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| Constructing Your Self Storage Steel Building from the Ground Up |
Have you considered getting into self storage, but are unsure of where to start? Maybe you've done some research on the industry and while you're convinced you could make a self storage steel building profitable, you're not entirely sure where to build, or who to get to help you build it.
Like any other business, self storage requires a lot of research upfront before you can decide if it's right for you.
Step 1: Should you build a self storage steel building? If so, where?
It would benefit you to hire an expert to help you assess if you should build a self storage building, and if so, where. If you've already got a location in mind, an expert can help you find out what to build and what to charge. This also known as the "feasibility" phase, where you analyze everything about the project: the true start-up costs, the anticipated income, the market, potential locations for construction, demographics, proximity of competition, what customers are likely to pay, and what kind of self storage will appeal to them most, just to name a few.
You'll also have to take into consideration city fees, county fee, state fees, jurisdictional fees and other miscellaneous fees that you may have to spend before you can even begin construction. That's not counting what you'll have to pay for the land, site work (tying in to existing sewer, water, electric and gas lines, importing and exporting fill, soil conditions, rock excavation, etc.), design and construction.
This phase can give you a good idea of the bare minimum you'll be spending to get your self storage steel buildings up and running. If you and the expert determine that the anticipated income for your self storage building will be worth the start-up costs, then you'll be ready to move on to the design phase.
Step 2: Designing how your self storage steel building will look
Design isn't just about drawing a square on a piece of paper and marking off where the self storage units will be. Though you've probably already determined the best mix of unit type and size during the initial phase, now you need the architect to put it all in a design plan. Design plans include the actual site plan as well as landscape design, civil engineering, architectural engineering, MEPs (e.g., electrical and plumbing drawings) and structural engineering.
Each plan usually requires a specialist to design it. For example, a civil engineer has to handle the civil engineering design plan because he would be familiar with policies and restrictions on land use. This is the guy who is responsible for watershed, zoning and placing utilities, to name a few.
Step 3: Constructing your building
Once you've completed the design phase, it's time to move on to the construction phase. This is typically where a general contractor comes in. A general contractor will be responsible for coordinating the construction and providing quality control. The contractor may provide labor and materials, or he may hire subcontractors. He's also responsible for establishing a timeline of the construction.
You should be particularly careful when choosing a general contractor or construction crew for your self storage steel building. You want to make sure that you get somebody that carries insurance and has extensive experience in erecting self storage steel buildings. They should also be professional, which means that they sweep out the units and clean up once the job's done.
There's a lot that goes into constructing your self storage steel and metal buildings, but the cost of time and money can be well worth it in the long run. Self storage has been the fastest-growing area of commercial real estate in the U.S. for the past 30 years, and only 10 percent of U.S. households use self storage. That's 9 out of 10 households that still don't use it, and if you get in on the game, some of them could be your future customers.
About the Author:
Darren Newberry is the general manager of American Steel Buildings. No matter what you need for your self storage steel or metal building, be it information, advice or just raw materials, American Steel can help you make your dreams come true. Visit them online today at http://www.GoSteelGo.com.
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Self Storage
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