Storage Master Blog

January 24, 2009

Buying Carports and Garages

Filed under: Buing garages, Buying carports, Carports, Carports in East Texas, Carports in North Texas, Garages, Garages in East Texas, Garages in North Texas, buying carports and garages, carports and garages — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — james @ 3:07 am

Buying Carports and Garages


Sometimes you might need a building that’s a little larger than a standard size storage building. Maybe you need something like a place to park your boat, or your RV safe from the ravages of the weather. Perhaps your car or truck could benefit from some cover to protect you, and your vehicle from hail storms and other severe weather conditions. A carport, or a full scale garage might be just the thing to keep your vehicle from an extra trip or two to the body shop each year.

Metal buildings

Metal buildings like carports and garages can be manufactured very efficiently, and surprisingly inexpensively due to the advent of modern modular building systems.

How to buy a carport or garage

It works something like this. You decide what width and length you want the building to be. Set down with your local dealer, and he will guide you through a process like this.  With this basic information you will be given a price for the basic carport like structure. Then, you decide whether that is suitable, or whether more might need to be added.

Other accessories

If you want longer legs on the building, they can be added for a small cost. If you want the sides completely enclosed, simply say so, and the cost of adding sides can be added in. If you want to add ends, to completely, or partially enclose the structure, the cost of those can be added into the equation.

Of course, if you close all four walls, you will have to have a door to get into the structure. You will then choose the type and size of the door, add any windows you want, and at some point you will be asked about such things as extra bracing, storm anchors and other accessories. Just have them add what you want.

In the end, you will have your customized, personalized building designed and ready to be built on your property. When you are asked about the ends of the buildings, don’t be too surprised at the cost. It costs more to enclose an end than a side, because the ends add extra framing that the sides already have. Most modern modular systems are built with steel. These will be galvanized steel rails, with galvanized steel sheeting which is give a very meticulous paint job and usually carries a rust through warranty of more than 20 years.

If you need help finding a carport and garage dealer in East Texas or North Texas, give us a call at:

903.504.3938.

For other inquiries, drop us a line by email.

Storage Buildings On A Lot

Storage Buildings On A Lot



January 23, 2009

Rent To Own Tips Storage Buildings

Filed under: Buy a storage building, Buying storage buildings, Rent to own, Renting or buying storage, Storage buildings, Storage space, buying a storage building — Tags: , , , , — james @ 12:19 am


Rent To Own Tips Storage Buildings

Rent to own, in spite of what you may have heard is a very good way to own some things. A storage building is one of those things. Renting to own something that will save you money is much better than continuing to pay rent at the end of which you will have nothing. There is no interest involved in renting to own. When you buy in this way, you are renting something until the agreement is paid, at which time the product becomes yours. Most companies take about one half of each payment for rent, and the other half goes toward paying for the product.

Your building suppliers will be able to help guide you through your financing options. If you decide that renting to own is the best route for you, you will have a little paperwork ahead of you. It may take some time, but there are some things that you can do to speed things up.

Things you will need to process a rent to own agreement:

  • A photo copy of your drivers license
  • Your social security number
  • Your home phone number
  • Home address
  • Employer information

Things that will help:

  • Phone numbers for spouse
  • Phone numbers for immediate relatives
  • Addresses for relatives

Some of these things may not be needed, but if the application calls for them, it will be better to have them ready rather than spending extra time looking for them.

Shed with offset door and window

Shed with offset door and window



January 12, 2009

Boost Real Estate Sales With Storage Buildings

Filed under: Housing market, Public storage, Real estate, Self storage, Storage buildings, buying a storage building, portable storage and moving, residential steal buildings — Tags: , , , , — james @ 10:57 pm


Boost Real Estate Sales With Storage Buildings

What do storage buildings and granite counter tops have in common? To be honest with you, not a lot, but there is at least one way they are alike. They can both help you sell your home! There are a lot of things that can help to sell a house, and they are not all granite counter tops! There are few things that can add value to the home without gutting the kitchen and bathrooms. The idea of curb appeal, is the landscaped qualities that are the qualities that make people want to take a look inside as they drive or walk by. The curb appeal will help to get them in. A great kitchen with, yes, you guessed it, granite counter tops will increase the homes value, as will a nice elegant bath, but you may need a little something to help seal the deal in these tough economic times, perhaps something a little more practical, something that will add value above it’s cost, and might just mean the difference between a sale and no sale. A storage building in the back yard may not add much curb appeal, since it is in the back yard, but it may be the final nail for the sale! Adding a storage building, adds intrinsic value to the property. It adds practical value to the property, and it adds perceived value to the property. Think about it. Your potential buyer is not just thinking about the cost, or the counter tops, he or she is thinking about moving in, possibly because of a need to down size, and is wondering where to put all that extra stuff. If they see a place to put their extra belongings, sitting neatly in the back yard, it might just be the deciding factor between your offering and someone else’s down the block! Time and time again, in case after case, we have seen an investment ranging from a few hundred dollars, to a few thousand dollars, add double the cost to the final selling price, and, perhaps more importantly, speed up and increase sales. If speeding up the process and increasing the chances for sale were the only effects, that in itself would be great. If you spent 5,000.00 and only gained 5,000.00 on the final price, but were able to sell, or sell more quickly, wouldn’t that be worth the effort? This will work for individuals trying to sell a home, and for real estate agencies and property management companies with properties that may be languishing in the current market. The addition of a little storage space might create just enough added interest to convert. They add value to the home above the cost of the investment. They help to sell the home because they provide a place for movers in transition. They help to speed up the decision making process, since alternative storage is no longer a factor.

Outdoor Storage Shed

Outdoor Storage Shed



January 11, 2009

A Guide To Storage Building Kits

Filed under: Storage building kits, Storage buildings, metal building kits, steel building kits — Tags: , , , — james @ 4:19 pm

A Guide To Storage Building Kits

Sometimes, someone will ask me what I think about using a storage building kit to get the building they want, and what kits might best suit their needs. I have an answer based on years of my own experiences, and the experiences of others who have taken that road. My recommendation for buying a storage building kit? Simple. Don’t do it! Just turn around and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction! Don’t lolly gag, or piddle around with the idea, just run away! Follow that advice, and you will save yourself a lot of frustration! If you are still planning to do it despite my advice, fine, just make sure that you have everything properly laid out before hand, including all the tools and materials that they didn’t tell you that you would need, and any adult beverages that you may need to reduce stress and frustration. Then, just follow the sequence listed bellow:

Your building kit should come with directions.

  • Dig all the way through the boxes of material until you locate them.
  • Try to determine which parts fell out of bag “a”, and which came out of box “24 d”. You will need to know this for proper assembly. Follow the directions to a “t”. Do not alter from this course in any way. Continue to do this until you know for certain that the wrong directions were included in the package.
  • Call the manufacturer to get the proper directions which will come several weeks, or maybe several months later, from some country you have never heard of, and in broken, incorrect English, if you are lucky!
  • Start over!
  • Get more adult beverages.
  • Realize that all the parts were not included in the package.
  • Order them, wait 4 more weeks.
  • Try to believe your neighbors are laughing with you, not at you.
  • Find out what programs may be available for your rehabilitation after all the frustration.
  • Start again.
  • Realize that “tab a” will never fit into “slot b”.
  • Go for more adult beverages.
  • Start thinking about the rehabilitation thing in earnest.
  • Admit that you have a problem. That is the first step they say.
  • Box the whole thing up.
  • Take it back to the supplier.
  • Drive to your local storage building dealer.
  • Find a nice wood framed steel covered building.
  • Buy it.
  • Have it delivered to your back yard.
  • Rest easy! Now you have the building you wanted to begin with!

Factory Built Storage Shed

Factory Built Storage Shed



Build My Own Storage Building?

Filed under: Build my own storage building, Storage building, Storage building doors, Storage building materials, Storage building plans, Storage building siding — Tags: , , , , , — james @ 1:25 am

Can I Build My Own Storage Building?

The obvious answer is yes! You can build your own storage building, and if you do it right, you can have a fine product for storing your things, or any other suitable purpose. The first thing you will want to do is to find or draw up suitable plans. If you plan to make it movable, I highly recommend placing it on 4 inch wide skids at the beginning. These skids should be made of treated lumber due to ground contact.

Squareness

You will need to make sure that the building material is all cut to proper lengths, and remains square throughout the entire process. If you do not, you will have extremely aggravating problems through the whole process! If you are building on ground that is not completely level, you can not expect to keep the building plum and square using a spirit level. It will have to be done using a framing square.

The floor

The floor should be built with joists of at least 2×6 material spaced 16 inches apart on center, inside a frame of 2×6 material., and covered with half inch thick plywood at the very least.

Walls

Depending on your design, you will now want to add the upper framework with a bottom plate, studs and a top plate. This will provide the framework for the roof. Be certain to frame out a doorway, and add the extra support needed to keep the door from sagging as the years go by. You can build a door yourself, but I recommend buying one suitable for your purposes. Know exactly what size door you will be using before you try to frame out for it.

Roof framing

The roof will need to be built of 2×4 material, and either stick framed, or built with trusses nailed to the top plate.

Siding

Siding can be of any suitable material you desire, but I recommend using galvanized and painted sheet metal steel. This will need to be screwed into the rafters and studs, but first you will need to cut it to the proper size. Make sure that the sheets overlap in the right place before you start threading the screws into place. If you are going to seal the building, you will need to have your filler on hand before you start putting the steel into place.

Other options

If all this sounds a little daunting to you, you should consider buying one instead. don’t let that bother you, I know several framing contractors and general contractors who buy storage buildings from dealers rather than building them themselves! It ends up costing less to buy than to build, because the carpenters that would be building it can earn a lot more for the company by building homes than by building storage sheds. By the way, you can buy kits for building sheds, but, that is another story!

January 10, 2009

Self Storage and Economic Crisis | Public Storage

Filed under: Baby boomers, Economic crisis, Financial crisis, Foreclosures, Home appliances, Home furnishings, Public storage, Public storage renters, Rent free storage, Rent to own, Renting, Renting storage space, Self storage, Storage and apartment rental, Storage and economy, Storage and finance, Storage and forclosures — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — james @ 5:07 pm

Public storage benefits from financial crisis

The self storage, or public storage industry is booming in the midst of economic crisis, and, to be honest, because of the financial crisis! Foreclosures are forcing people to move out of their homes quickly in many cases, and all those home furnishings, appliances, and other valuables have to be put somewhere for safe keeping. To add insult to injury in such difficult circumstances, the people who are doing the moving and storing, rarely have opportunity to do the kind of research that would lead them to the best long term solution while under the pressure of the short term situation. Families forced to move from their dream home, into smaller homes or apartments usually have more belongings than they can put into their new quarters, and they often suffer the double rental whammy of not only renting a place for their families to live, but also renting a place for their belongings to stay until times get better.

Other reasons for public storage growth

There is however, no single profile of the average public storage renter. Add to the above scenario a growing population of baby boomers preparing to retire and turn nomadic, and others who are down sizing for reasons other than foreclosure, and the figures go even higher.

An alternative to public storage

There is a better way to approach this problem. Buying a building of your own to store your property makes much better economic sense. Sure, you would have to pay for it, but it will be yours, and you will have something to show for your money when it is paid for. Even if you chose a rent to own building, the price is normally equal to the price of renting self storage, and the cost evaporates when the final payment is made, so that you can look forward to rent free storage, and using the building for other purposes when your situation returns to normal.

Apartment renters

It is obvious that buying a storage building is better than renting storage space, but what about people who move from a large home into a small apartment, or some other rental situation? Where would they put a storage building? The short answer is this: Everyone knows someone who has a home and land. This is usually a family member or a close friend, who understands the situation and would be more than happy to allow you to buy a building for placement on their property until the situation gets better. You will not gain all the advantages of having the building placed conveniently at your own doorstep, but at least you won’t be throwing your money away on  rent.

Other renters

If you rent a home, other than an apartment, the owner of the property might be willing to allow you to have a building placed in your rented back yard. At the least, it would not hurt to talk to them about it. In such cases, a ‘landlord lien waiver” may be required. Your building supplier will be able to supply one for you, along with instructions. However you work it out, renting to own, or purchasing outright, makes more sense than paying $50.00 a month for several years to store $500.00 worth of goods.

Storage sheds like this save money on storage expenses

Storage sheds like this save money on storage expenses



Buying Storage Buildings in East Texas and North Texas

Filed under: Buy a storage building, Buy storage buildings, Buying storage buildings, Need to buy storage buildings, Storage buildings, Storage buildings East Texas, Storage buildings North Texas, Storage sheds, Storage sheds East Texas, Storage sheds North Texas, Where to buy storage buildings, buying a storage building — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — james @ 12:48 am

Buying storage buildings in East Texas and North Texas

Are you looking for a place to buy storage buy a storage building? The world is a pretty big place!

This blog originates in the pine woods of East Texas, near a little town called Tyler. As with most situations, we are familiar with our native area, so we know more about the products available in this area than we do about other parts of the country.The material on this blog is based on data gleaned in the North East Texas area, but the principles and information it contains are applicable in almost any part of the globe.

If you are preparing to buy a storage building, utility building, carport, garage, or storage shed and you live in East Texas or North Texas including the Dallas area, and the area extending to the borders of Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, we can make specific recommendations for the best places to buy. You can phone Jim at 903.504.3938 for details.

Some of the towns and cities in this local area are:

Tyler, Jacksonville, Whitehouse, Bullard, Lindale, Winona, Longview, Mineola, Kilgore, Emory, Winsboro, Quitman, Alba, Kemp Maybank, Canton, Ennis, Kaufman, East Tawakoni, Quinlan, Van, Grand Saline, Edgewood, Forney, Fruitvalle, Garland, Mesquite, Dallas, Rockwall, Royce City, Saxe, Rowlet, Greenville, Paris, Bonham, Farmersville, Wills Point, Terrel, Sulphur Springs, and, well, okay, the list is really pretty long, and there are many more, but you get the idea. If you live in or near any of these areas, give us a call. For those outside this area, see the note bellow.

Buying storage buildings in the wider Texas area, and  everywhere else

If you are residing in another area of the country, even if it is outside the Texas area, we will be happy to try to locate companies in your area that follow the principles,  practices, and standards we believe to be the most consistent with the quality building materials, and the best construction practices to help you with your long term needs. Please email jim@storagemasterblog.com for details.

Storage building with standard door

Storage building with standard door

Storage Building and Storage Shed Accessories

Filed under: Doors, Insulation, Lofts, Parameter blocking, Peg boards, Ramps, Shelves, Storage building accessories, Storage buildings, Storage shed accessories, Storage sheds, Ventilation, Windows, Work benches — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — james @ 12:10 am

Storage building and storage shed accessories

The accessories you need with your storage building are determined by your buildings use.

  • If you are planning to store heavy equipment on on side of the building, parameter blocking is recommended for stability.
  • If you plan to work inside the building during extreme weather conditions, insulation, ventilation, or an air conditioning cut out might be needed.
  • Ramps can be purchased at most dealerships for mowing equipment and atv’s.
  • Lofts and shelves for extra storage space off the floor can add versatility to the building.
  • Work benches and peg boards will provide work space for crafts, woodworking or other projects such as maintenance on small engines.
  • Extra windows and doors of various sizes can add extra entry size, extra access, and more visibility for space to be used for work and office space are also available.

Storage Building Delivery and Placement

Filed under: Free delivery, Storage building delivery, Storage building placement, Storage building value, portable storage and moving — Tags: , , , , — james @ 12:03 am

Storage Building Delivery and Placement

Free delivery?

If you buy a building it will have to be delivered to your site, or built on your site. As for delivery, don’t be fooled by claims of “no delivery fees”! You will be charged a delivery fee, whether it is included in the cost of the building, or charged separately. Fuel and labor are not free, and the cost will be passed on to you in one form or another.If you are looking at two or more companies, free delivery claims should not be the deciding factor. The deciding factor should be value. What you need to determine is the value of the building, and that will be determined by the buildings long term suitability, and the final price. A building made of inferior materials, with poor workmanship will cost you a lot more in maintenance down the road, free delivery or not!

Delivery and placement planning

As for the actual physical delivery, there are a few things that will need a little attention:

  • You will probably be asked to give directions when you make your purchase.
  • You will also be asked about the surroundings and final placement, and how the building should be oriented on the truck for proper placement.
  • Being certain that the route to your house is clear of low hanging limbs or lines will be of tremendous help to your delivery driver.
  • Plan for such things as fences, gates, or any other impediments to delivery.
  • Know the exact spot where you want your building to be placed ahead of time.
  • The delivery crew will level the building on the spot, but the ground should be reasonably level before delivery.

Storage Sheds ready for delivery to your home

Storage Sheds ready for delivery to your home



January 9, 2009

Utility Buildings Storage Buildings Carports Garages Glossary

Filed under: Carports, Garages, Metal buildings, Mini storage, Portable buildings, Public storage, Self storage, Steel buildings, Storage buildings, Storage sheds, Utility buildings — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — james @ 11:16 pm

Utility building terms glossary

There is a bit of confusion about some of the terms used in the world of storage, so we thought we might try to define some of these terms, and cut down on the haze.

Utility buildings

A utility building is a multi purpose building. Such buildings can be used to meet a variety of differing needs, of which storage, is most common. Besides storage, they are often used as workshops, offices, hobby shops, game rooms, equipment maintenance buildings, wood working shops, and many other purposes, limited only by the individuals imagination. “Utility building” is the most general, and most accurate description for such buildings.

Portable buildings

Portable buildings are, of course, portable. They can be moved from one place to another with relative ease. They are movable because of their size, and the fact that they are not bolted or otherwise connected to a slab or other type of permanent  foundation. They are portable by virtue of the fact that they are single self contained buildings. You may here or see the term in conjunction with other terms such as “portable utility buildings, portable storage buildings”, and “portable storage sheds”.

Storage buildings

Storage buildings are generally utility buildings used for the purpose of storing something. These buildings are often portable buildings, but not always. They can be anything from a pole barn used to store inventory, to a warehouse, to an 8 by 10 building moved on to the property to store Christmas decorations or documents.

Storage sheds

This term is often used as a synonym for storage building. Technically, it is a shed used for storing something. A shed is most often a “lean to” type building, such as the type of open sided building built in conjunction with another building, or a free standing building on poles which has a roof oriented to “shed” water in one direction. These types of buildings are often used to store farm equipment. A typical shed type structure is the common carport connected to the end of a home, which is usually connected to the home at an angle proceeding down and away from the home.

Carports

Carports are often sheds attached to the side of a home, in a more or less permanent form. With the introduction of modular building technology however, they have now become widely used as un connected individual structures. A carport differs from a garage because a carport has at least one open side. Garages are  enclosed structures, carports are open structures. Modern modular building systems will allow for the building of a garage on the frame of a carport, increasing the buildings utility.

Garages

Garages, like carports are often built directly into, or onto homes. This has changed a good deal with the steel building industries use of modular, pre fab type structures. which allow for more flexibility in placement, and function. Now, many garages are built separately from the home as free standing structures.

Steel buildings

The term “steel building” is commonly used to refer to carports or garages of the modular type built from steel frames, and coated steel siding. The term really refers to any building built from steel.

Metal buildings

Metal buildings are, of course buildings made of metal. This term is usually used in reference to garages, carports or other similar buildings, of which the primary metal would be steel. There are also buildings made from other metals, particularly, aluminum. in actuality, it can refer to any building built from any type of metal.

Public storage

This is a term for storage rental space. Typically, it is a compound full of buildings with storage areas rented for individual storage. The term mini storage is also used for this type of storage rental.

Self storage

Self storage is commonly used as a synonym for public and mini storage. The terminology is a little confusing. It is self storage because the system is somewhat automated, and therefore, you can use this facility to store things yourself.

Steel Garden Shed

Steel Garden Shed



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