Unit mix decides a self-storage project before the first footing is poured. Drive-up units, interior climate-controlled units and outdoor vehicle spaces each have a different cost per rentable square foot, a different structural system and a different lease-up curve. A site that holds 60,000 rentable square feet as single-story drive-up buildings holds a different number, at a different cost, as a three-story climate-controlled building. We help an owner or developer run both numbers against the site before design is released.
The construction is closer to a warehouse than to retail. Most facilities are pre-engineered metal buildings on a thickened slab, with roll-up doors, corridor partitions, sprinkler and fire alarm, and a gated site with controlled access. The site work carries a lot of the budget, because a storage facility covers most of its parcel with building and pavement and must handle all of that runoff. We schedule the trade partners who pour the slabs and place the site concrete, and we coordinate the building supplier, the door supplier and the access control vendor.
Start from the unit mix and the lot
The first deliverable is a test fit on the actual parcel: building footprints, drive aisle widths, fire lane, detention, gate and office location. Drive aisles in a drive-up facility need to turn a truck with a trailer or a moving truck, so aisle width and building spacing are verified against the turning path before the lot layout is set. Corridors in an interior building are sized for carts, and elevators are located so the longest walk to a unit stays reasonable.
From the test fit we build an estimate with the building as a priced package, the site as a separate priced package and the access control and office as allowances. That structure lets a lender or partner compare alternatives (for example, one multi-story building against four single-story buildings) without re-estimating the site. It also lets a phased project start with the first phase of buildings and leave detention and utilities sized for the full build.
Buildings, slabs, doors and the gate
For a drive-up facility we erect a pre-engineered metal building frame, set on a slab with thickened edges and control joints laid out to the unit width so cracks fall at partitions instead of through a unit. Roll-up doors, dividing walls, corridor walls and sprinklers follow, and we make sure the slab cure and the building erection do not overlap in a way that damages the floor. Roof pitch and gutter capacity are drawn for the site's snow and rain loads.
Interior climate-controlled buildings add insulated envelope, mechanical systems, corridor lighting and often an elevator. At the perimeter we handle fencing and security integration: gate operators, keypads, camera conduit and lighting, with underground conduit placed before paving so no one cuts finished asphalt later. A manager's office with a public counter is typically a small framed building at the entrance.
Soils, snow and runoff on a mostly impervious site
Because a storage site is mostly roof and pavement, drainage design is a central issue. Detention volume, outlet control and water quality features take up land that could otherwise hold units, and the geometry has to be settled before the buildings are placed. We bring the civil engineer into the test fit and price the detention alternatives alongside the building count, drawing on our site clearing and mass grading work to balance cut and fill.
Soils affect the slab. The Colorado Geological Survey states that most homes, schools and roads in Colorado are in areas of potentially expansive clay, and unincorporated Weld County adopted the 2024 International Building Code effective June 15, 2026, with engineered foundation designs required for most new structures. A thin unreinforced slab on expansive clay can lift at the perimeter and bind roll-up doors, so we get a soils report for the actual parcel and design the slab to it.
Growth corridors drive demand
Storage demand follows households. Frederick's population grew 67.2 percent from 8,679 in 2010 to 14,513 in 2020, and Firestone's rose 61.4 percent from 2010 to 16,381 in 2020. Both sit along State Highway 52 and the I-25 corridor in southwestern Weld County, and the towns with Dacono form the Tri-Town area known as Carbon Valley. Fast-growing residential areas generate move-in storage demand and later, storage for vehicles and household overflow, so sites near new subdivisions and highway access lead the market.
Farther west, Berthoud grew from 10,332 residents in 2020 to an estimated 14,080 in 2025 and links to I-25 through State Highway 56. We build in Frederick and Berthoud and plan sites for the access and visibility that make a storage property work. Contractors' yards and small-business tenants also use storage, which overlaps with the small-bay contractor condos we build.
Phased delivery and lease-up
Self-storage owners often prefer to build in phases, delivering the first buildings and opening for rent while later phases are still under construction. That works if construction access is separated from customer access, if utilities and detention are sized and installed for the final build, and if the fencing and gate are installed early. We plan temporary fencing and a signed customer route so the owner is not exposed to a construction zone.
Pre-engineered building packages can take months to arrive after a signed order, and doors, partitions and access control have their own lead times. We order against the foundation schedule so steel reaches the site when slabs are cured. Weather is the other variable, particularly for slab placement in winter, where blankets, heated enclosures or a schedule shift may be required. Our approach to storage warehousing at larger scale appears under logistics and distribution.
Run the unit mix on your parcel
Send the survey, zoning summary and the unit mix you want to test. We will return a plan, a site package and a phased budget.
Common Questions
Is single-story drive-up or multi-story climate-controlled cheaper to build?
Per rentable square foot, single-story drive-up is usually cheaper to build, but it uses more land. A multi-story building costs more per square foot for structure, elevator and conditioned space, and saves land cost where parcels are expensive. The break-even depends on the price of the lot, so we run both against the actual parcel.
How wide should drive aisles be?
Wide enough for the largest truck you expect customers to bring, including its turning path, with a fire lane that meets the fire authority's requirements. A narrow aisle saves land and costs revenue when trucks cannot turn. We check the turning path with the civil engineer before the building layout is final.
Can storage be built in phases without disrupting the first phase?
Yes. Install detention and utilities for the final build, build the perimeter fence and gate first, and keep a clearly marked route for customers separate from construction traffic. Each later phase should be a repeat of a known building package, which keeps the price and schedule predictable.
What does expansive clay mean for a storage slab?
It can lift or settle the slab unevenly, which binds doors and cracks partitions. The correction is in design: a soils report, overexcavation or moisture conditioning where needed, and reinforcement and joint layout suited to the soil. Weld County, for example, requires engineered foundation designs for most new structures in unincorporated areas under its 2024 code.