With storage space at a growing premium in sprawling metropolitan areas, United Stor-All Santa Fe (NM) carved out a giant corner in the market when they turned a vacant builder’s supply and lumber yard in into a multi-story, space-efficient storage building. With a pre-engineered interior steel system, the results produced a profitable business for the owner and an asset to the community where a vestige of commerce once stood.

The United Stor-All project in Sante Fe is typical of a trend in the self-storage industry, which has seen the number of multi-story facilities rise over the last four years. According to the 2005 Self-Storage Almanac, the number of multi-story self-storage facilities rose from 8.2 % to 13.8 % between 2000 and 2004.

Several factors have contributed to the increase, including a growing number of project owners who are redeveloping existing buildings such as the San Mateo Storage Partners, the developer for the Santa Fe conversion. One factor that favors this approach is the fact that local governments are more inclined to scrutinize proposals for new self-storage facilities as land becomes scarcer in sprawling metropolitan areas.

Vacant warehouses, lumber yards and other commercial buildings make ideal shells to redevelop into self-storage facilities, in part, because such projects typically require less time and money to meet local zoning regulations.

Existing buildings often have previously complied with zoning ordinances, especially when it comes to sticking points such as buffer zones and landscape design, which are typically already in place and just need to be spruced up to satisfy the requirements for project approval.

San Mateo Storage Partners local principals Webb Wallace and Rob Lee have developed over a dozen self-storage facilities around the country, and brought their experience and knowledge to the United Stor-All Santa Fe facility.

United-Stor All Santa Fe offers industry leading site security, including electronic gates and doors operable by the tenant’s personalized access code. Other security features include individually alarmed units, central alarm notification and video surveillance.

They redeveloped the former Furrow building into a self-storage facility with 542 units, including 400 units that are climate controlled. The facility took less than a year to complete and opened in June 2005.

In addition to using an existing building, Webb and Lee further sped up construction with pre-engineered steel systems from US Door & Building Components of Orlando (FL). They procured an Access-A-Deck Mezzanine System from US Door that added a second story onto the project under the existing ceiling.

“This is something US Door proposed to us and we thought it was a good idea,” Wallace said.

US Door & Building Components is an international supplier of self storage components, rolling steel doors, wide load certified doors, interior hallway systems, garage storage systems, stackable storage and wine locker systems, mezzanine systems, portable building systems and structural pier and header system. Services include engineering, design, bid take-off, and unit mix layout.

In addition to speed of installation, the mezzanine’s additional storage units significantly increased the floor area ratio and the value of the property because of its additional potential for rental income.

The design engineers from US Door worked from the architect’s schematic design of the 54,097 square foot interior to maximize the number of units inside, and in this case they were able to add units to the original plans.

The 10,450-square-foot Mezzanine System utilized the existing HVAC and lighting systems, minimizing the cost of the multi-story conversion, because the HVAC units required only minor modifications. The lighting into the mezzanine storage units shines through the security wire mesh ceilings of each unit.

The warehouse-like facility is ideal for small businesses, contractors, retailers and wholesalers who need high ceilings and easy access.

Access to the 7,000 square foot mezzanine required a freight elevator that was installed in the rear of the building at a drive-up access point. The decision to place the secure elevator there meant customers are within a reasonable walking distance from the second level.

Prefabricated steel stairs, also from US Door, were located at the end of each hallway for tenants coming up or down elevating the need for an elevator. The Value Storage Hallway Systems provided access to each storage unit on the mezzanine and lower levels.

The single height hallways came with the components needed to install the necessary systems on the ceiling created on the lower level hallway, including lighting and fire suppression equipment.

The Storage Hallway Systems were built around gloss white 20 gauge non-structural piers and headers that strengthened the hallways and were easily designed for retro-fitting an existing building.

The owners chose optional chamfered corners and diamond plate aluminum corner guards to protect the facility’s walls from items being moved in and out of the building.

“It’s a design detail that’s much appreciated,” Wallace said. “It keeps the place looking nice longer.”

Contractors like Chrys Jaschke with Cameron Construction of Santa Fe also enjoyed working with the pre-engineered steel systems, including the Mezzanine System.

“It’s nice to have a pre-engineered system that is so effective in creating a mezzanine level,” Jaschke said.

Jaschke gave the engineers at US Door the project’s parameters, including the height clearance, unit mix and access points, and they then designed and created the mezzanine level, storage units, hallways and stairs.

The overall project was designed by project architect Martin Kuziel with Architectural Alliance of Santa Fe. According to Kuziel, the former 1970s era building products and lumber yard operation had been vacant for about a year before construction started.

The exterior portion of Kuziel’s design specified a big red stripe that had long been associated with the previous business be replaced with new paint in earth tone colors and a new metal roof in a patina green color.

An eye-catching tower was placed at the entrance and rolling doors were placed behind the storefront windows to both identify the property as a self-storage facility, and create the feel of a safe and secure facility.

Inside, the former storefront was further transformed into modern office and retail space with design elements such as a high black ceiling and exposed trusses.

The office will contain a business and mini-conference center for tenants and will provide delivery receipt, fax services, mail services and Internet services. This space will be made available for customers who require affordable meeting space or a venue for sales presentations.

The retail space will contain displays for items that tenants can purchase, including locks, boxes and other packaging material.

Driving around the main climate-controlled building, the conversion of lumber warehouses in the rear of the property also was executed with design assistance from US Door’s specialized team.

US Door’s self-storage rollup doors move quietly and efficiently with light-lifting features such as wear-strips, springs with easy to use adjustable tension devices, and bearings. For security purposes, each rollup door has a double slide lock suitable for pad locks. Because the doors are suitable for mounting to wood, masonry and steel jambs, they can be hung easily on existing buildings.

“They’re on bearings so they are very, very smooth and it takes less effort to open them and keeps the noise down,” Wallace said.

In addition to the self-storage units, all but one of the former open-air lumber storage buildings were enclosed for additional drive-up storage units. Large vehicle parking will be available in the covered center building with its sides open, to accommodate large vehicles or sentimental ones that need to be away from searing hot Santa Fe sunshine.

“We have a large vintage car club we hope to rent storage to,” Wallace said. However, the large covered bays would be suitable for any large vehicles including construction equipment and recreation vehicles. As motor home ownership has skyrocketed while the parking spots for them have shrunk, the parking space at United Stor-All should always be full. SLDT