Storage Master Blog

July 25, 2009

Storage Building Information

Storage Information

The need for storage space

Almost everyone needs storage space at one time or another. The nature of modern life is that we need some things periodically, and temporarily, and between those times, they have to be placed somewhere for safe keeping. This is true of our tools, our recreation equipment, and even our documents.

Renting or owning my storage space

If you have a location, buying is always better than renting. In the end, you have a product that has value, and belongs to you. This product can be used for continued storage purposes, re tooled for other purpose, or even sold if the need for it is gone. There are more reasons. A building on your own property is more convenient than one across town. If you own the building it can be used any time you get ready to use it, day or night. Because it is near your back door, you will save on fuel as well. See also: Buy A Storage Building Instead of Renting Space

The hallmarks of high quality storage buildings

Good material, and solid construction will mean long life, and easy maintenance. In most instances this will mean wooden framed structures with metal siding. These buildings represent the best long term value. Wooden , or composition siding with composition roofing requires quite a bit of maintenance. If such a building is not periodically cleaned, sealed, and painted, the material will degrade quickly. Steel clad buildings are almost maintenance free. Buying The Right Storage Building

Determining the size of the building you need

Deciding your buildings size, will require deciding the buildings intended use, and by available space. If the building is to be used for the purpose of storage, the number of cubic feet of the material to be stored can be determined by some simple measurements, and some simple math.  For workshop use, size should be determined by design and usability. The need for 200 square feet of space to be placed into an area no wider than 10 feet will require the building to be longer than it is wide. Whatever your buildings intended use, add at least 10 percent to the final size. Most people need more space than they initially expected. See: Buying The Right Storage Building

Deciding where to locate the building

The building should be placed where it can be reached easily, and where it does not interfere with lawn and landscape practices. we also need to think about the irrigation system, and how it will interact with the building. Some irrigation adjustments may be needed. See also: Storage Placement

Financing a storage building

Portable utility building producers and dealers want to sell buildings. That is why they are in the business. For that reason, most will have several financing options available. Of course, everyone loves cash. Most will help you to locate a loan source, and there is also the rent to own option, and some dealers offer ‘90 days same as cash”. See: Storage Building Finance Rent To Own.

Getting your building to you

Most buildings are built at a factory like facility, and then delivered to the locations where they are to be displayed and sold. When a building is sold on a lot, it will be picked up at that lot, and hauled to it’s new home. That is not the only way it can be done though. Buildings can be built to meet your specific needs, and hauled directly to your place, or they can be built on site. On site building normally requires an on site fee, but this will probably be offset by omitting the cost of a delivery fee. There is always a cost for delivery. When a dealer tells you that they do not charge for delivery, that simply means that they have figured the cost into the building in other places. Free delivery is a gimmick. Look at the quality, and the final cost, and that will determine the buildings true value. See also: Storage Building Delivery

Uses of utility buildings

How you choose to use your utility building is limited only by your imagination and creativity. They serve well for the purpose of storage, but can also be used for work and hobby shops, offices, game rooms, and entertainment rooms. See: Storage Buildings Who Needs Them?

Maintaining your storage building

Utility building maintenance needs are determined by the type of materials and the quality of workmanship in the building. A well built steel clad building will be almost free of upkeep. A building built with other materials will require cleaning, sealing and painting on a regular basis to maintain looks and structural integrity. Read more in Storage Building Maintenance.

A row of metal storage buildings

A row of metal storage buildings

January 9, 2009

Utility Buildings Storage Buildings Carports Garages Glossary

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



January 8, 2009

Buy A Storage Building Instead of Renting Space

Buy A Storage Building Instead of Renting Space

There are two types of storage. That which you own yourself, and that which you rent from someone else. Self storage and mini storage or two forms of public storage, which is the type you pay your hard earned cash to rent. Storage sheds, or storage buildings are utility buildings which are most often used for private storage, which is the type of storage you pay for once, and then own forever. Let us show you why owning your own storage is better than renting public storage.

Peace of mind.

  • You can rest easier knowing that your cherished belongings are tucked away safely within the confines of your own property, and within easy reach.

It’s green.

  • In these days of environmental awareness, we have become aware, that it makes more sense to store your items closer to your home to avoid wasting energy and adding pollution to the atmosphere. What better way of reducing your carbon footprint than to avoid extra, and unneeded trips?

Fuel cost.

  • You have to pay rent to someone else to get them to allow you to put your stuff in their building located miles from your own home. Fuel prices are in a state of flux, but wasting money on fuel is always out of style. All those extra trips to get boxes from some “self storage” place 10 miles away can wind up costing you a lot of money.

Rent cost.

  • If you buy a building, you are paying for something that is yours, so instead of perpetual rent, you have something to show for your money, and it can be used in many other ways, and for many other purposes if the need to store something is over. What you have left after paying rent, is more rent! When you stop renting, you have nothing!

Your safety in transit.

  • Any time you drive, you take risks. That is part of our everyday lives, but why take more chances than you have to?

Your safety on site.

  • Most storage places are somewhat remote, and while there are usually security systems in place, (whether they are working or not is another story entirely) the very layout of the buildings present safety issues. Besides, having a nice video of you being robbed outside your self storage unit will help the police to catch your mugger, but that is, after all, “after the fact.”

Your convenience.

  • The ability to grab what you want from your own building at any time of the day or night, without having to leave your premises, waste any time, or fight any traffic will go a long way toward stress reduction, and that is one thing that most of us would prefer. In that regard, buying instead of renting is good for your mental and physical health, and consequently, your longevity!

Your time is important.

  • Even if buying instead of renting won’t increase your longevity, it might just increase the amount of time available for doing the things you want to be doing.Time is our greatest asset, wasting it just might be our greatest failure. You have soccer, and baseball, and piano, and school activities, and shopping and…! It is much less time consuming to step into your back yard than to make a trip across town.

December 17, 2008

Portable Utility Building Siding | Wood or Metal?

Portable Utility Building Siding | Wood or Metal?

We get a lot of questions about the best type of siding if you are buying a portable storage building or storage shed. This is written from a very practical perspective. It looks at storage from the perspective of what you must do to maintain your building.

Wood looks good. Well, at least it looks good for a while. Wood exposed to the elements, however begins to look bad pretty quickly, and what is worse, is that it’s structural integrity is soon compromised!

Without human intervention, wooden structures soon destroy themselves. Human intervention in these situations involves cleaning, painting or staining, and doing so regularly. The best procedure is to clean, paint, or stain the building once a year, or at least once every 18 months. The average cost for such a procedure is about $500.00 per year!

That is why we suggest the purchase of a metal clad building. Most metal siding will last in good conditions for at least 25 years, and is pretty much maintenance free. The cost for such buildings may be a little higher, but the value is much greater.

If you have a different perspective on this issue, please feel free to respond in the comments, or email us with your response and we will be happy to publish it here.

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