Moving to Crested Butte or Gunnison Valley? When Storage Bridges the Housing Gap

HOUSING GAP GUIDE

⏱ 6 min read · 📄 #1,258 words

Lease overlaps and delayed closings are normal in the Gunnison Valley. Here is how a downtown Crested Butte unit holds your things until the keys arrive.

Lego style Elk Mountain Storage storefront with an orange roll-up door, a worker in a green Elk Mountain Storage shirt, and a mover carrying a box down the ramp of a white moving truck, pine trees and snowy peaks behind — Between leases or waiting on a closing? Park the boxes in town until the new place is ready.

I f you are moving to Crested Butte or the Gunnison Valley and your old lease ends before the new one starts, or a closing slips by two weeks, the answer is simple: put your belongings in a month-to-month storage unit and move them once the keys are in your hand . That beats paying for two places, crashing with friends surrounded by boxes, or keeping a moving truck on the clock. Elk Mountain Storage is at 307 Red Lady Avenue, Crested Butte, CO 81224 , the only full-service storage facility in downtown Crested Butte, with 24/7 access and drive-up units. Call or text (970) 316-4811 or rent online.

Key Points:

• Housing gaps (lease overlap, delayed closing, a rental that falls through) are common in the valley; storage absorbs them

• Month-to-month leasing means you pay only for the weeks or months the gap lasts

• Downtown location: 307 Red Lady Ave, about 2 minutes from downtown and 5 minutes from Mt. Crested Butte

• Gunnison is about 28 miles (35 minutes) away each way, so storing in town saves repeat drives

• Size questions: use the /size-guide, then call or text (970) 316-4811

• No guessed prices here: see live rates at /#Rent

Gap starting soon? Rent online, call (970) 316-4811, or reach us through the contact page.

Why the housing gap happens so often here

Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley have a small, seasonal housing market. Rentals turn over around ski season and summer, sellers negotiate long closing windows, and new construction runs late when weather shortens the building season. Seasonal workers, new hires at the resort or in town, and second-home buyers all compete for the same handful of listings.

The result is a gap: the date you have to be out of your current place rarely lines up with the date the new one is ready. Sometimes it is a few days. Sometimes a closing gets pushed a month. The furniture and boxes still need a home in the meantime.

Three common gap scenarios

Lease overlap the wrong way

Your old lease ends on the 30th, the new one starts on the 15th. Store everything for a couple of weeks, stay somewhere light, and move once.

Delayed closing on a purchase

Your buyer closed, your seller did not. Store the household, keep a suitcase with you, and avoid paying for a second move or a long truck rental.

Rental falls through

A landlord sells, or a listing turns out to be wrong. Storage gives you time to find the right place instead of the first available one.

In each case, the storage unit is not the plan. It is the bridge that keeps the plan from falling apart.

Why store in Crested Butte instead of down valley

If your next home is in Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte, or the upper valley, storing in town keeps the bridge short. Elk Mountain Storage sits on Red Lady Avenue, roughly 2 minutes from anywhere in town and about 5 minutes from Mt. Crested Butte. Gunnison is about 28 miles and 35 minutes each way. During a move you will be back and forth to the unit several times for clothes, paperwork, and the kitchen box you packed too early. Shorter trips add up, especially in winter, when every mile on Highway 135 matters.

If you live in Gunnison but are moving up valley, or own a Crested Butte condo while living down valley, the Gunnison residents page explains why many people choose to keep their unit near the property rather than near their current address.

How to set up storage as a bridge

A little planning keeps the gap from turning into a mess.

1. Rent before the gap starts

Per our FAQ, you can reserve a unit for a future move-in date, and most tenants move in the same day they rent once the lease is signed online.

2. Load in reverse order

Put things you will not need until the new place is ready (beds, sofas, dining sets) at the back. Keep a path to the front for boxes you might need.

3. Keep an essentials bag out of storage

IDs, closing documents, medications, chargers, and a week of clothes travel with you, not in the unit.

4. Plan your exit

When the new place is ready, give at least 10 days written notice before your move-out date so you are not billed for the next cycle.

Because the facility offers 24/7 access, you can grab something at 6 a.m. before work or late after a shift. Drive-up access means you load straight from the truck to the unit door.

Choosing the right size for a temporary move

Temporary storage is usually bigger than people expect because it holds a full household instead of a few overflow items. Rather than guess, work through the size guide: list the furniture, count the boxes, and match the list to a unit. If you are also storing a vehicle, boat, or trailer during the move, ask about large-item storage; the facility lists spaces up to 19' × 35' for boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, RVs, and vehicles. If you outgrow the first unit or need less once some furniture moves in, the FAQ says transfers to a different size carry no penalty when the size is available.

Winter moves need extra margin

A lot of valley moves happen in shoulder season or the dead of winter. Our team plows main drive lanes after significant snowfall, but the area right in front of your unit door is yours to clear, so keep a small shovel in the car. Pad your timeline for road conditions on Highway 135, especially if you are towing. For more on a structured lead time, see the 30-day pre-move storage checklist and our look at month-to-month vs long-term storage contracts.

FAQ: Storage during a Crested Butte or Gunnison Valley move

How long can I keep a unit during a housing gap?

As long as you need. Leasing is month-to-month, so you can keep it for a few weeks or several months and give at least 10 days written notice when you are ready to move out.

Where is Elk Mountain Storage?

307 Red Lady Avenue, Crested Butte, CO 81224, in downtown Crested Butte, about 5 minutes from Mt. Crested Butte.

Can I reserve a unit before my lease ends?

Yes. You can reserve online or by phone for a future move-in date. Call or text (970) 316-4811 to confirm the hold period.

What size unit do I need for a whole household?

It depends on furniture and box count. Start with the size guide, then call (970) 316-4811 to check what is available.

Can I get to my things at odd hours?

Yes. Access is 24/7, with drive-up units so you can load and unload at the door.

What does it cost?

Rates change, so we do not list guesses here. See live rates at /#Rent or call or text (970) 316-4811.

A housing gap is temporary. Storage keeps it from becoming expensive. Elk Mountain Storage, 307 Red Lady Avenue, Crested Butte, CO 81224 · (970) 316-4811 · rent online · contact.

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