Storage Services

Vault Storage

Our Own Private Vaults

Mantis owns its own vault storage facility in the Royal Oak area. When you store with us, your belongings do not go into a random unit at a third-party warehouse. They go into a private vault that we manage completely. From the moment we pick up your furniture to the moment we deliver it to your new home, you are dealing with one company throughout the entire process.

The process is straightforward. Our crew comes to your home, wraps every piece of furniture in heavy moving blankets, and loads everything into our vault. The wrapping stays on the entire time your belongings are in storage. Your items stay in our facility, catalogued and organized, until you call and tell us you are ready. We then schedule delivery, bring everything to your new home, and place each piece exactly where you want it. Same team, start to finish.

The difference between vault storage and a standard storage unit is organization and accountability. A standard unit is one rented space where your belongings get stacked and left without anyone managing what is inside. A vault is organized by customer. Your belongings stay together, inventoried, and managed by the same people who loaded them. We price vault storage month to month with no long-term contracts. When you are ready, you call. We deliver.

Facility Features

Private customer vaults, not shared units
Full furniture wrapping from pickup to delivery
Written inventory of every item stored
Month-to-month pricing, no long-term contracts
Climate-aware storage for Michigan winters
Single point of contact from move-out to delivery
Licensed, insured, and locally owned in Royal Oak

Moving & Storage

No Gap. No Juggling. Just One Call.

The problem with managing storage on your own during a move is the handoffs. One company loads your home. You drive to the storage facility to manage the unit yourself. A different company delivers when you are ready. At every handoff there is a chance something gets damaged, something gets lost, or the timing falls apart entirely. Mantis Moving & Storage removes the handoffs. We load your home, coordinate the storage, and handle the delivery — with your belongings wrapped and protected the entire way through.

This matters more in Southeast Michigan than people realize. Oakland County winters regularly push storage unit interior temperatures below freezing. A piece of solid wood furniture that went in wrapped comes out looking the same. One that went in without protection can spend a Royal Oak winter contracting and expanding until the joints crack and the finish checks. We wrap every piece before it goes into storage and the wrapping stays on until it comes out at your new home — whether that is two weeks or eighteen months later.

We work with storage facilities throughout the Royal Oak and Oakland County area and coordinate the entire storage period on your behalf. You do not need to manage the facility relationship, schedule access, or coordinate the transition between move-out and move-in. You tell us your timeline, we tell you what it costs, and we handle the rest. When you call to say you are ready, we schedule the delivery and bring everything home.

Move-out loading with full furniture wrapping and protection
Coordination with local and portable storage facilities in Oakland County
Short-term storage for renovations, home sales, and move transitions
Long-term storage for seasonal items, estate situations, and life transitions
Storage-to-home delivery with full placement and reassembly
PODS and portable container loading, storage coordination, and delivery
Staging storage for home sellers preparing a house for the market
Fully licensed and insured on every move and storage coordination

Mantis Moving crew placing wrapped furniture into storage unit Royal Oak MI

Why It Matters Who Manages Storage

What Changes When Your Mover Manages Storage

Most people treat moving and storage as two separate problems with two separate vendors. Here is why combining them through a single company in Royal Oak changes the outcome significantly.

Wrapped Going In. Wrapped Coming Out.

When a standard moving company drops your belongings at a storage facility, the moving blankets come off at the unit door — they belong to the moving company, not to you. Your furniture sits in a storage unit for weeks or months without protection. When Mantis Moving coordinates storage, the wrapping stays on from the moment we load your Royal Oak home until the moment we place your furniture in your new home. What went in wrapped comes out looking exactly the same.

Storage Loading Is Its Own Skill

Loading a truck and loading a storage unit for the long term are different disciplines. A truck gets loaded for one trip across town. A storage unit may hold your belongings through multiple Michigan seasons. That changes everything: how furniture is oriented, how boxes are stacked, what goes on the floor versus elevated, how air circulates. Our crew loads units throughout Oakland County with a system designed for storage duration, not just loading convenience. We stack for stability, not speed.

One Budget. Not Three Invoices.

Separate vendors for move-out, storage, and delivery means three sets of scheduling, three contracts, and three billing cycles. It also means that if something goes wrong between steps, each vendor points at the other. Mantis Moving bundles your move-out, storage period, and final delivery into a single written estimate. You know the total cost before we start. You deal with one team throughout. And if there is ever a problem, there is one company responsible for solving it.

Your Timeline, Not Ours

The most stressful part of combining a move with a storage period is usually not knowing exactly when the new home will be ready. Closing dates shift. Contractors run over. Landlords have strict lease start dates. When Mantis coordinates your storage, you do not have to scramble to re-schedule a delivery. Call us when the keys are in your hand, and we schedule the delivery from there. Your belongings wait safely until you are actually ready, not until a hard deadline on a vendor contract.

Royal Oak Winters Test What Isn’t Wrapped

Interior temperatures in non-climate-controlled storage units in Oakland County regularly drop below freezing between November and March. Solid wood furniture contracts and expands. Electronics suffer. Fabric upholstery is vulnerable to moisture accumulation. We do not just store your belongings — we choose the right unit type for what you are actually putting in it, and we load it in a way that accounts for six months of Michigan weather. Climate-controlled is not always necessary, but when it is, we will tell you clearly before you make that decision.

You Know What’s in There

A storage unit loaded under pressure by multiple people becomes an unmarked mystery in two months. Where is the box with the important documents? Which furniture is at the back of the unit? Mantis Moving creates a written inventory of every major item we load into a storage unit — organized by location in the unit — so you know exactly what is inside and where. If you need access to something specific during the storage period, you know where to look and we load the most likely candidates near the front.

How It Works

Our Moving & Storage Process

From your first call to the day your belongings are delivered to your new home, here is how Mantis Moving & Storage coordinates the entire process.

Free Estimate

Tell us your move-out date, your estimated storage duration, your move-in destination, and what you are storing. We give you a written estimate that covers the move-out, storage coordination, and the final delivery to your new home — all in one clear number.

We Load and Store

On your move-out date, our crew loads your belongings with full furniture protection and delivers them to the storage facility. Everything stays wrapped. We load the storage unit strategically for the duration of storage and give you a complete inventory of what is inside.

Your Belongings Are Secure

Your items stay in a secure storage facility in the Royal Oak and Oakland County area for whatever duration you need — one week, one month, or one year. We coordinate access and handle the logistics. You do not need to visit the unit or manage the facility relationship yourself.

Delivered to Your New Home

When you are ready, we load your belongings out of storage and deliver them to your new home. We reassemble everything we took apart, place furniture exactly where you want it, and do a final walkthrough to confirm you are satisfied. One company, start to finish.

Storage Situations

When You Need Moving & Storage

Every storage situation is a little different. Here are the most common scenarios we see among Royal Oak and Oakland County residents who need to combine a move with a storage period.

Gap Between Move-Out and Move-In

This is the most common storage scenario we encounter throughout Oakland County. Your lease ends or your current home closes before your new home is ready. You need somewhere safe for your belongings during the gap — whether that is two weeks or two months. We load your current home on move-out day, store your belongings securely, and deliver everything to your new Royal Oak, Birmingham, or Troy home when the keys are in your hand. You live temporarily in a furnished rental or with family while we hold your belongings safely.

Home Staging for Sale

Real estate agents and home stagers consistently advise sellers to remove excess furniture before listing a home for sale. A decluttered home photographs better, shows larger to buyers, and sells faster. For homeowners in Royal Oak and Oakland County preparing to list, Mantis Moving can load select furniture and personal items into storage during the listing and showing period — typically two to eight weeks — and deliver everything to your new home after closing. This is one of the cleanest staging solutions available because your belongings are professionally protected the entire time.

Home Renovation Storage

Kitchen renovations, bathroom remodels, and whole-home updates often require clearing rooms completely so contractors can work efficiently. Furniture and belongings left in a home during an active renovation are at serious risk of dust damage, paint overspray, and accidental dings from contractors moving through tight spaces. We load affected rooms into storage at the start of a renovation and deliver everything back when the work is complete — cleaned, placed, and reassembled exactly where it was. Renovation storage is typically shorter-term than move storage, ranging from a few weeks to a few months.

Home staged with furniture in storage for sale listing Birmingham MI

Estate and Family Transition Storage

When a family member passes away, moves into assisted living, or transitions from a large home to a smaller one, there is often a large volume of belongings that need temporary or long-term storage while families decide what to keep, sell, or donate. Mantis Moving handles estate transition storage throughout Royal Oak and Oakland County with care and sensitivity. We load and catalog the belongings from the family home, store them securely, and can coordinate multiple deliveries as family members determine where each item should go.

Downsizing and Decluttering

Moving from a larger home in Bloomfield Hills or Troy to a smaller condo in Royal Oak or Birmingham often means not everything fits in the new space right away. Instead of making rushed donation decisions during a stressful move, we can place select items in storage for a few months while you settle into the new space and decide what actually belongs there. Storage gives you the breathing room to make thoughtful decisions about belongings without feeling pressured by moving day timelines.

Portable Storage and PODS Coordination

PODS and other portable storage container companies deliver a container to your driveway and allow you to load at your own pace before the container is picked up and moved to a storage facility or delivered directly to your new address. Mantis Moving coordinates the loading side of PODS and portable container moves throughout Oakland County. We load your container correctly — maximizing space, wrapping furniture, securing everything for transit — and we can unload it at your new home when it is delivered. Ask about our PODS coordination service when you request a quote.

Climate-Controlled Storage Matters in Michigan

Oakland County winters regularly reach sub-zero temperatures and summers bring high humidity. For wood furniture, antiques, artwork, electronics, musical instruments, and anything moisture-sensitive, climate-controlled storage is essential. We help you choose the right facility and unit type for your specific inventory and storage duration.

Storage Unit Sizing

How Much Storage Do You Actually Need?

One of the most common questions we get from Royal Oak and Oakland County customers is how large a storage unit they need for their belongings. The answer depends on the volume of what you are storing, how it is packed, and whether you need to access it during the storage period. Here is a general guide to common storage unit sizes and what fits in each one.

5×5

25 sq ft

Small room contents, boxes, seasonal items. Good for studio apartment overflow or a single room during renovation.

5×10

50 sq ft

Studio apartment or one-bedroom contents. Mattress, small furniture, and 10-15 boxes.

10×10

100 sq ft

One to two-bedroom apartment. Furniture from two to three rooms plus boxes. Most common size for staging storage.

10×15

150 sq ft

Two to three-bedroom home contents. Good for a full apartment or partial home during renovation or a long move gap.

10×20

200 sq ft

Three to four-bedroom home contents. Full-sized moving truck equivalent. Most complete home moves fit here.

10×30

300 sq ft

Large home or estate contents. Four bedrooms, multiple living areas, or an entire office combined with home.

Not sure which size you need? Call us at (248) 773-4884 and describe your home size, the number of rooms you are storing, and whether you plan to need access during the storage period. We will recommend the right unit size and help you understand the total cost of moving and storing before you commit to anything.

What Goes Into Storage

Protecting Your Belongings During Storage

Not all belongings handle a storage period the same way. Some items are completely fine in a standard non-climate-controlled unit for months. Others need specific conditions to survive a Michigan winter or a humid summer. Here is how we think about protecting different types of belongings during a storage period in Southeast Michigan.

Wood Furniture

Solid wood furniture — dressers, dining tables, bed frames, antique cabinets — is sensitive to temperature and humidity fluctuations. During a Royal Oak or Oakland County winter, a non-climate-controlled storage unit can see interior temperatures below freezing. This causes wood to contract and expand, which over months can lead to cracking, warping, and joint failure. We recommend climate-controlled units for solid wood furniture stored for more than thirty days in Southeast Michigan. We also wrap every wood piece in moving blankets and stretch wrap before it goes into storage, which provides an additional layer of moisture and impact protection during the storage period.

Upholstered Furniture

Sofas, chairs, mattresses, and upholstered headboards are vulnerable to moisture and mildew in non-climate-controlled storage environments, especially during Michigan summers when humidity levels inside storage units can climb significantly. We wrap upholstered pieces in breathable moving blankets and avoid plastic wrapping for long-term storage, since plastic traps moisture against the fabric surface. For storage periods longer than thirty to sixty days in warm months, we recommend climate-controlled units for upholstered pieces.

Electronics and Appliances

Televisions, computers, stereo equipment, and small appliances should always go into climate-controlled storage for any duration in a Michigan winter or summer. Extreme cold damages LCD screens and circuit boards. High humidity causes corrosion on internal metal components. We pack electronics in their original boxes where possible, or in specialty electronics boxes with foam inserts when original packaging is not available. All electronics are clearly labeled in our inventory so they can be located easily during the storage period if needed.

Wrapped and labeled furniture in climate controlled storage Oakland County MI

Artwork, Antiques, and Valuables

Paintings, framed artwork, antique furniture, collectibles, and heirlooms require the most careful handling and the most controlled storage environment. We wrap all artwork in acid-free paper followed by bubble wrap and place framed pieces in custom-sized moving boxes or mirror cartons. Antique furniture gets the same white-glove wrapping treatment as solid wood furniture, with additional care taken to protect inlays, veneers, and carved details. These items should always go into a climate-controlled storage unit, and we can recommend specific storage facilities in the Royal Oak and Oakland County area that maintain consistent temperature and humidity for sensitive valuables.

What Not to Put in Storage

There are certain categories of items that should not go into a storage unit regardless of its climate control status. Perishable food, plants, flammable liquids like gasoline or propane tanks, hazardous materials, and live animals cannot be stored in any storage facility. We also advise against storing irreplaceable documents — passports, birth certificates, deed documents, medical records — in a storage unit where a water damage event or facility access issue could put them at risk. Keep documents with you or in a safe deposit box. Everything else we will handle.

Storage Inventory and Access

When we load a storage unit on your behalf, we create a written inventory of every major item in the unit, organized by location in the unit. If you need to access specific items during the storage period — to retrieve documents, retrieve seasonal clothing, or grab a specific piece of furniture for a temporary residence — we provide you with the facility access information so you can coordinate with the facility directly. We recommend loading items you may need to access during the storage period near the front of the unit so they can be reached without unloading everything.

Storage + Move Package

Ask about our combined moving and storage packages. We price the move-out, storage period, and final delivery together so you have one clear cost and one team managing the entire transition from your current Royal Oak home to your new one — whenever you are ready.

FAQ

Moving & Storage Questions Answered

How much does moving and storage cost in Royal Oak? ▼

The total cost of a combined moving and storage package in Royal Oak and Oakland County depends on three things: the size of your home, the duration of storage, and the distance of your final delivery. We price move-out loading, storage coordination, and final delivery in a single written estimate so you know your total cost from day one. Storage costs in Oakland County vary by facility, unit size, and whether climate control is included. A typical combined move-and-storage package for a two to three-bedroom home in the Royal Oak area for one to two months of storage runs in the range of $800 to $2,500 total. Call us at (248) 773-4884 for a specific estimate based on your situation.

Do I need climate-controlled storage in Oakland County? ▼

For most furniture stored in a standard unit for less than thirty days, climate control is optional but recommended. For any of the following, climate control is strongly recommended in Southeast Michigan: solid wood furniture, antiques, artwork and framed items, electronics and appliances, musical instruments, upholstered furniture stored through summer months, and any storage duration longer than sixty days. Oakland County winters regularly reach sub-zero temperatures and summers bring high humidity — both of which can cause irreversible damage to sensitive belongings stored in a non-climate-controlled environment. We always recommend the right unit type for your specific inventory.

Can I access my belongings while they are in storage? ▼

Yes. When we coordinate storage at a local facility in Royal Oak or Oakland County, you have access to the unit during the facility’s standard access hours, which vary by facility but typically run from 6am to 10pm seven days a week. We give you the facility address, your unit number, and your access code. If you anticipate needing to access specific items during the storage period, tell us when we are loading the unit so we can make sure those items are loaded near the front for easy access without unloading everything else.

How long can I keep my belongings in storage? ▼

Storage facilities in Oakland County and Southeast Michigan offer month-to-month rental agreements with no long-term commitment required. This means you can store for two weeks or two years depending on your situation. We coordinate storage for customers with a wide range of timelines — from a two-week gap between a lease ending and a new home closing, to multi-month renovation storage, to long-term family estate storage while families work through the logistics of distributing belongings. We will tell you upfront what the monthly storage cost is so you can budget accurately for whatever duration you need.

What storage facilities in Royal Oak and Oakland County do you work with? ▼

We work with a variety of storage facilities throughout the Royal Oak and Oakland County area including Public Storage, Extra Space Storage, CubeSmart, and several locally owned facilities. We recommend specific facilities based on your location, storage duration, item types, and whether climate control is needed. We do not have an exclusive arrangement with any single facility — our goal is to match you with the right facility for your specific needs and budget, not to steer you toward a commission relationship. Call us and we will give you honest recommendations for your specific situation.

Can you load a PODS container at my home in Royal Oak? ▼

Yes. PODS loading is one of our most common storage-related services in Royal Oak and Oakland County. If you have a PODS container, U-Pack trailer, or other portable storage unit scheduled for delivery to your driveway, Mantis Moving can provide the loading labor to fill it correctly and efficiently. We wrap all furniture before loading, maximize the container’s cubic footage, and secure everything for either local storage or long-distance transport. We can also unload your PODS container when it is delivered to your new home, wherever that is. See our labor only moving page for more details on this service.

What items cannot go into storage? ▼

Storage facilities in Royal Oak and throughout Oakland County prohibit certain items for safety and legal reasons: perishable food, living plants, animals, flammable or explosive materials (gasoline, propane tanks, fireworks), hazardous chemicals, stolen goods, and firearms without proper licensing. Beyond the prohibited list, we strongly advise against storing irreplaceable documents (passports, birth certificates, medical records, deed documents), cash, or jewelry in a storage unit — keep those with you or in a secure personal safe or bank safe deposit box. Everything else we can store safely with the appropriate protection.

Do you move belongings from storage directly to my new home? ▼

Yes. This is the most common final step in a combined moving and storage package. When your new home in Royal Oak, Birmingham, Troy, Novi, or anywhere in Southeast Michigan is ready for move-in, we schedule a delivery date, load your belongings out of the storage unit, and deliver everything to your new home with full placement and reassembly service. We place every item in the correct room in the position you want it, reassemble anything we took apart at move-out, and do a final walkthrough to confirm you are satisfied before we leave. One company from start to finish.

Can you move my home directly into storage without another home ready? ▼

Absolutely. This is one of the most common requests we receive from Royal Oak and Oakland County residents who are selling their home, relocating out of state, or in transition without a confirmed new address yet. We load your current home completely, deliver everything to a storage unit, and hold it there securely until you are ready for delivery — wherever that delivery destination turns out to be. We simply need the storage unit address when we book the move-out appointment. The delivery destination can be confirmed later when you are ready to move into your new home.

Does Mantis Moving provide insurance coverage for items in storage? ▼

Mantis Moving & Storage carries full cargo insurance and general liability insurance that covers your belongings from the time we start loading until the time we complete delivery. For the storage period itself, storage facilities in Royal Oak and Oakland County typically offer their own insurance programs that cover your belongings while they are in the unit. We recommend taking a facility storage protection plan for the duration of your storage period. Your homeowners or renters insurance policy may also extend to items in storage — check with your insurance agent before your move date. We are happy to walk through the coverage options with you when you schedule your move.

What Our Storage Customers Say