house that cannot receive it. This is a common gap, and it is easy to fill. O'Brien's Moving & Storage loads your household at the old address, stores it in the Sparks warehouse, and delivers it to the new home when the keys are in your hand.

At a glance

• Load now, deliver when the keys are in your hand
• 7 ft x 7 ft x 5 ft wooden vaults, from $40 per month
• Short or long term, so a slipped date is not a crisis
• About 2 to 3 weeks notice to deliver to the new address

The gap between homes

The gap shows up in three ways. The first is the sold house with a firm out date and a new house that is not finished. The second is a lease that ends on the thirtieth, with a builder who says the middle of next month. The third is a family that has already moved out and is living with relatives or in a short-term rental, with furniture sitting in a garage. All three are solved the same way: put the household into storage and take it out later.

Storage in this setting is usually called storage between homes. We describe it in more detail on the storage between moves page. This page is for buyers whose gap exists because a build is running behind.

How to plan around a moving completion date

Builders give a target and then confirm closer to the day. Ask for a written target date, and ask when the final walk-through will be. Then build the move in two steps. Step one is loading and storing at the old house, set to your out date. Step two is the delivery, which you book when the builder confirms the keys. Stored goods generally ship on about 2 to 3 weeks notice, so call 775-359-6683 when the builder gives you a firm date, not only on the day.

If the builder's date moves again, your goods stay in the vault and the delivery date moves with it. There is no need to cancel a truck or repack a house. That is the benefit of splitting the move into two steps.

1. Get the builder's target date and the walk-through date in writing.
2. Book the loading day at the old home against your out date.
3. Our crew packs, wraps and stores your goods in vaults at the Sparks warehouse.
4. When the builder confirms the keys, call the office on about 2 to 3 weeks notice.
5. Crew delivers, places the furniture and removes the packing material.

What it costs and how much space you need

Vault storage starts at $40 per month. Each wooden vault measures 7 ft x 7 ft x 5 ft, and the estimator counts the number you need during the free in-home estimate. You get 10 free heavy-duty boxes with that visit, so you can start on the closets and the garage early. Try the storage vault sizer before the visit for a first idea.

Because the vaults are in our own 30,000 sq ft warehouse at 2277 Glendale Ave, the same crew that loads you can deliver to the new address, in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, the Carson Valley or beyond.

Moving in once the house is ready

On delivery day, the crew brings the vaults' contents to the new home and places the furniture in the rooms you choose. New homes often have fresh floors and walls, so tell the estimator about stairs, narrow doorways and any protection the builder expects. Most buyers also want to confirm that utilities are on and that the walk-through items are complete before the furniture arrives.

If you are moving from another state into a new build in the Reno area, see how your move is booked and coordinated through the Bekins network on the interstate moving page.