Thinking of building an rv storage unit complex

[Scottandcarol]

We just got an rv and are having trouble finding a nice place to store it for the winter, and when we don't use it. Does anyone have any information they would like to share? Do you have a place you like/don't like? Why? How big does it need to be? What amenities are necessary? How much is too much to charge, what is value for your money?
Do you own an rv storage unit (we are in central iowa) and want to share anything?

Do you pay for the whole year, or just the winter months?

Thanks for your help!!!

[westend]

I guess the OP has been advised about the various levels of storage that are available, from open space, uncovered to concierge wash-your-vehicle while you're gone. I'm thinking Ames, IA customers will want either enclosed garage space or an open space parking spot.

FWIW, my BIL moved a large pole barn (approx. 140 x 80) to his property many years ago. We, as BIL's in the trades, helped him disassemble the building and re-erect it on his property. This shed is typical machine shed construction. He rents space inside the unheated space for RV's, boats, and cars. He has a waiting list and has some folks that have never moved what they park but continue to pay the annual rent. It's not a bad way to make some money if you can endure the calls for patrons to move their vehicles out, when needed. He does all of the moving.

[2dogtravellin]

We put our rig in a storage facility that specializes in RVs, boats and some vintage autos that people won't run in the winter. It's a large warehouse surrounded by a parking area with a barb wired fence. The fence has a gate that opens with a clicker that you get when you rent your spot.

When I want my RV stored, I call them the day before to tell them I'm dropping it off. I drive into the fenced area and drop it off. They move it into the warehouse. I don't have access to work on it or futz with it inside. If I want to do anything, they'll bring it outside for me. When I want to take it out for a trip, I call the day before and they move it out and have it waiting for me whenever I get there to take it. When I go and get the RV they will store my car inside the warehouse until I get back, so I know my car is safe, too.

They charge by the foot for storage (20-25ft long X amount, 25-30ft X+ amount, etc). The have ala cart storage where you pay just for storage but if you want them to wash it, or fill the water tanks, or empty the black tank they will charge you a small fee. Then there is the "full service" rental where they clean and prep it before you go out and after you return.

[bshpilot]

the things you speak of are OPTIONAL & would target a different type of customer - potentially reducing the number of potential customers available.

climate control is nice but not necessary. my property owner keeps a close eye on the place (he owns a construction company & lives close by), i doubt there is much abuse of electric going on. I'd be fine with my own meter, it might even save me money in rent.

[JALLEN4]

bshpilot wrote:
while i get that it gets COLD in IOWA...im wondering why he need HEAT (or insulation) - is that something every RV storage lot is required to have ??

what about the open air (uncovered) storage surely they don't offer those amenities, yet they still seem to get customers & fill their lots.

NONE of the units in my complex have separate metered electric, and some how my owner is able to show positive cash flow - my lease calls out that tenants may not have or run refrigerators - and i try not to (except for the 24hrs prior to a trip when i switch it on)....but there is NO WAY for the owner to know & i know SEVERAL larger (high end) coach owners that never turn off their coaches (residential) fridge.

Just the same i do set up small thermostatically controlled (oil filled) radiant heaters when the temperature falls below 40 degrees....i speak quite often to the property owner & he's never mentioned electrical cost as an issue or concern.

Without heat or insulation in areas where zero degree weather is a potential, everything in a unit will freeze. A number of people use these units because their RV does not need to be winterized and can constantly be ready for winter trips to warmer climates. Other people use them to store a variety of items they want protected with some climate control. Other people use them to work on their projects in cold weather.

I never build in cold weather climates without heat. They can run on natural gas or propane if not available and will add less than $800 to each unit cost. I never add heat in warm weather climates but a significant percentage will have A/C. Even in cold weather climates we see people adding air.

Open air storage is a completely different market and appeals to a more value oriented crowd. It is much more competitive and requires a different set of amenities. In warm weather markets covered parking with available electricity is popular and somewhat hard to find.

Electric costs are always an expense in any complex and can be extremely expensive when abused. I have seen people run bills in units to more than a $100 a month running a variety of items. Individual meters are relatively inexpensive when installed in original construction. They pay for themselves quickly and also reserve the opportunity to sell the units as a condo in the future. It solves the problem of people running space heaters which are very inefficient. Perhaps the owner of the complex you use did not have the experience to recognize this when he originally built.

[bshpilot]

while i get that it gets COLD in IOWA...im wondering why he need HEAT (or insulation) - is that something every RV storage lot is required to have ??

what about the open air (uncovered) storage surely they don't offer those amenities, yet they still seem to get customers & fill their lots.

NONE of the units in my complex have separate metered electric, and some how my owner is able to show positive cash flow - my lease calls out that tenants may not have or run refrigerators - and i try not to (except for the 24hrs prior to a trip when i switch it on)....but there is NO WAY for the owner to know & i know SEVERAL larger (high end) coach owners that never turn off their coaches (residential) fridge.

Just the same i do set up small thermostatically controlled (oil filled) radiant heaters when the temperature falls below 40 degrees....i speak quite often to the property owner & he's never mentioned electrical cost as an issue or concern.

[JALLEN4]

Being a RV forum, the emphasis is on RV storage. In the real world, somewhere around 50% of the usage will be RV storage in those complexes that are successful. There are innumerable reasons for people seeking this type of storage and will expand the market to make the project feasible. There simply are not enough people with a RV that are willing or able to pay the rent you will need.

In Iowa, the basics you will need are heat, abundant lighting, heavy insulation,30AMP service, individual meters and central bathroom facilities. Local zoning laws will control other items of necessity. Fifty-foot, forty-five, and forty foot units will work best for length. Units between fifteen wide and twenty wide work best and will be somewhat dictated by the land available and the layout of the complex.

You will have taxes to pay, insurance, maintenance, and man hours to manage the facility. All-in, they can be built in your location for $35-$45 per square foot and will need to be rented in the $300 per month range to make a profit. Most any city of 100,000 population will support a limited number of these units if properly built and managed.

[Scottandcarol]

Dick A,
Thanks for the information!
How much do you charge your customers? Are they year around payers or just winter months?

Thanks!

[Scottandcarol]

ScottG

Thanks for the information! I'm trying to see if this would make any money or not (maybe that is why no one builds these!)
What would you consider a reasonable amount to pay for a 40 foot, individual bay with it's own garage door /24 hr surveillance / fenced area that backs to an interstate?

Or, would you rather pay less and have all the RVs parked in the bay together?

Thanks!

[bshpilot]

personally if i was gonna build one (of my own) I'd want it wide enough so that i could open my slides and awning....and i would want a WALK THRU door (so i didn't have to use the roll-up overhead door every time wanted access to the storage bay.

Without some demographics study its tough to know what the market could sustain.

I have met folks (in the bay next to me) that live 25 miles away....because there just isn't anything like where i am anywhere else. Ive never paid attn to the number of storage places around until we bought our coach...theres just 1000s of them.

And while my space might be unique, the 100k condo garage place isn't more than 2 mile from where our storage is....so the demand is not unique !

the SMART thing about our storage place is the owner builds one barn at a time....fills it then builds his waiting list and builds another....90 units at a conservative 250 per month generates a nice cash flow on a lot that was otherwise somewhat undesirable....i wish i was 1/2 as smart !

[kcmoedoe]

bshpilot wrote:

pitch wrote:
What is the rent in that Taj Mahal? Doesn't seem to me that a facility like that would be feasible most areas of the country. It would take a very large customer base to cover expenses.
Once you add power and climate control insurance cost start to add up. If you allow any kind of work at all to be done on site your liability expense just went up again.

there is no climate control, only the roof is insulated (or the side wall if you're on the end cap).

its not a matter of PERMITTING work to be done on site, you cant really prohibit it - each person has a lease (month to month after the 1st year), everything has to be contained IN your garage & the lease prohibits certain items (cant live in them & cant run refrigerators or air conditioning).

We're in (houston) Texas so we don't really need insulation (in fact last year i didn't even drain my water lines or winterize our unit), while we got down into the 20's for a week or so the interior of my bay never got below 40. I run small electric radiator/oil heaters if it gets really cold but have never had an issue. I drain my water heater after every trip.

The owner has been VERY smart about it - he's a coach owner (foretravel) himself and he says the only problem renters he's ever had is NON coach owners.

To minimize his risk he builds one barn at a time (about 15 units per barn), fills it up and then builds the next one, there are 6 barns currently and he has room for at least 3 more.

the land is on next to a busy railroad track & some kind of small water / treatment substation (no smell) & while there are plenty of homes around, its not the ideal location for homes.

the large majority of leases are for LARGE 5th wheels & coaches, there are a few travel trailers and some other renters including simple storage (one guy has cars & a lift) some folks store boxes & rubbermaid bins (some have installed scaffolding in them (like a 2nd store) for all their boxes.

I put the link to the site in my post, which contains more information & pricing, give the guy some hits -http://vintagervstorage.com

Dynamite facility. However, it is located in Houston, which has a metro population of over 6 million people and as you said, doesn't get to freezing temps very often. The OP is in Iowa, the whole state has a population of less than 1/2 the population of Houston and if my geography memory is correct, the vast majority of Iowa's population is not in the center of the state, which is where the OP is located. I seriously doubt a venture like this would be nearly as successful in the middle of Iowa. The very reason this one is successful is it's access to a large customer base that cannot store their toys on their property. Not sure that same demographic exists in rural Iowa.

[ncrowley]

If the front is open, make sure it is facing north so the sun does not hit the coach when it gets lower in the winter.

[bshpilot]

If you have 90-100k you can buy one of these garage condos....
but you'll be responsible for your own utilities (each unit is metered for electric ac/heat etc).

http://www.garageoasis.com/Gallery.aspx

[obgraham]

The unfortunate thing is that around here, and most other places I've traveled, there are a number of big warehouse-type sheds, often completely unused. Also a number of vacant farm sheds as the family farm morphs into agribusiness.

Getting the use of them is the problem. I did store my rig in a farm shed over a summer, and it worked out to both of our advantages.

[mowermech]

There are two RV/boat storage facilities within a mile of my rural mini-farm.
One has both covered and open air storage, as well as some commercial shops. The open air line is full almost all the time. Some units have been parked so long they are sinking, and the weeds are taking over
The other has only open air storage. It has been open only a few years, and is almost full. The RVs and boats come and go on a regular basis, so the owner is able to mow the weeds.
Neither facility, AFAIK, has any electricity, water or sewer for the open air portion. Both are fenced with 6 or 8 foot chainlink with barbed wire topping. Lighting is minimal.
I have no idea what they charge, my coach is parked beside my house.
Oh, yeah, I just was reminded that there is another open-air storage facility off the highway, about 1 1/2 to 2 miles away. It is open air only, gravel, and fenced.
Around here, it seems that if you have 5 acres that aren't being used, and can afford the fence, and the CCRs (if you have any) allow it, you can start a storage lot for RVs and boats. Usually, the "spaces" are just wide enough and long enough for the RV or boat, and there are minimal if any "amenities". You get a parking spot, not much else.
If you want to build one, I guess it is up to you how to go about it. Do you want (and can you afford to build) a high-end parking "resort", or would you rather have a plain parking lot.
It seems several people around here are having success with a plain parking lot.