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 merge households after marriage

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Moving in with your spouse is an exciting process. However, it is also a process that requires compromise and some difficult choices. You will have to agree on just about everything in a new household, from home decor to divvying up chores. Then there’s the question of what to do with all your items as you will have two households’ worth of them. An easy way to deal with them is to rent a self storage Seattle solution but you should go through the decluttering process first. If you want to merge households after marriage in a harmonious way, there’s some work to be done. This article will provide you with all the information you need to make that work easier.

How to merge households after marriage in harmony

a storage unit
A temporary storage solution can make merging households much easier.

Personal issues aside here’s what you will want to do to merge the two households seamlessly:

  • Organize your belongings
  • Be mindful of the space you have
  • Settle on a home-style you both like
  • Update your finances
  • Consider a temporary storage solution

The most important thing is to approach the whole project with a calm demeanor. It is very easy to get sidetracked by getting into a simple argument. Those have the tendency to escalate wildly, and that is doing no one any favors. Instead, if you simply can’t agree on what to do with all the duplicate items, simply utilize one of the Bainbridge Island self storage options for the time being. If there is no easy answer, it is sometimes best to “sleep on it” and revisit the issue later. Having more storage capacity helps greatly in that regard. But before you can store your items, you need to take inventory.

Taking inventory

The first thing you will want to do is go through all of your individual items. Chances are, you will have numerous duplicates that you can sell, donate, or give away. Once you have all the items listed, discuss the inventory. Try to be respectful of each other’s wishes when doing so, even if some decisions and choices do not sound logical. Some items have an emotional value far greater than their price tag might indicate, after all. This is also the time to consider whether you need to be making new purchases

In case you simply have too many items to sort through easily, the best option is to find a place for them in the interim. Since you might be needing easy access to those items, the best choice is to rent a portable storage unit. You can perform a quick search for portable storage containers for rent nearby, or simply contact PortaBox Storage and we will help you out. Another great benefit of storing your items is that you may find it rather easy to let go of something once you figure out that it is actually possible to live without it.

Minding the space

The size of your home is a very important factor when it comes to which items to keep. Instead of arguing who has the comfiest couch, consider the rooms in your new home and see which is the better fit. The best thing about this approach is that there is less room for argument. Your home dictates what you can and cannot keep, and no one can get mad about that.

a spacious living room
The size of your rooms will dictate which furniture to keep.

The best way to merge households after marriage is to figure out who is better at what, and then apply those skills. For example, you might be the one who has superior spatial awareness and your spouse might have better organizational skills. Two heads are always better than one, after all. Just make sure that you apply yourself to solving the problem and not get sidetracked.

Settling on a style for your new home

Your home needs to reflect both your and your spouse’s style. Each personality needs room to shine, and that means finding a style that will be acceptable to both. For some people, this may mean eclectic decor, for others it may mean a fully modern smart home. In either case, you will want to spend some time looking at home design sites and see if there is any particular one that you both like.

Most likely, you will need to purchase some home decor throughout the process, meaning that you might need a Seattle mini storage solution for the time being. You will want all of your belongings out of the way when you are remodeling, after all. A portable storage unit is the best solution, as you retain the use of all your items.

Merge households after marriage seamlessly by updating your finances

Having a clear financial situation after marriage is very important. You will want to change beneficiaries on insurance policies, figure out how you will be filing taxes, update estate planning papers, and similar. If you are wondering about how long should you keep records, defer to IRS guidelines on keeping records. Some papers are safe to throw away but some you might want to hold on to for a while longer.

shredded paper
Shredding the documents you no longer need is always a good idea.

When dealing with any records and business files, you may want to consider scanning and shredding the documents. This has the potential to free up a lot of space in your home. Back the scans on a separate drive, as well as on cloud storage. It is also a good idea to destroy any papers that contain your personal information before you trash them.

A temporary storage solution can be the answer to many issues

The fact of the matter is that combining two households comes with a LOT of items. Unless you are moving into a much larger home, and even then, you will need to figure out what to do with them. By utilizing a temporary storage solution, you will have the chance to figure things out in a much more convenient manner. Having a portable storage container available will make life a little less stressful and will provide you with an easier way to merge households after marriage.

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