If you need somewhere to put a houseful of furniture while the kitchen is ripped out, or you are moving and the dates do not line up, a storage unit across town is not the only answer. For mobile storage Devon homeowners and businesses can use Hiway Storage, a lockable, weatherproof storage trailer we park on your drive and move for you when you are ready. It is exclusive to 4Counties Hire and available from our Okehampton depot across Devon and neighbouring counties.
In this guide
What you get with Hiway Storage
The unit is the Hiway Storage BV126, a purpose-built storage trailer.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| External size | 12ft long × 6ft wide × 7ft high |
| Gross vehicle weight | 3,500kg |
| Access | Rear ramped doors for furniture and bulky items |
| Security | Lockable, GPS tracked, tamper-evident seals supplied |
| Weather | Weatherproof body |
| Siting | On your drive or a location of your choice; no planning permission needed |
| Towing | No towbar needed; our drivers deliver, move and collect it |
| Extras | Packing blankets, boxes, tape, sack barrows and tie straps |
There is no minimum contract, so you can keep it for days or months.
Four common reasons people use mobile storage
Home renovations and extensions
Builders work faster in an empty room, and your furniture stays clean and dry instead of stacked under dust sheets. With the unit on your drive, you can still get to things you need during the job. It also suits refurbishing holiday lets between seasons, a common job across the Devon and Cornish coast.
House moves
Pack at your own pace over a week rather than in a frantic day with a hired van. If completion is delayed, your belongings are already packed and secure. When you are ready, we move the unit.
Student moves
The unit is a sensible size for a student room’s worth of belongings. That is useful for families with students at Exeter, Plymouth or Falmouth heading home for the summer, or moving between halls and a shared house.
Business storage
Seasonal stock overflow, event equipment, archived documents or tools during a shop refit. The seals and GPS tracking make it easy to show the unit has not been opened or moved.
Mobile storage Devon: drive, van or storage unit?
| Hiway Storage on your drive | Self-store facility | Hire van and DIY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading | At your own pace, at home | Load a van, drive, unload | Everything in one day |
| Access to belongings | Outside your door | During facility hours, a drive away | Not a storage option |
| Driving | None; we move it | You drive the van | You drive the van |
| Handling | Once in, once out | At least twice each way | At least twice |
In rural Devon, where the nearest storage facility can be a long drive away, keeping everything on your own property saves a lot of time.
How mobile storage Devon hire works, step by step
There is no online booking. A short conversation lets us check your access and timings properly.
- Message us on WhatsApp with your postcode, a photo of where the unit will go, and your dates.
- We confirm the drive works, agree a delivery day and add any packing supplies you want.
- We deliver and position the unit, then show you the doors, ramp and locking.
- You load at your own pace, lock it and fit a tamper-evident seal if you want one.
- When you are ready, call us. We move it to your new address, take it into secure storage or collect it empty.
If your plans change, for example a completion date slips or the builders overrun, just tell us. Keeping the unit longer is usually a simple extension.
Checking your drive before delivery
Most standard drives work, but run through this before you book:
- Space for a 12ft × 6ft unit, plus room behind it to drop the ramp and load.
- Access for our vehicle to reach and position the trailer. Note narrow lanes, sharp turns, low branches or overhead cables.
- Firm, reasonably level ground. Gravel and tarmac are fine; soft lawn is not ideal in winter.
- Permission if the drive is shared, rented or on a managed development. The unit does not need planning permission, but landlords and management companies may have their own rules.
- Gates: measure the opening if the unit needs to go through one.
Send us a photo of the drive and the street on WhatsApp and we will tell you straight away if it works.
Siting the unit somewhere other than home
The unit does not have to sit on a domestic drive. Businesses sometimes place one in a yard or car park as a lockable store during a refit, and families occasionally site it at a relative’s property with more space. The same checks apply: firm ground, room to open the doors and drop the ramp, safe access for our vehicle and the landowner’s permission. Tell us the address when you enquire and we will confirm it works.
Packing tips
- Heavy items first, against the front wall, such as white goods, boxes of books and chests of drawers.
- Use the tie straps to secure tall furniture to the sides so nothing shifts when the unit is moved.
- Wrap furniture in the packing blankets to stop rubbing marks.
- Label boxes on the sides, not just the top, so you can read them when stacked.
- Keep a walkway to the front if you will need things during a renovation.
- Make sure items are dry before loading, especially garden furniture and anything from a damp garage.
- Do not store fuel, gas bottles, paint thinners or anything perishable.
How much fits in a 12ft unit?
The BV126 measures 12ft long, 6ft wide and 7ft high externally, and the usable space inside is a little less once you allow for the walls and door frame. How much you get in depends on how well you pack and how bulky your furniture is. As a rough guide:
| What you are storing | Will it fit? | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| A student room | Comfortably, with room to spare | Boxes, bedding, desk chair, small furniture and a bike |
| Kitchen contents during a refit | Usually, including a fridge-freezer and table and chairs | Keep a walkway to the front for things you need |
| One or two rooms of furniture | Typically yes | Dismantle beds and tables to save space |
| A one-bedroom flat | Possibly, with careful packing | Tell us the larger items so we can advise |
| A larger family house | Usually more than one unit, or store part of it | Ask us about options before you start packing |
The quickest way to get an answer is to send us a list of the bigger items, such as sofas, wardrobes, beds, white goods and garden furniture, along with roughly how many boxes you expect. We will tell you honestly whether one unit will do it.
Making the most of the space
- Dismantle beds, tables and desks, and keep the fixings in labelled bags taped to the furniture.
- Use the full height. Stack sturdy boxes of similar size, heaviest at the bottom, up towards the roof.
- Fill gaps inside wardrobes, drawers and washing machine drums with soft items such as towels and bedding.
- Stand mattresses and table tops on their edges along the side walls, strapped in place.
- Load long items, such as rugs and curtain poles, along the length of the unit.
Good packing can make the difference between needing one unit and needing two, so it is worth taking the time.
Planning a renovation around mobile storage
For a kitchen refit, loft conversion or extension, the storage unit works best when it is booked as part of the build programme rather than as an afterthought. This illustrative timeline assumes a six-week kitchen and dining room refurbishment in a house in mid Devon.
- Three to four weeks before: confirm the builder’s start date, declutter what you do not want to keep, and message us to book with your postcode and a photo of the drive.
- One to two weeks before: order any packing supplies from us, such as boxes, tape and blankets, and start packing items you will not need.
- A few days before the builders arrive: we deliver and position the unit. Load the heavy items first, then boxes, keeping everyday things near the doors.
- During the work: lock the unit each evening. If you need something, it is a few steps from the front door.
- When the room is finished and cleaned: unload at your own pace and let us know when the unit is empty for collection.
Builds often overrun. Because there is no minimum contract, extending is a matter of letting us know, not finding new storage at short notice. If you are hiring equipment for the build itself, such as a mini excavator or dumper for an extension, our construction equipment range can come from the same depot.
Holiday lets and seasonal businesses
Owners of holiday cottages along the Devon and Cornish coast often refurbish between the end of one season and the start of the next. A unit on site holds furniture, linen and kitchen kit while floors and decorating are done, and goes away again before the first bookings. Seasonal businesses use the same approach the other way round, keeping event equipment, stock or garden furniture in a sealed unit over winter. For mobile storage Devon businesses can keep in a yard or car park, the GPS tracking and tamper-evident seals make it easy to show nothing has been disturbed.
Moving house: two ways mobile storage Devon customers use it
Pack, then move in one go
The unit is delivered to your current home a week or two before completion. You pack and load at your own pace, without a van booked for a single frantic day. On moving day, or whenever you are ready, our drivers move the loaded unit to your new address, and you unload into the house over the following days.
Bridging a gap between homes
When completion dates do not line up, or you are renting short term before buying, you may not have anywhere to put your belongings for a few weeks. We can collect the loaded unit, keep it secure, GPS-track it and supply tamper-evident seals, then deliver it to your new home when you are ready. Your belongings are only loaded and unloaded once.
Moves within Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset are straightforward from our depot near Okehampton. If your new home is further afield, ask us what is possible.
Keeping belongings dry and in good condition
The unit is weatherproof, but what you put in it and how you pack it still make a difference, especially through a damp South West winter.
- Load only dry items. Damp garden furniture, rugs or boxes from a wet garage bring moisture in with them.
- Defrost and dry fridges and freezers fully before loading, and wedge the doors slightly open to stop mould and smells.
- Use breathable covers such as the packing blankets on wooden furniture, rather than wrapping tightly in plastic, which can trap condensation.
- Keep boxes off direct contact with the walls where you can, leaving a small air gap.
- Consider moisture absorbers for longer stays over autumn and winter.
- Bag mattresses and soft furnishings to keep dust off, and store them upright and supported.
- Check in occasionally on long hires, which is easy when the unit is on your own drive.
Loading without hurting yourself
Most moving injuries come from lifting rather than from the furniture itself. The rear ramp and the sack barrows we can supply take much of the strain, but plan the heavy items properly. The HSE’s guidance on manual handling is aimed at workplaces, but the principles apply at home too: avoid lifting what you can wheel, and think about the load before you pick it up.
- Use two people for anything bulky or heavy, and agree who is leading before you lift.
- Wheel boxes and appliances up the ramp on a sack barrow, rather than carrying them.
- Pack heavy items like books into smaller boxes so each one stays manageable.
- Keep the ramp clear and dry; wet ramps and loose packing material are slip hazards.
- Take breaks. Loading over several days, which the unit allows, is far easier on your back than one long day.
Before we move a loaded unit
If the unit is going to be towed to a new address or into storage, everything inside needs to stay put on the journey. Strap tall furniture to the sides with the tie straps, pack boxes tightly so nothing can topple, and fill gaps with soft items. Put heavy items low and towards the front, spread evenly from side to side. Check the ramp is clear and the doors close and lock properly, then fit a seal if you want one. Our drivers handle the towing; your job is to make sure the load is ready.
What affects the cost of mobile storage
We quote every booking individually. The main factors are:
- How long you keep the unit, from days to months.
- How many moves are involved: delivery and collection only, a move to a new address, or collection into secure storage and redelivery later.
- Distance from our depot near Okehampton and between addresses.
- Packing supplies you add, such as boxes, blankets, tape, sack barrows and tie straps.
Every mobile storage Devon booking is priced on those details, so the more you tell us at the start, the more accurate the quote. A useful first message includes:
- Your postcode, and the new address if you are moving.
- A photo of the drive and the road outside.
- Your start date and roughly how long you need the unit.
- A short list of the larger items you plan to store.
- Any packing supplies you would like delivered with the unit.
Hiway Storage is exclusive to 4Counties Hire, part of the Conagri Group; you can read more about us and how we work.
If you are planning building work alongside your move, the Planning Portal explains when permission is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a towbar to use Hiway Storage?
No. We deliver the unit, and when you are ready, our drivers move or collect it for you.
Can you store the unit somewhere else for me?
Yes. We can collect it, GPS track it and supply tamper-evident seals so your belongings stay secure between moves. Ask us about the options.
Are my belongings insured in the unit?
Check with your home contents insurer whether goods in a storage trailer on your property are covered, and ask us about anything you are unsure of before loading. More general answers are on our hire FAQ page.
How much will fit inside?
The unit measures 12ft × 6ft × 7ft externally. It suits a student room or the contents of a couple of rooms. For a large house, tell us what you have and we will advise.
Can I get into the unit while it is on my drive?
Yes. That is one of the main benefits. Open it whenever you need something, then lock it again. Keep a walkway clear inside if you expect to need regular access.
Is there a minimum hire period?
There is no minimum contract. Keep the unit for a few days or several months, and extend if your plans change.
Can the unit go on the road outside my house?
We site units on private ground such as a drive, yard or car park, with the owner’s permission. If you have no off-road space, talk to us before booking so we can discuss alternatives, such as storing the unit for you.
Book Hiway Storage
WhatsApp or call 07841 036064 (Mon–Fri, 7:30am–5:30pm) with your postcode, a photo of the drive, your dates and what you plan to store. For written quotes, fleet enquiries or account set-up, use our contact page or email info@conagri.co.uk.
More on the unit and our plant trailers is on the trailers and mobile storage page.
