Building Your Self-Storage Facility
The Self-Storage business has presented a great market opportunity in recent years. With the right business plan, parcel of land, and construction professionals, it can be an extremely lucrative investment.
Everything starts with a plan
The First Steps
Once you’ve secured a lot to build on and done your due diligence researching the land and local area (including hiring an experienced consultant to conduct a market feasibility study), it’s time to think about the design and construction of your self-storage building.
Your first move should be to determine what types and sizes of storage units you will build.
- Will your facility house mostly small units for homeowners or students in need of a little extra space?
- Will you be renting out any larger, climate-controlled storage for cars or boats?
- How many of each unit should you build?
This distribution is your “unit mix.”
A profitable unit mix is determined largely by the results of a thorough, high-quality feasibility study, which will provide you with crucial information about the local market for self-storage as well as your competitors. Key metrics include local population size, household income levels, and data on other self-storage businesses in the area. Once armed with these vital stats, you’re ready to assemble a team of professionals to help you nail down the exact unit mix and get started on the layout.
Who’s helping you get there is important too
Self-Storage Building Design
At this point, you can take the project in a couple of different directions.
If your vision involves a sprawling, complex facility with uniquely shaped luxury units or other highly specialized, unorthodox features, you may want to hire an architect or architectural firm to help you design it.
However, for a more industry-standard design with the typical unit profiles most consumers expect (and which tend to be the most profitable), this may be an unnecessary step and an avoidable expense. A quality, reliable source of building materials paired with an experienced contractor can take you all the way from design to manufacturing to construction on an optimal budget and an efficient timeline.
Check out our previous blog post to learn why it’s best to purchase your building from a qualified manufacturer (not a broker) that produces its own, high-quality components. The article also discusses the process of preparing your building site and laying the proper foundation.
Picking the right unit mix
Building with Steel
Self-storage facilities can be constructed from a few different materials, but high-quality steel buildings are a superior option due to their cost-effectiveness, weather-proof construction, long lifespan, and nearly non-existent maintenance requirements.
At Package Steel, the self-storage steel building process begins with a careful assessment of your project needs, from which we match you with an experienced local builder. From there, we develop a comprehensive scope of work and our in-house engineering and estimating groups help your builder create a design proposal.
With over 50 years of experience in steel building manufacturing, we can even help determine the appropriate unit mix and collaborate with your builder on an optimal layout.
An experienced manufacturer-and-builder team will also guide your selection of the right customizations and special features for your building.
Roll-up doors for example,
come in a number of sizes and specifications. Package Steel offers them in a range of widths, heights and colors to fit the varying needs of your building design. Our highly durable, 24-gauge Galvalume® roof and wall panels with paint finish also come in a wide variety of colors and are built to withstand years of brutal Northeast weathers while retaining their high-gloss, like-new look.
Though Package Steel buildings are always insect-resistant and leak-proof, a condensation blanket can be a great addition to self-storage facility roofs for further protection against moisture, ensuring that storage unit contents stay safe and dry. We also offer insulation packages for specialized units requiring climate control.
The foundation of any successful self-storage business is a rugged, reliable facility that makes a great first impression and withstands the test of time. The best way to build that is by partnering with the right industry professionals who understand your vision and objectives, and who have the experience to make them a reality.
To get started on your self-storage building project, contact Package Steel at 1-800-225-7242 or [email protected].
15 Harback Rd.
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