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Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login FR Answered 24/7613-702-5501 Instant Quote Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login Guide Contractor Storage Solutions in Ottawa: Yards, Containers & Parking Get Your Instant Estimate Call 613-702-5501 If you’re a contractor in the Ottawa area, you already know the drill. You’ve got materials for three different jobs, a trailer full of equipment, and no good place to keep any of it. Your garage stopped being a garage two years ago. The driveway is a disaster. And your spouse has made it very clear that the lumber is not coming inside the house again. Finding affordable, secure storage close to your job sites shouldn’t be this hard. Here’s what we’ve figured out from years of working with Ottawa-area trades. The Contractor Storage Problem in Ottawa Ottawa’s construction and renovation market keeps growing. The suburbs are pushing outward — Stittsville, Riverside South, Findlay Creek, Kemptville — and infill projects are filling every available lot inside the Greenbelt. That’s great for business, but it creates a logistics headache. You need somewhere to store materials between deliveries and install dates. Somewhere to park equipment that won’t fit on a residential job site. Somewhere to keep your trailer and tools secure overnight instead of leaving them on the street in Westboro hoping nobody helps themselves. Commercial warehouse leases in Ottawa are expensive and usually require multi-year commitments. A 2,000-square-foot bay in the Colonnade Road industrial area can run $3,000+ a month, and most landlords want a minimum two-year lease. That’s a lot of overhead when your job volume fluctuates season to season. How Contractor Yard Rental Works Here’s the simpler option. At CFT Storage, we carve out a section of our fenced, gated yard and it’s yours for as long as you need it. Month-to-month, no long lease. You get a defined space to park equipment, stack materials, store vehicles, or set up whatever staging area your business requires. We have yard space at both our locations — Fernbank Road in Stittsville (handy for jobs in Kanata, Carp, Arnprior, and the west-end subdivisions) and Bank Street in south Ottawa (close to Riverside South, Greely, Metcalfe, and the whole 416 corridor). Both yards are fenced and gated with restricted access. Your materials and equipment aren’t sitting in an open field somewhere — they’re behind a locked gate in a yard that’s only accessible during business hours. Combining Yard Space with Container Storage A lot of contractors find that a combination works best. Rent a chunk of yard for the big stuff — lumber stacks, pipe, heavy equipment, trailers — and add a shipping container for the stuff you want locked up tight. Power tools, finish materials, hardware, anything that walks off easily. Our 20-foot and 40-foot containers are purpose-built for this. Steel walls, your own padlock, weatherproof. A 40-footer can hold an impressive amount of contractor inventory — we’ve seen guys fit a full framing package for a house build, plus hand tools, a compressor, and a table saw, with room to spare. The combination of outdoor yard space plus a locked container gives you the flexibility of a small warehouse without the cost or commitment of a commercial lease. And because everything is month-to-month, you can scale back in the winter when things slow down and ramp up again when the ground thaws in April. Why Location Matters for Contractors Time is money in the trades, and driving across Ottawa in rush-hour traffic on the 417 eats both. If your jobs are concentrated in the west end, a yard in Stittsville makes sense — you’re off Fernbank Road, minutes from the 417, and your crew isn’t burning an hour of the day fighting through Pinecrest or the split. If you’re working south — Barrhaven, Riverside South, Manotick, Kemptville — the Bank Street yard puts you right on the corridor. Your guys can swing by on the way to the site, load up, and be on-site before coffee gets cold. We’ve heard the same thing from a lot of contractors: they switched from a centrally located warehouse to one of our yards and saved 30–45 minutes a day in drive time. Over a construction season, that adds up to real money. What Contractors Typically Store With Us Every trade is different, but here’s what we see regularly: General contractors and framers: Lumber, drywall, insulation, OSB, hardware, scaffolding Landscapers: Mowers, trailers, stone, mulch (in bags), hand tools, seasonal equipment Electricians and plumbers: Wire spools, pipe, fittings, panel boxes, tool cases Roofers: Shingle bundles, underlayment rolls, ladders, safety equipment HVAC crews: Ductwork, furnace units, compressors, sheet metal Painters: Paint stock, sprayers, ladders, drop cloths, staging If it fits in a yard or a container and it’s not hazardous or flammable, we can store it. The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act sets out requirements for workplace storage of certain materials — worth a review if you’re storing anything regulated. Seasonal Flexibility Ottawa’s construction season runs roughly April through November. December through March, a lot of exterior trades slow down considerably. The beauty of month-to-month yard rental is that you can adjust your footprint as your workload changes. Need three container spots and a big section of yard from May to October? Done. Want to scale back to one container over the winter? No problem. We don’t penalize you for reducing your space, and we don’t make you re-apply when you need to ramp up again in the spring. Compare that to a commercial lease where you’re paying full rent twelve months a year whether you’re using the space or not. For seasonal trades in particular, the savings are significant. Getting Set

Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login FR Answered 24/7613-702-5501 Instant Quote Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login Guide How to Choose the Right Storage Container Size Get Your Instant Estimate Call 613-702-5501 Here’s a mistake we see all the time: somebody rents a 40-foot container when they really only needed a 20. They’re paying for twice the space, and half the container sits empty for six months. On the flip side, we’ve had people show up with a 20-footer’s worth of stuff and try to cram it into an 8-foot unit. That doesn’t end well either. Picking the right container size saves you money and frustration. It’s not complicated, but it does help to know what you’re working with. Here’s a breakdown of standard shipping container sizes and what actually fits inside each one. The 8-Foot Container — For a Couple Rooms’ Worth An 8-foot container is roughly the size of a large walk-in closet. Inside dimensions are about 7 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and 8 feet deep. That gives you around 450 cubic feet of space. This size works well for: Contents of one or two rooms (bedroom furniture, a desk, some boxes) Seasonal items — holiday decorations, patio furniture, winter tires A small workshop’s worth of tools and supplies Overflow from a renovation (kitchen appliances, cabinetry, flooring) If you’re renovating a bathroom and kitchen in your Barrhaven semi and you just need the contents of those rooms out of the way for a couple months, this is your unit. It’s the cheapest option, and you won’t be paying for air. The 20-Foot Container — The Most Popular Size This is the one most people end up renting, and for good reason. A 20-footer gives you about 1,170 cubic feet of usable space — 8 feet wide, roughly 8 feet tall, and 20 feet deep. Think of it as a single-car garage. This size handles: A full one-bedroom or small two-bedroom apartment The contents of a large basement or garage Business inventory, retail stock, or trade show materials A significant renovation where you’re clearing out multiple rooms Between-homes storage for a small family We see a ton of these rented by families in the Kanata–Stittsville area who are selling one house and buying another. You can fit a living room set, a bedroom set, a dining table, and 30-plus moving boxes in a 20-footer without stacking things dangerously high. Leave yourself an aisle down the middle so you can get to items in the back without unpacking the whole thing. The 40-Foot Container — For Big Jobs and Big Households A 40-foot container is serious storage. You’re looking at around 2,390 cubic feet — 8 feet wide, about 8.5 feet tall, and 40 feet deep. It’s the length of a school bus. This is the right call when you have: The full contents of a three-bedroom (or larger) house A contractor’s inventory of materials, equipment, and tools Commercial stock or seasonal business inventory in bulk Multiple vehicles’ worth of parts or workshop contents Everything from a major estate cleanout Contractors working jobs along the 417 from Kanata to Arnprior love the 40-footer. You can fit skids of lumber, bundles of drywall, a table saw, a compressor, and still have room to walk in and grab what you need. It beats renting warehouse space, and the month-to-month terms mean you’re not stuck with it once the project wraps up. Quick Sizing Guide Still not sure? Here’s a rough rule of thumb: Container Approx. Space Equivalent To Best For 8-foot ~450 cu ft Large walk-in closet 1–2 rooms, seasonal items, small reno 20-foot ~1,170 cu ft Single-car garage 1-BR apartment, big basement, between-homes 40-foot ~2,390 cu ft Double-car garage 3+ BR house, contractor materials, bulk inventory Tips for Making the Most of Your Container Pack Smart Heavy stuff on the bottom, light stuff on top. Disassemble furniture where you can — table legs come off, bed frames break down, shelving units stack flat. Use uniform box sizes so they stack neatly. Ottawa’s humidity in July and August can be real, so throw a couple of moisture absorbers (you can grab them at Canadian Tire or Home Depot) inside the container if you’re storing anything fabric or paper-based. Leave an Aisle Especially in a 20-foot or 40-foot container, resist the urge to pack from wall to wall. Leave a path down the middle or along one side. You will need to get to something in the back at some point — that’s a guarantee, not a maybe. Put Frequently Needed Items Near the Door Sounds obvious, but people forget. If you know you’ll need the camping gear in August, don’t bury it behind the couch. Same goes for seasonal clothing, tools you use occasionally, or that box of tax documents your accountant might ask for. Protect the Floor Containers have plywood or steel flooring. Laying down a tarp or old blankets before loading helps protect your items from any condensation that might form on the floor during temperature swings. Not strictly necessary, but it’s cheap insurance. When in Doubt, Ask We’ve helped hundreds of people in Ottawa figure out the right container size. If you describe what you’re storing, we can usually tell you within a minute which size you need. It’s not a science — more like experience. And we’d rather put you in the right container the first time than have you upgrade or downgrade a week later. Browse our container options or call us at (613) 816-5254. We’re at both our Stittsville and Bank Street yards, Monday through Friday 8–5 and Saturdays 9–2. Leave a Comment Cancel

Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login FR Answered 24/7613-702-5501 Instant Quote Storage & Pricing Vehicle Storage RV Storage Boat Storage Trailer Storage Self Storage Units Winter Indoor Storage For Business Container Rentals Mobile Site Offices Fleet Storage Contractor Yards Containers for Sale About Reviews Gallery Locations Login Guide Best Storage Options in Ottawa for 2026 Get Your Instant Estimate Call 613-702-5501 Ottawa’s real estate market has been doing its thing again this year. Houses are selling fast, condos are going up everywhere from Barrhaven to Orleans, and a lot of people are finding themselves in that weird in-between phase where they need somewhere to put their stuff. Maybe you sold your place in Kanata before the new one in Stittsville was ready. Maybe you’re downsizing from a house in Alta Vista to a condo and half your furniture doesn’t fit anymore. Whatever the reason, you need storage. And the options around Ottawa range from perfectly fine to wildly overpriced. Here’s what’s actually worth considering in 2026. The Three Main Types of Storage in Ottawa Indoor Self-Storage Units These are the facilities you see along Hunt Club, Merivale, and scattered through the east end — big buildings divided into individually locked rooms. You walk through hallways, ride an elevator, and find your unit somewhere on the second or third floor. The upside is climate control. If you’re storing antique furniture, important documents, or electronics that don’t handle temperature swings well, this matters. The downside? It’s usually the most expensive option, and lugging a couch through a narrow hallway and into a freight elevator gets old fast. Prices in Ottawa for a 10×10 indoor unit typically run between $200 and $350 a month, depending on the neighborhood and the facility. Downtown locations charge more. Places out near the airport or along Industrial Avenue tend to be a bit cheaper. Outdoor Shipping Container Storage This is what we do at CFT Storage. Instead of a room inside a building, you rent a steel shipping container sitting in a fenced, gated yard. Drive your vehicle right up to the door, load at ground level, lock it with your own padlock, and leave. Containers come in standard sizes — 8-foot, 20-foot, and 40-foot. They’re wind- and water-tight, meaning your stuff stays dry through Ottawa’s spring thaw and November rain. They’re not heated or cooled, so they’re not ideal for wine collections or oil paintings, but for furniture, boxes, tools, seasonal gear, and pretty much everything normal people actually store? They work great. The big advantage is price. Container storage typically costs 20–40% less than a comparable indoor unit. And the drive-up access means loading takes half the time. We have yards in Stittsville (Fernbank Road) and on Bank Street in south Ottawa. Portable Storage (Delivered to Your Door) Companies like PODS and BigSteelBox will drop a container in your driveway, you load it at home, and they either pick it up and store it at their facility or you keep it on-site. It’s convenient if you don’t want to make trips back and forth, but it’s also the priciest option — delivery fees, pickup fees, monthly rental, and often minimum terms. For a lot of Ottawa families, the math doesn’t work out. If you have a car or a pickup truck, driving to a container yard and loading yourself saves you hundreds over a few months. The Ontario consumer protection guidelines recommend getting written quotes from any storage provider before committing. What to Look for When Choosing Storage Location Matters More Than You Think If your storage unit is a 40-minute drive across the city, you’re going to dread every trip. Pick something close to where you live or along a route you already drive. If you’re in the west end — Kanata, Stittsville, Carp, Barrhaven — our Fernbank Road location keeps things local. South of the Greenbelt? The Bank Street yard is right on your way. Security Basics At minimum, you want a fenced and gated facility with restricted access. For container storage, having your own padlock is a plus — it means no one else has a key to your stuff. Ask about security cameras, lighting, and whether the facility has on-site staff during business hours. The Canadian Self Storage Association has a good checklist for evaluating facilities. Access Hours Some facilities offer 24/7 access. Others stick to business hours. Think about when you’ll realistically need to get to your stuff. If it’s just for seasonal storage and you’ll visit a handful of times, business-hour access is fine. If you’re running a business and pulling inventory regularly, extended hours might matter. Insurance Most storage facilities — including ours — don’t insure your belongings. Check your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy; many cover items stored off-site up to a certain amount. If not, standalone storage insurance through companies like Square One is affordable and worth the peace of mind. A Few Scenarios Ottawa Folks Run Into The between-homes gap. You sold your house in Barrhaven and the closing on the new place in Riverside South is three weeks later. You need somewhere to put an entire household for a month. A 20-foot or 40-foot container handles that without breaking the bank. The renovation overflow. Your kitchen is getting ripped out and you need the dining room cleared too. An 8-foot container holds the contents of a couple rooms easily, and it beats tripping over boxes in the garage all summer. Contractor staging. You’re running three jobs in the west end and you need lumber, tile, and equipment accessible without driving to a warehouse in Vars. A contractor yard close to the 417 corridor saves time and fuel. Seasonal vehicle parking. The RV comes home from Bon Echo in October and takes up half the driveway until May. Seasonal RV and boat storage gets