has anyone set up a self storage place here?

[liamx1234]

basically at the moment i get about 3 days a week work and have alot of spare time, and alot of spare money i want to grow my business ventures i am looking into self storage i have the capital i need to set this up!

basically im wanting to know what is best container storage? or warehouse storage the ones with the metal sheds as you call them!

thank you

 

[The Byre]

There was a member here called JWest2015 who was looking for investors for exactly that!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

containers are ideal less rates etc.

 

[liamx1234]

and to rent a yard is cheaper than renting a warehouse!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

yep, by far. also there is the security. if someone rents a container then they can only get at their own stuff. There is no huge setup build in containers, they are dropped and ready to use.

 

[liamx1234]

finding decent containers they range from £800-£2000 each! finding a yard is also hard ive also looked i can stack the containers 2 high as you can get special steps made

 

[OldWelshGuy]

All I would say is to do the maths, the cost of fitting out a warehouse into units is likely to be high.

 

[Ste Hughes]

finding decent containers they range from £800-£2000 each! finding a yard is also hard ive also looked i can stack the containers 2 high as you can get special steps made

They can be found for not much more than scrap value one they have failed their seaworthiness test... (don't know the name of this, its like an MOT for containers)

Assuming you can inspect each one to see how bad they are it may not be a bad idea to look for those.

 

[liamx1234]

i have found them for around £400 each wich is pretty good i need to ring up the council and find out about business rates

 

[Ste Hughes]

Sounds like the ones I was talking about, we paid £400 and they were freshly painted up and had new locking mechanisms. We were told they can only be used at sea for 15 years then they are scrapped, but while they are no good for ships they are fine on dry land.

Keep them off the floor with some railway sleepers and they will do you for 20 years.

 

[liamx1234]

at the moment im getting a business plan together,

i think the biggest cost will be the gate as id want a entry key button system and camera's

 

[MOIC]

Don't underestimate the set up costs.

If done correctly, it's a great business with huge profits which can be duplicated.

Important points:

Location & access

Size & maximizing container quantity

Surface preparation

Clean containers

Security with CCTV & Alarm systems

Ease of manpower (1 person can manage one site if arranged correctly)

Competitive pricing (doesn't have to be the cheapest).

If you have sufficient investment, my advice is to go for new containers, they will never lose their value, will make your site look professional, will attract customers more easily and can always be sold very easily at any time.

Do it correctly.

Good luck

 

[The Byre]

New containers can be leased or you can do a fairly cheap lease-to-buy.

 

[MOIC]

To add . . . .

Do your research to the quantities required for both 20ft & 40ft.

This will depend on each site and you must design the layout to gain maximum turnover.

 

[liamx1234]

i am looking at making it look nice as 80 of the people arrangng the storage are women

 

[MOIC]

i am looking at making it look nice as 80 of the people arrangng the storage are women

What does that mean?

 

[liamx1234]

percent

 

[dtdigital]

@liamx1234 Sounds like a great venture. As the others have said, I would suggest getting quality containers that look the dogs and possibly get them boxed out to make them look even more fresh.

I think the most important competitive advantage you could have is location. If you can get a yard near a main road like a dual carriage way, it'll be convenient and it'll advertise its self.

Good luck!

 

[liamx1234]

done my business plan im about 15k short!! looks like ill have to work harder to gain more capital as im going for new containers and getting the floor plylined

 

[dtdigital]

That's a shame Liam.

Why not just start with a smaller amount of containers?

 

[liamx1234]

im doing it in stages 10 containers fill them then get more as i dont want to fill the yard with containers and then it all goes wrong! its the transport for the containers that are going to cost the most! and the gate system!

plus the im having 2nd thoughts about the yard im going for, at the moment as someone told me a yard is coming up soon which is cheaper and the yard floor is all tarmaced

i looked at cheaper containers i could re spray them it would save me a fortune

 

[MOIC]

You must ensure you have planning permission as well as a fairly long lease.

As you have pointed out, moving containers from A to B can be expensive, as well as all the necessary security and site preparation.

Being near a main road will more than likely increase your rental, so it's imperative you find the most economical area to site the storage.

Ideally you should be looking for minimum of half an acre.

 

[MOIC]

i am looking at making it look nice as 80 of the people arrangng the storage are women

What do you mean by arranging?

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I would have thought that size matters in that you need a certain number of customers to cover the costs involved with insurance and security, after all people place the items in storage because they want to use them in the future so 24 hour monitoring or massive built in security will be utmost importance, if not any body could easily climb a fence and break off a padlock to get to the goods.

10 tp 20 customers are not going to bring in much revinue to pay for a good fence and insurance for a open yard and whilst you are probably cheaper than big yellow many would I think prefer there better build quality and name

Basic containers can also suffer quite a lot with condensation

On a more positive note 10ft containers may be all that quite a few customers require, 20 ft is a lot to fill

 

[Carl Mintern]

I have 2 20ft containers in my lockup. One is for my equipment, the other I rent out at £20/week. I ordered a second and third which will be arriving in the next few weeks, as other people are asking to rent one. They pay for themselves in under a year, assuming 100% occupancy and they hold their value well.

If you already have a secure space and a market, the actual business sense in buying the containers is a no brainier. The correct space and the market are the only things to consider assuming you have the Capitol to buy the units

 

[The Byre]

There is no need to buy them. Lease to buy.

 

[Owen1]

Did you manage to set up this business?? I knkw this is an old thread.