Nueva Información Para Nuestros Clientes Durante COVID-19: Nosotros Estamos Aquí Para Ayudar

Nosotros hemos estado trabajando muy duro para estabilizar cambios con la esperanza de servir de manera más segura durante el coronavirus pandemia. La instalación de nuestro nuevo sistema de acceso por la ventanilla esta pronto a finalizar. Estará completo y listo para operación el lunes, 20 de April. La ventana estará disponible por el lado izquierdo de la puertaprincipal de la oficina. Tendremos un sistema de comunicación y un cajón de servicio para procesar todo tipo de transacción incluyendo alquiler de espacios, llaves de acceso, documentos y pagos en horario de oficina.

Nosotros continuaremos a ofrecer servicios sin contacto incluyendo nuevos alquileres de espacios o transferencias usando la firma electrónica para completar nuestras opciones por ventanilla de camino. Por la seguridad de todos, nuestra oficina se mantendrá un ambiente solamente de empleados hasta que las autoridades levanten significantemente las reglas de distancia sociales. Durante este tiempo nuestro equipo de campo continuara trabajando tiempo completo en el mantenimiento para mantener la facilidad seguro, limpio y completamente disponible. Nosotros seguimos cumpliendo las reglas federales y locales de distancia sociales por seguridad de los empleados.

Nuestra oficina se mantendrá abierto durante las mismas horas: Lunes a Viernes 9am a 5pm.

Como un establecimiento pequeño que sirve a otras compañías pequeñas y contratistas independientes locales, sufrimos bastantes desafíos durante esta etapa inesperada de crisis económica. Trabajamos juntos todos los días para nuestra compañía pequeña y todos los negocios que nuestro trabajo suporta. Sera nuestra intención a continuar las operaciones de nuestro negocio en la manera más segura para todos.

Gracias por su apoyo,

Gateway Storage Center

We are here for you during Coronavirus.

In the best interest of our staff, our customers and the community, we have transitioned our front office to a staff-only environment, until further notice. We have a large open-air parking lot in front of the office to conduct business while maintaining a minimum of six feet of personal distance and we are developing processes to make payment and space rentals contact-free. While it may feel unusual, when we all comply with social distancing standards, we are doing our part to slow the spread of Coronavirus in our area. We appreciate your patience while we make changes to our processes.

Our office hours will remain the same: Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST. Please, call or email us ahead of your visit to help us prepare items such as documents or gate access devices in advance of your arrival. We are able to conduct almost all business by phone and using secure e-signature technology, from which you can sign documents from your smartphone, tablet or computer. Checks and money order payments may be remitted to the drop box, as well as cash during office hours. Please call, email or text us when you are placing cash in the drop box so that we can retrieve it in a timely manner and email your receipt.

Along with the measures discussed in our email last week, we are continuing to wipe down and disinfect gate access devices, gate exit buttons and high-touch surfaces regularly.

As a small business that serves many other small businesses and local independent contractors, we face additional challenges during this unprecedented economic crisis. It’s our intention to continue to operate our business in the safest possible way for everyone. Thank you for your support.

Yours in Good Health,

Ty Chambers, President
Amanda Harder, Director

******************************************************* updated 3/26

¡Estamos Abierto y Listo Para Servir!

Estamos aqui por ustedes durante Coronavirus.

Por el mejor interés de nuestros trabajadores, consumidores, y la comunidad, hemos transformado nuestras oficinas frontales para ser un ambiente solamente de trabajadores, hasta futuro aviso. Estaremos conduciendo negocios en nuestra amplia área de estacionamiento mientras se mantiene una mínima distancia de síes pies de espacio personal y estaremos desarrollando procesos sin contacto para ser pagos y alquiler de espacios. Si bien puede parecer inusual, cuando cumplimos con las reglas de distancias sociales, estamos haciendo nuestro trabajo para frenar la propagación de el Coronavirus en nuestras áreas. Les agradecemos su paciencia mientras hacemos cambios a nuestros procesos.

Nuestras oficinas esteran abiertas de la misma hora: De lunes a viernes de 9am a 5pm EST. Por favor, llámanos o mándenos correo electrónico con tiempo de aviso para asegurar que nos preparamos para su visita con artículos como documentos o llaves de accesos para las entradas. Estaremos disponibles para conducir la mayoría de nuestros negocios por teléfono, utilizando tecnología segura de firma electrónica que deja firmar sus documentos desde sus dispositivos electrónicos. Los cheques y los pagos de giros postales pueden remitirse al buzón, así como efectivo durante las horas de oficina. Por favor llámanos o mándanos texto o correo electrónico cuando pongan un pago dentro el buzón para que lo podemos procesar en una manera rápida y responder con un recibo por correo electrónico.

Juntos con las reglas discutidas dentro nuestro correo electrónico de la semana pasada, continuamos a limpiar y desinfectar regularmente los artículos de llaves de acceso, botones de salida de la puerta y superficies de alto contacto.

Como un establecimiento pequeño que sirve a otras compañías pequeñas y contratistas independientes locales, sufrimos bastantes desafíos durante esta etapa inesperada de crisis económica. Sera nuestra intención a continuar las operaciones de nuestro negocio en la manera mas segura para todos. Gracias por su apoyo.

Sinceramente en buena salud,

Ty Chambers, President
Amanda Harder, Director

Occasionally our staff at Gateway Storage receives requests for indoor storage for a car, boat, trailer or recreational vehicle. Most of these inquiries are from out of state customers moving into the area from a climate with harsher weather elements than Northern Virginia. Covered RV Storage is much more popular in parts of the country with stronger UV rays or heavy snows. Here in the Mid-Atlantic we have a fairly balanced climate. Most vehicles are designed to withstand long periods of time stored outside, uncovered in our assigned parking and storage spaces.

We allow car and other vehicle covers as long as they are securely installed on the vehicle.

Boat Covers

For boats, consider the angle on which it is stored. We recommend parking the boat with the rear on a slightly lower angle than the front so that rain and other moisture runs off the cover instead of pooling.

Car Covers

Many commercial quality car covers are made to last a certain number of years. They will need to be replaced regularly to ensure adequate protection. We inspect our storage spaces and call customers whose covers are deteriorating so they can be replaced.

Types of Car Covers:

• Outdoor Car Covers protect your car year-round and often feature a multi-layered design to protect your car from dings, debris, and weather damage
• Indoor Car Covers protect against scratches, dings, dust, and condensation
• Custom Car Covers hug every curve of your car, from your side mirrors to headlights, you are covered
• Universal Car Covers protect your car without taking a bite out of your wallet. They are made in a variety of sizes and styles to project your car and save you some money.

Move Your Unregistered Car for Storage Affordably

Need to transport a drive-able vehicle for storage within the state of Virginia without current DMV registration? There is an easy solution that only costs five dollars. Avoid fines, tickets and expensive tow services with a Trip Permit.

A Trip Permit from the Virginia DMV is valid for driving a vehicle from one specified destination to another without current registration, within three consecutive days. Best of all, DMV customers can apply for a trip permit online.

For Vehicle Buyers

If you are buying the unregistered vehicle, you can apply for the Trip Permit of a slightly different kind. The prospective purchaser’s trip permit is good for three days from the date on Bill of Sale. The buyer must attach the bill of sale to the permit and display in the window while traveling. For both types of trip permits the vehicle needs to be insured or the vehicle owner will need to pay up to half of the Virginia uninsured motor vehicle fee.

The Gateway Difference

At Gateway Storage, we offer affordable monthly storage for all types of vehicles including cars or trucks that our customers are storing while saving for a project or for a special occasion. While in storage, we do not require the vehicle to have current tags or registration. Many storage and parking facilities will not permit you to store an unregistered vehicle but we have the proper permits to welcome your vehicle.

For complete details on Trip Permits please visit the Virginia DMV website linked HERE.

After the Holidays: Decorations, Lights, Decor and More

When the guests have departed, it’s time to put your house back in regular working order. You may find you have collected more holiday decor than you intended. It may make sense to store these items for next year in your storage unit. Approaching 2019 with a minimalist style may be the change for which you’ve been searching.

Packing Up the Traditions

Holiday decor often means treasures or items of sentimental or family value that can’t be easily replaced. Consider purchasing specialty storage containers for items like handmade ornaments or wreaths. Store irreplaceable or heirloom items in your home instead of your storage unit. Insurance is always a good idea, but if money can’t replace it, keep it close to home.

Larger items like artificial trees, garland, exterior decor like yard ornaments and Christmas lights are perfect for self storage or container storage. They are bulky and take up too much valuable space in your garage for once a year use. Using a label maker or masking tape and a marker, place a note on each item where you placed it to make decorating that much easier in a year. For light sets, you might mark them in order of placement if the goal is getting the strands to match up in a certain sequence.

Selling Items in Storage

You may have also discovered you don’t really need a piece of furniture or decor any longer. Meeting potential buyers from online marketplaces at your storage unit is a convenient and safe alternative to selling it from your home or driveway. Our container units offer a spacious interior for photographs with a plain and de-cluttered background. Craigslist is tried and true favorite for listing items for sale online but you may want to compare with newer smartphone friendly apps like Offer Up or Kijiji.

Storage gives you options

At the holidays, or anytime, storage gives you options to fit your lifestyle. Contact us today for availability on our container storage units. Container storage offers more space for less money than traditional self storage. We specialize in vehicle storage, which gives you the option to store a trailer with your items inside at a low price in an assigned space.

Power washing services are used to clean paint, mold, grime, chewing gums and other dirt from a wide array of surfaces. Power washing is usually used to clean buildings, pavements, concrete structures, but also vehicles. The services involved can be a lucrative business, but like with every other business, you need to have a plan. Commercial storage services may be an important aspect of your planning.

Power washing vs pressure washing

Before we move on, it’s important to make a distinction between two similar but different washing methods: power washing and pressure washing. Although they are sometimes used interchangeably, these two cleaning methods differ in one important aspect. The difference lies in the water temperature. Both use high-pressure spray to clean surfaces, but power washing uses hot water instead of cold. The combination of high-pressure and hot water makes power washing more efficient at blasting away stubborn dirt from a wide variety of surfaces.

Now that you’ve understood the difference between the two, you can see what makes more sense for your business. So, what does it take to start your own power washing business?

Line Up Jobs

Before you actually invest in starting a new business, you need a certain level of experience and maybe even professional training. Line up some jobs first even if it’s just for friends or neighbors or take a course in power washing. Borrow a power washer from someone who has it or get a job at a power washing company before buying one yourself. See how it feels. Power washing is not an easy job if you want to be good at it. Not only do you have to know how to clean like a professional, but you also have to know how not to damage the surfaces that you’re cleaning. The pressure is huge and if you’re not careful you can make more damage than good.

Power washing business isn’t just about buying power washing gear and next day your business is booming. You have to learn how to be good at it first, which takes work and dedication.

Do those jobs, gain some experience and if you earn some money along the way put that money back into the business. If you like it, that is. If you don’t, then you’ll thank yourself you didn’t waste too much money or time on it.

Starting Expenses

Now that you’ve understood what it takes to be good at power washing, you need some capital to start.

• The first, and the most important investment will be buying the power washing gear. That includes the power washer itself, surface cleaners, chemicals, and nozzles. You will need a minimum of $1,500 for the power washing gear.
• Next, you will need to purchase a vehicle, most likely a van or a truck. For transportation costs, you will have to set aside a minimum of $5,000 – $6,000 for a used van or truck.
• You will need insurance in order to apply for business license. The costs vary from state to state.
• Last but not least, you will also need to buy marketing materials like pamphlets, brochures, flyers, and business cards in order to spread the word about your business and land your first clients. You will need an online presence – a website or to start, a facebook page.

Expanding the business

As your customer base grows you will no doubt invest in more vehicles and equipment. Parking and storage for your commercial equipment is essential. You will need space to meet with you employees each day to go over their duties. In the sometimes chaotic expansion of a new business some entrepreneurs decide to expand a little by little, and renting a large commercial office space with a warehouse or truck bays can be cost prohibitive. Consider keeping your office mobile (working from you truck with a cell phone and laptop) and storing your equipment and vehicles at Gateway Storage. Your employees can leave their personal vehicles in your storage/parking spaces each day as they go out to work (space permitting). Contact us to today to see how our services can fit your small business needs, especially in times of transition.

Preparing for the Holidays

It’s tempting to put off house-hold wide cleaning and organizing until it’s time for “Spring Cleaning.” But as December 1st approaches and the responsibilities of the holidays are only a few weekends away, it may make sense to tackle a portion of those springtime chores in the middle of Winter.

Making an Assessment

Pulling out the holiday decorations, the lights and the big lighted polar bear for the front yard is a good time to assess your storage areas. Do you have enough space to move items that are in the way in your living spaces? It may make sense to rent a storage unit for the season.

Before the Party

If you or your loved ones are hosting a holiday gathering, it’s time to assess the furniture and the flow of your first floor or main entertaining area. Sometimes it makes sense to add portable or temporary tables for a buffet, or add chairs, or for some in warmer climates, add seating and dining areas to the outdoors. Self storage can help: move too large or less functional pieces into storage ahead of the entertaining season to make room for your guests and create space for holiday cheer.

Before the Out of Town Guests

Especially if you are hosting families with small children, it’s a good idea to assess your living spaces in terms of practicality and comfort. Antique pieces or fragile items may be safer in storage during the holidays, allowing both the host and the guests to relax. Ensure your storage provider allows for a minimum term that works for you, as you may only need storage for one or two months. You may be able to give notice of your intent to vacate at sign up and extend later if you need more time.

After the Holidays: Decorations, Lights, Decor and More

Now that you have your storage unit and it’s time to put your house back in regular working order, you may find you have collected more holiday decor than you intended. It may make sense to store these items for next year in your storage unit, as you move the stored items back into your home. You may have also discovered you don’t really need a piece of furniture any longer. Meeting potential buyers at your storage unit is a convenient and safer alternative than selling it from your home.

Storage gives you options.

At the holidays, or anytime, storage gives you options to fit your lifestyle. Contact us today for availability on our container storage units. Container storage offers more space for less money than traditional self storage.

Starting your own landscaping businesses can be an exciting venture, especially if you’re passionate about plant life and outdoor work. There are many advantages to running a lawn care or landscaping businesses like working with your hands, being outdoors and being creative. in the Washington, DC Metro and Northern Virginia area there is a high demand for yard and lawn services.

As a landscaper, your duty is to design and maintain lawns and landscapes, use different machinery for that purpose, and even choose what to plant. The job of a landscaper is a perfect combination of physical labor and creativity.

There is, however, another, less interesting side of the lawn and yard business: bookkeeping and marketing. You must also consider accounting, human resources and the vehicles or equipment needed.

That being said, steps that you need to take in order to start a landscaping business include:

Obtaining a certificate in landscaping

In order to be able to maintain a landscape, maintenance professionals have to be be familiar with a variety of plants, flowers, shrubs, trees. They also have to know how to operate a wide variety of landscaping equipment. Many would-be landscapers opt for accredited online landscaping certificate courses. These programs usually last less than a year and they cover all the subjects necessary to gain expertise in this field.

Creating a viable business plan

Every successful business has to start with a viable business plan. If you’re not sure how to create this, you can always ask for help and research some of the existing samples on the web. Every business plan should contain a cover page, an executive summary, company overview, industry and customer analysis, a marketing plan and a financial plan. You can always modify your plan based on what your goals are.

Getting the business permits, licenses, and registering for taxes

The legal part of your business matters since your operation could suffer without the necessary permits. Check with your local county and state authorities for regulations in your industry (most can be found online).

Purchasing a landscaping truck

Choosing the right vehicle for your landscaping business is an important decision. For those that are new to the landscaping business, this is a big investment so it’s crucial that you do your research beforehand. Some of the most important things you should consider are the manufacturer, fuel consumption, payload capacity, and landscape dump body.

Buying the landscaping equipment

Bear in mind that you will have to put some money aside for your landscaping equipment. Depending on the size of your business and your budget, you will determine what kind of equipment you want to purchase. However, resist the urge to buy a lot of things at once because you may need the money for something else. Buy the essentials first and then as your business grows you will be able to buy additional equipment.

Spreading the word

To spread the word around your neighborhood and community you will need to do some marketing. You should think about setting up a website and a social media page. Online presence is a must these days, and it can immensely help spread the word about your business. Facebook and Instagram are all about visuals; in business like landscaping photos tell everything. Take photos of your work and post them on your websites so that your potential clients can see what you can do.

Apart from going digital, you should also purchase some good old business marketing materials. That includes brochures, business cards, fliers, landscape design sheet, etc. Connecting and networking with local businesses is a great way to get customer referrals and make a name for yourself.

For parking and storage of landscaping vehicles and equipment, Gateway Storage has you covered. 24/7 access and month to month rates make parking your owned or leased trucks or vans affordable and secure. Contact us for a storage or parking quote today.

Your RV and the Environment

Did you know that using an RV for a family trip (or any trip that includes more people) is more sustainable than if you flew in a plane, checked into a hotel or used separate cars? There’s nothing more satisfying than packing your kids up, hopping into your RV and hitting the road. For many people nowadays recycling and taking care of the environment has become a habit, so if you are among those RV folks who are environmentally conscious you are probably looking for ways to go even greener. Luckily for you, when there’s a will there’s always a way

In this article we’ve prepared for you four practical tips and tricks on going even greener with your RV:

Reduce the amount of waste (and possibly your waistline)

When people decide to go on a trip they tend to overdo with things like foods and snacks. They always think there won’t be enough food and someone is going to be hungry. But the reality is, food often gets thrown away and before you know it bags of chips and candy wraps are overflowing your trash can during the first half hour of drive.

The point of the trip isn’t to overeat and stuff yourself. You should try to eat healthy even when you are on a trip. Make sandwiches and pack them using biodegradable paper napkins and bring biodegradable paper plates if you need them. In addition to that, you can always cook something and put it into your tupperware, that way nothing gets thrown away.

Go solar

The majority of people have generators to supply them with the electricity for their daily camper needs. But with generators you have the annoying noise pollution, and they constantly need more fuel which is costly (and not so environmentally friendly, you must admit).
A solar powered RV will take care of all your electricity needs using no more fuel than it gets from the sun. Two solar panels are usually enough for any RV, but depending on the size of your vehicle and your needs you may need something different.

If you really want to go green than installing solar panels on your roof is definitely a way to go.

Ditch the plastic bottles

By now we’ve all become all too familiar with what plastic bottles can do for the environment. It takes hundreds of years for a single plastic bottle to decompose, and when you think of just how many of those you and your family will waste during your trip. If you tend to use plastic bottles, in that case you need to reminded of the 3 R’s of RVers: reduce, reuse, recycle. And plastic bottles aren’t going to cut it if you’re planning on going green. Instead of buying bottled water, get a good water filter and use the tap. Believe it or not, it will pay off in the long run plus you will have a fresh supply of water without harming the environment.

Use enzyme-based tank cleaners

Even though nobody wants to talk about cleaning your loo while travelling, the fact stands, it has to be done (sooner rather than later). And in order to clean your biffie, you need RV toilet chemical that can break down waste and tissue. But as you may guess, not all chemical are created equal. In fact, many chemical used to clean the RV toilet are harmful for the environment because they pollute the soil. Whatever toilet chemical you decide to use, make sure it’s green. In fact, the best RV toilet chemicals are highly biodegradable and eco-friendly, and they won’t leave stains on your toilet! Just make sure you read the labels before you buy!