In the last 5 to 10 years, the self-storage industry has witnessed a surge in multi-story construction as the demand for storage in urban areas has grown, but the ability to find large tracts of land is limited. And it makes sense when you do the math. Think about it: with a smaller track of land, say an acre-and-a-half of dirt, you can build a 15,000 to 20,000 square-foot facility if it’s a single story. But with three or four stories, all of a sudden, you could have a 120,000 to 130,000 square-foot facility with 1,000 units.
If you’re considering multi-story construction, there are steps in the process that can help your project stay on track with greater efficiency and productivity. Read on for 4 of them.
- Planning and Pre-Construction. I like to think of this as a 6-step service that starts with building the right team. It’s critical as part of pre-construction to gather your team. Your building vendor can typically provide preliminary layouts and renderings and assist with building codes and zoning permits. The architect, general contractor, civil engineer, financial lender and excavators are also key. Drafting and designing determines what kind of building and exterior cladding are required as part of the project, and technology is another important aspect to consider during the early stages of designing the building. This includes determining locations for cameras and audio and deciding whether you’ll be using some of the latest technology like smart entry systems and smart gate access.
- Material & Method Efficiencies. I always emphasize that you should be careful who you chose as your building vendor so you can avoid deficiencies in materials and/or methods. Make sure the vendor you are evaluating is using high-quality materials and experienced installers. Ask about the install time, delivery time and warranties. Are there 7 different vendors manufacturing a different part of your building? Or is it done more efficiently like with BETCO where you get a complete and secure package because we manufacture everything, bend everything, package everything and ship to the site. And then our people are also unloading the materials, counting the materials and installing the materials, including technology integration.
- Construction Phase Productivity. You’ll also want to look for an experienced building vendor who can optimize the construction sequence. That means providing you with site inspectors and project managers who are well versed in engineered drawings, coordinating material shipments and delivery, managing crews, quality control and safety considerations. With good organization, you won’t have to worry about whether your slabs are being poured correctly, materials being delivered on time or crews showing up. At BETCO, for instance, we know that for a 100,000 square-foot multi-story facility, our crew can install 5,000 to 6,000 square feet per week for a construction time of 20 weeks.
- ROI Enhanced Strategies. Work with a building provider who has the know-how to maximize your rentable square feet. Some space is eaten up in front of elevators and entry and exit areas, but with the right plans you can typically get 78-80% of rental space in a multi-story building. For a 100,000-square foot building that equates to approximately 650-750 units.
Other opportunities where your building vendor can enhance your return on investment (ROI) include providing the proper installation packages to ensure your building meets energy efficiency codes as well as installing the industry’s most advanced smart access technology and security systems. As part of the Janus International family of brands, we’re able to leverage the Noke™ Smart Entry platform for facility automation, which gives your tenants the security, convenience and peace of mind that comes with this complete mobile-enabled solution. We also provide security gates and a reliable low-voltage infrastructure for your surveillance, alarm and access control systems from Access Control Technologies.
Make the Most of Multi-Story Construction with the Experts
At BETCO, we have 41 years of experience in turnkey construction management, including 9,000 projects, 100-million square feet and the greatest measure of success in any business—our customers keep coming back for more.
About Our Expert
Matt Maurer brings 14 years of self-storage experience to his role as a business development manager at BETCO, a division of Janus International that has been designing and manufacturing custom self-storage buildings of every shape and size to developers worldwide since 1984.
