Founded in 1890, Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage the parent company of Portabox has successfully weathered many history-changing events including the Great Seattle Fire, WWI, the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Great Depression, WWII, the 2008 recession, and 9/11 among many other public crises. We are taking the current COVID-19 threat very seriously and will promptly adhere to any and all directives from local, state and federal government officials. Hansen Bros. and Portabox have been categorized as an essential industry business (moving & relocation) within the current mandate established by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

As essential services, we will maintain normal operations until such time as either company management determines we must close our offices or we are directed to do so by a governmental authority. We are taking extensive precautionary measures including the adoption of all CDC guidelines and the establishment of our own policies intended to minimize health risks for all customers, employees, contractors, vendors, and community stakeholders. We are proud to be able to support the needs of our customers during this crucial time but are prepared to quickly change course as required.

Stay safe together with Hansen Bros. and Portabox

The COVID-19 crisis is fluid and there are many uncertainties and factors outside of our control that may, with little or no advance notice, impact our delivery of moving & storage services. Please be aware the current crisis could potentially result in small inconveniences such as a delayed project start time or significant inconveniences such as the complete rescheduling of services.

Although there are many unknowns to be navigated, you can be certain that Hansen Bros. and Portabox will be timely and transparent in our communications regarding servicing your moving & storage needs, and our professional relocation consultants will work diligently to offer creative solutions in the event your project is impacted by the current health crisis.

Steps We're Taking:

  • Company-wide Implementation of all precautionary measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
  • Office staff and crews are being monitored daily for symptoms and/or known exposure by management and asked to go home, contact their healthcare provider, and self-quarantine as directed. Staff that experience symptoms and/or aware of exposure when not at work have been directed to stay home and notify their supervisor.
  • Office staff and crews are receiving daily briefings on precautionary measures and have been directed to follow them on and off the job.
  • Office staff and crews are being instructed to maintain appropriate “social distance” of 6 feet minimum between one another, customers, and all other people.
  • Office staff and crews are being provided with appropriate hand sanitizer and surface disinfecting supplies. They have been directed to disinfect truck cabs and moving equipment between each move to the best of their ability. These supplies will continue to be replenished as we are able, based on availability from retailers.
  • We are limiting visitation to our branch offices. If you wish to purchase moving boxes or supplies, please simply call in your order and we will happily deliver to your vehicle outside.

We are all in this together.  The team at Hansen Bros. and Portabox is proud to continue offering our services in accordance with the necessary precautions outlined above. We are here to make the process of storing belongings seamless & safe for you.

How to create an open concept floor plan

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Lately, open concept living has become quite the trend, and it doesn’t intend to slow down any time soon. Turn on your TV, and you’ll hear the words “open concept floor plan” very frequently. Followed by images of people tearing their walls down to open up the home. If your home is still divided into dedicated rooms, like a kitchen for cooking, and a dining room for eating only, it is time to modernize with the help of PortaBox Storage Seattle. In this text, we’ll explore how you can create an open concept floor plan, and how it can benefit you.

The benefits of utilizing an open concept floor plan

Today’s lifestyle, living, and entertainment have all shifted in a more informal direction. With that said, the idea of a formal home no longer fits our narrative. This means that we need to modernize our homes, and one of the best ways is with an open floor living plan. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, it can benefit you in many other ways, such as:

  • More space in your home without modifying the home’s footprint and foundations.
  • Allows more natural light to flow into the living area.
  • Lets you move freely through the home.
  • Lets you enjoy your living space to the fullest.

So, if you’re not sure where to begin with your remodeling adventure, here are a few crucial steps that will lead you to success.

spacious living room with gray chairs
If you create an open concept floor plan, your home will be more stylish and spacious!

Carefully plan out how you’ll create an open concept floor plan

Planning how you’ll approach the project is the first step toward success. If you want to open up your living space, take some time to think about what exactly your goal is, and how you want it to look. Think about your needs when it comes to living space. You also need to keep the size of your furniture in mind, as well as the number of people that will occupy the space. If you have some pieces of furniture that don’t match your design ideas, you can move them to Issaquah self storage. For example, you need to have a gap of at least 4 feet between the kitchen counter and the dining room table. This will allow everyone to comfortable walk between the two and pull out their chairs easily. If you have a larger room, increase the gap to 6 feet in order to keep everything proportional.

white kitchen with a dining table
Remember to leave enough room between your elements so people can navigate between them

Once you figure out the rough size of each space, decide which spaces need to be adjacent to each other. As you would imagine, these are called adjacencies. One of the obvious adjacencies is placing a dining table close to the kitchen, for easy serving. But at the same time, you need to think about your lifestyle and organization needs. Will the table be close to the kitchen for comfortable seating, or further away in order to serve as a workspace? Think about the eventual changes to outlets, doors, columns, or windows you’ll have to make. Will you need mobile storage containers Seattle for the duration of your renovation? Lastly, be aware of existing plumbing, wiring, and gas lines. If you move these, your construction costs may increase.

Linear or axial home layout?

One of the most important factors in your home design is deciding if your organization will be linear or axial. These terms sound complicated, but it is actually very simple. A linear layout arranges spaces in your home in a straight line. This makes the linear home layout a very flexible choice. You can be as creative as you want in terms of the size and shape of your spaces, so long as they link to each other in a straight line. An axial arrangement, on the other hand, has two or more key points in the home, such as a kitchen on one side, and a dining room on the other. The path between them is the axial space which plays a huge role in the design element and the definition of space. Just remember that every travel path requires at least three feet of room for optimal traffic.

Refine your open floor plan with the help of a design-build contractor

Even though gaining the necessary education is important for this project, you can still benefit greatly from working with a design-build contractor. They can inspect your home, examine your research, suggest ways to make the renovation more efficient, and see whether or not there are any issues that need to be addressed. These issues may include electrical lines which need rerouting, or load-bearing walls which require adjustments. Once the whole plan is finalized, the contractor will start removing walls to open up space. Of course, the floor and the ceiling will be patched and painted where necessary before the work continues. You can also consult with your contractor about widening the windows or adding skylights to let more light in. Additionally, you can create a better connection to the outdoors by installing slider doors or French doors.

two women trying to create an open concept floor plan
Your contractor can offer many interesting ideas for home remodeling!

Your designer may also suggest other options, such as raising the ceiling or remodeling the staircases. When you set out to create an open concept floor plan, your available storage room may suffer. When you knock down walls or widen the windows, you remove the space where cabinets and closets once existed. This is where you need to start thinking about clever storage solutions and inventory management apps. With the help of your designer, you can work out interesting and tasteful ways to include storage in your new living space. They can help you think outside the box, by creating a walk-in pantry or remodeling your garage to support storage room lost during construction.

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