Rows of identical units, a slab that drains, steel doors that open on a hot day without binding and a gate that works at midnight: self-storage is repetition done well. We build storage facilities for owners and developers across the metro, from a single drive-up building on an infill lot to a multi-building campus with climate-controlled space, a rentable-office front and truck parking along the back fence.
The project looks simple, which is why price and discipline decide whether it makes money. The structure is usually a pre-engineered metal building or a light-gauge steel system. The slab is thin, the roof is a standing seam or a through-fastened panel and the doors are manufactured components. We spend our attention on grading, drainage, utilities, the layout of the drive aisles and the schedule that gets units open for rent as early as possible.
Our industrial background affects how we build. We treat the site as a yard: aisles wide enough for a moving truck to turn, pavement thick enough for heavy vehicles and a drainage plan that does not wash gravel into the street.
The work starts with clearing and mass grading to a pad that drains on all sides. We place base material and a slab with enough thickness and reinforcement for stored loads and light truck traffic. The building erection follows: frame, roof, wall panels, unit partitions and rollup or swing doors in the sizes the owner chose.
Next are the site items that make it a business: perimeter fence, an electronic gate with keypad, lighting, camera conduit, an office or kiosk, landscape strips required by the city and signage. Conduit goes in during the slab stage so security vendors can install cameras and access control without cutting new trenches. The pre-engineered metal building process we use gives owners a predictable lead time and a clean cost per square foot.
On a storage project the largest costs are land, the building package and site work. Of those, site work varies the most. A flat lot with utilities at the street is inexpensive; a sloped lot or one that needs a detention basin or a long water line is not. Owners who comparison-shop land should ask for a site cost estimate from us before closing.
Within the building, the biggest variable is climate control. Heated and cooled units require insulation, HVAC, finished corridors and additional electrical service, and they cost far more per square foot than drive-up units. In hot dry air many operators choose a mix, with a smaller climate-controlled building near the office and drive-up rows behind it. We price both, and we show the upgrade cost for each option so the owner can decide.
Storage demand tracks households and small businesses, and those are growing south of the city. Chaparral had 16,551 residents at the 2020 census, Anthony had 8,693 and the city of Sunland Park has proposed annexing about 362 acres at Rancho Santa Teresa, which the city projects would add $50 million to the local economy. Each of those places has a few retail strips and limited storage nearby.
There is also commercial demand from the industrial side of the county. The border industrial complex at Santa Teresa supports more than 5,000 jobs, according to a 2019 report, and workers, contractors, small suppliers and logistics operators all need space. A site near the I-10 corridor at Anthony or near Sunland Park can serve both neighborhoods and small businesses.
Because a storage building is a repeat of one detail, schedule gains come from doing it the same way every time. We coordinate grading, the slab and the paving, so the crews who finish the pad are the ones who set the gate and the lights. That reduces handoffs and keeps the pad clean for the erector.
It also helps with change. When the owner decides to add a second building after the first opens, we already have the survey, the drainage layout and the utility stubs documented. A related approach is used in our flex and light industrial buildings, where the structure is also a repeated bay and the bay count changes with demand.
A storage facility is a storage occupancy under the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code, which adopts the 2021 International Building Code as amended. Whether the building needs sprinklers depends on area and construction type, and multi-story and climate-controlled buildings face stricter rules. The fire marshal also reviews the site, mainly for fire lane width and turning radius, because aisles between rows must handle fire apparatus.
Stormwater is the other review. The city or county will require a drainage plan that holds or releases runoff at a set rate, and storage facilities are mostly pavement and roof, which produce a lot of runoff. Our stormwater detention and drainage work is built into the early site package.
We work throughout Dona Ana County and as far as Deming on the Luna County side. Drainage is the first question on every parcel. Sites along the Rio Grande sit in the valley, and the Deming area has flat ground where minor flooding sometimes covers large areas. We review each parcel before the pad design is fixed and set the finished floor elevation above the likely water path.
In the north, Hatch and the I-25 corridor offer sites for agricultural storage and equipment parking. Owners who combine storage with a contractor yard or a shop may prefer small-bay contractor condos, which share much of the same design. We also build pre-engineered metal buildings for owners who want a different bay layout.
Send the parcel, the unit mix and the target opening. We will price site work, building and security conduit and show the cost of climate-controlled options.
A single drive-up building on a prepared site can be erected in a few months from permit to rentable units. Larger campuses and climate-controlled buildings take longer. We often phase the work so the first building opens for rent while the next is still under construction.
It depends on your market and your budget. Drive-up units cost less to build and appeal to customers who want fast access. Climate-controlled units rent at a higher rate but require insulation, HVAC and more electrical service. A mix is common, and we can price a phased approach.
We install the conduit, the pads, the power and the gate foundation, and we coordinate with the security vendor on the equipment. This prevents cut slabs and ensures the cameras see the aisles and the gate.
That depends on the soil and the traffic. A moving truck and a delivery van are heavier than a car, so we usually design the aisles as light-duty truck pavement. We follow the geotechnical report and the city standard.
Yes. Parking at the back of the lot for trucks, trailers and equipment is common and adds revenue. We design the pavement for those loads and keep a separate gate or aisle if the owner wants it.