Services
Contents Pack-Out & Storage in Calgary
When fire, water or major repairs mean your belongings have to leave the house, DKI Calgary packs them out, records each item for your insurance claim and stores everything in climate-controlled space in northeast Calgary until your home is ready. Call 1-888-272-9543.
What a Contents Pack-Out Is and When You Need One
During a contents pack-out, we take your belongings out of a damaged home or business so the building can be dried, cleaned and repaired without them in the way. Each item is photographed and listed, wrapped, loaded and driven to our northeast Calgary facility. Some pieces are cleaned there, others simply wait in storage, and all of it comes back when the work is finished. It is one part of our wider contents restoration service in Calgary.
Not every loss calls for one. A small leak in a single room can often be handled by shifting furniture to another part of the house. A pack-out makes sense when soot has spread through several rooms, when drywall and flooring are coming out, when the home will sit open or unheated during repairs, or when you cannot safely live there. Wet contents also need to move quickly, because mold can start on damp materials within 24 to 48 hours.
A pack-out is usually the right call when:
Smoke or soot reaches several rooms
Flooring, drywall or cabinets are being removed
A sewer backup soaks a finished basement
The home will be unheated during repairs
You need to move out while rebuilding
Inventory and Documentation for Your Contents Claim
Before a box is taped shut, our crew takes photos of each room and logs every item against the room it came from, along with any damage we can see. Your adjuster settles the contents side of the claim from that inventory, so it has to be complete. It also tells us where each piece is at every stage, from the truck to the shelf to your living room. For your side of the paperwork, see our guide to making an insurance claim after a disaster.
As things are packed, each item is marked restorable or non-restorable. Charred furniture, melted plastics and porous items that sat in sewage usually land in the second group. Those are not quietly thrown away. Every non-restorable item gets its own photos and a written note on what it is and how it was damaged, which gives your adjuster what they need to value it. Fragile pieces, valuables and keepsakes are wrapped and boxed on their own.
What the inventory records for each item:
The room it came from
Photos showing its condition before packing
Whether it is restorable or non-restorable
How non-restorable items were damaged
Where it is during storage
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Calgary Losses That Often Need a Pack-Out
Plenty of Calgary homes use the finished basement as overflow space: a spare bed, a rec room, totes of seasonal gear, old tax files and boxes of school artwork. A sewer backup or a heavy-rain flood can reach all of it within hours. Because sewer water is Category 3, porous items it touched are usually lost, while hard goods can often be cleaned. Clearing the space quickly lets our basement flood cleanup crew start extraction and tear-out without working around boxes.
After a serious house fire, the rebuild can be a long project once framing, wiring and roofing are involved. Your belongings should not sit in a sooty, open structure for that whole time. Packing them out early stops soot from settling further and keeps them away from construction dust and weather. Our post on what to expect during fire damage restoration in Calgary walks through the full process.
Condo and townhouse losses come with their own limits: a leak from the unit above, a neighbour’s kitchen fire, an elevator that has to be booked and parking that is hard to find. Hail and wind can also open a roof and let water into the upper floor. In winter, a damaged home may be left with the heat off or a window boarded over, and electronics, musical instruments and anything holding liquid should not stay there through a cold snap.
Calgary situations where we often pack out contents:
Sewer backup or overland flooding in a finished basement
Kitchen or house fire with smoke through the main floor
Water coming through from an upstairs unit in a condo
Hail or wind damage that lets water through the roof
Winter losses where the house is left without heat
Our Pack-Out Process, From First Walkthrough to Pack-Back
Every pack-out follows the same order, whether it is one flooded room or a whole house. Packing one room usually takes a few hours. Clearing an entire home is typically a job of one to several days. The amount of belongings and how easy they are to reach decide where it falls in that range. Your project manager walks you through the plan before anything moves.
How a pack-out runs, step by step:
Assessment: we walk the property and decide what leaves and what stays
Inventory: room-by-room photos and condition notes for every item
Packing and transport: specialized materials, with fragile and valuable pieces boxed apart
Storage: climate-controlled space in northeast Calgary, with cleaning there if needed
Pack-back: belongings returned and set up once the rebuild is done
We plan the pack-back around the repair schedule, so furniture goes back after floors and paint are finished rather than into a work zone. Because our in-house rebuild team handles the repairs, both schedules are managed by the same people.
Related Services & Guides
A pack-out is often the first step rather than the last. Many items that leave your home are cleaned before they return, with methods chosen for each material, as our page on contents cleaning and restoration in Calgary explains. The services and guides below cover the drying, smoke cleaning and rebuilding that usually happen at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions – Contents Pack-Out in Calgary
How long does a contents pack-out take?
It depends on how much is in the home and how easy it is to reach. One room usually takes a few hours. A whole house is normally a job of one to several days, and stairs, narrow halls or a shared condo elevator can add time. Your belongings then stay in storage for as long as the repairs take, so the rebuild sets the overall timeline rather than the packing.
Does home insurance pay for a pack-out and storage?
Often, when the loss itself is covered. Pack-out, storage and cleaning usually fall under the contents part of a home or business policy, but what is paid depends on your policy, your deductible and the cause of the loss. Talk to your insurer before work starts. We work directly with adjusters and share the inventory and photos with them. You can report a claim online to get things moving.
Should I be there on pack-out day?
Being there at the start helps. You can show the crew which pieces are valuable or irreplaceable and tell us what you plan to keep with you. Once that walkthrough is done, the crew can carry on without you if access has been arranged ahead of time. If you have pets, plan for them to stay somewhere else for the day, since doors will be open while items are carried out.
What should I set aside before the crew arrives?
Keep anything you will need while you are out of the house: prescriptions, ID, insurance papers, phone and laptop chargers, and a few changes of clothes. We note what you keep so the list matches what goes into storage. Tell us about jewellery, heirlooms and other valuables so they can be packed separately. Do not discard anything damaged before your adjuster has signed off, and leave the cleaning of soot or sewage to us.
Where are my belongings stored?
Packed items travel to our northeast Calgary facility, a secure site where they are held in climate-controlled storage, away from the dust, moisture and temperature swings of a home under repair. Items that need cleaning are handled there or, where it makes more sense, at your property. Everything stays on the inventory, so you can ask your project manager where a particular piece is at any point during the project.
What happens to items that cannot be saved?
They are marked non-restorable in the inventory, then photographed and described, including what they are and how they were damaged. That record gives your adjuster what they need to value the loss, even after the item itself has been disposed of with their approval. If something has sentimental value but cannot be fully restored, tell your project manager before anything is discarded so you can decide what happens to it.
DKI Calgary Offers Premier Property Restoration Services Across Calgary and Southern Alberta
At DKI Calgary, formerly known as Rocky Cross Construction, we know that dealing with property damage is overwhelming—that’s why our franchisees are ready to respond 24/7, every day of the year. With over 30 years of industry experience and IICRC-certified experts, we bring the knowledge, speed, and care needed to restore your home or business efficiently. From the moment you call, a dedicated Project Manager will guide you through the process, keeping you informed every step of the way. Our team is committed to delivering high-quality results while providing the compassion and support you need to get back on your feet as quickly as possible. We're here for all homeowners across Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Quick Mobilization
24/7 emergency restoration and board-up services available 365 days a year.
Expertise
Fully trained and certified IICRC staff and more than 30 years of industry experience.
Strong Communication
A project Manager assigned to your claim from start to finish, updating you throughout the process.
Quality Assurance
Making sure you are happy with the final result of the work done and standing behind the work we do.
Compassionate Team
We understand how hard the situation is and our team will do what we can to get you back to normal sooner.
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