Metal storage unit buildings come in all shapes and sizes. Estimating your costs is a key step as you are choosing a metal building company and kit for your own storage facility.
There are a number of different factors that can impact the cost to build storage units, plus, there are multiple costs that need to accounted for when you are coming up with an estimate for the total. In this article, we will explore all of these factors and considerations in-depth.
What is the Cost Per Square Foot to Build a Storage Building?
The overall cost to build a storage unit building ranges between $25 and $75 per square foot.
- If your facility will have only one floor, you can likely get away with under $45 per square foot.
- If your facility will have multiple floors, then your costs are more likely to range from $45 to $75 per square foot, depending on other factors.
To estimate your total costs, multiply the size of the units by the number of units. Add in any additional square footage you need for hallways, offices, elevators, etc. This will tell you your total square feet. You can then multiply that number by the cost per square foot to get the total estimated cost.
Take note that the estimates above only account for the structure. They do not include other costs such as land or permit fees (see below).
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All Costs to Account For When Constructing Storage Buildings
- Land: If you do not yet own the land where you will put the storage facility, account for the cost of the land.
- Permit fees: You are going to need to apply for building permits. There are fees for this process. Your local building department can tell you what they are.
- Site preparation: You will need to pay any costs associated with site preparation. Given the large size of a storage facility, there is a good chance that obstacle removal and leveling will be involved. You also will need to install a foundation. If the land does not have access to electricity or other utilities, you will need to install those that are required for the operation of your storage facility, as well as any set by the building department.
- Materials: The cost of materials can go up or down depending on how commodities are priced at any given time. The specific materials you choose as well as when you purchase them will affect your costs.
- Labor: There will be a cost to actually construct your storage building.
- Transportation: Materials and/or prefab components must be shipped to your building site. There are costs involved with shipping them.
You may also come up with other miscellaneous costs to factor in as you are planning your project. But that covers the main costs.
Always budget a bit higher than what you think you will actually need. That way, if there are any unforeseen costs, they will not catch you off-guard.
7 Factors That Affect the Cost for a Storage Building
We have discussed key costs that you need to account for as you plan your project. Now let’s talk about some of the factors that can cause storage unit construction costs to vary, accounting for the range we mentioned earlier.
- Materials cost
As already stated, some materials cost more than others, and buying them at an earlier or later date may mean they cost more or less, depending on economic factors.
Should you try to time your purchase? If you understand the factors that drive the price of materials like steel, then sure, go for it. But if you do not, you will have a hard or impossible time trying to time the market, so it is better just to purchase when it makes sense to keep your project timeline moving forward.
Talk to your building company about this. Sometimes they can help you out by locking in a particular price, etc.
- Size
The larger your storage facility, the higher your overall cost will be, because more materials and construction are required.
But a larger building usually has a lower cost per square foot. Check with your building company to find out the cost per square foot for different building sizes. The reason for the lower cost per square foot is because it is cost-effective to build at scale.
- Design
The exact shape and layout of your storage facility will impact how much it will cost. We already gave an example previously, of how a single floor facility is less expensive to build than one with multiple floors.
- Finishing and features
Storage facilities tend to be pretty basic in terms of appearance. Aside from selecting paint colors, you probably will not do much to finish the exterior of your facility.
But there are some features inside storage facilities that can add to your costs. Say, for example, that you do decide to construct a facility with more than one floor. To connect the floors, you are going to need an elevator, as a lot of items that people need to store cannot be hauled up and down stairs easily. That will add to your costs significantly.
As another example, some storage units are climate-controlled, while others are not. If you install heat and air conditioning in your units, that will also cost more. You may want to only do this in some of your units, and charge more for them.
Lighting is an additional feature to consider. You should also consider what type of flooring you want to put in, etc.
- Storage building construction process
The storage unit facility construction method that you choose is an additional factor that can influence how much it costs to build your facility.
We recommend that you get a prefabricated metal storage unit. This type of building is made out of components that are pre-made in a factory. They are then shipped to the building site, where final assembly takes place.
Here are a few reasons why prefabricated construction is cost-effective:
- More precision in the manufacturing process equates to less material waste.
- Since construction takes place indoors, workers do not have to take breaks because of inclement weather. They can continue working efficiently. You also do not have to worry about weather damaging materials or finished components.
- The entire process of prefab being quicker and easier makes it lighter on your wallet. It is possible to build a facility in just a few months. Once the components arrive on-site, only minimal personnel and equipment will be needed to complete the final assembly of the facility.
Note that for final assembly on-site, you may have an option of letting the building company’s crew take care of it, contracting it out to a third party, or overseeing it yourself. The approach you choose will have an effect on your costs.
So, go with this approach whenever you can, as it will save you money.
- Location
The location for your future storage building is another factor that can affect your costs. The reason is that if you are located close to the building company, they will not need to ship as far, so your shipping costs will be lower than if they were farther away.
Whether there are any significant obstacles on the way to you also can affect the price of shipping. For example, if you want to build a storage facility on an island, requiring a water crossing, that could up the cost of shipping. Or if the building company needs to cross a mountain range to get to you, that could drive up the price.
- Manufacturer
There are a number of businesses that specialize in manufacturing metal buildings such as storage facilities. Even if these companies are using the same basic approach to construction, they may set different pricing for storage buildings. You will need to compare prices to find the best value for your project.
Build Your Own Storage Unit Facility
The sooner you start planning your storage unit, the more time you will have to compare metal building companies and time your materials purchase to take advantage of low commodities prices. To browse storage building kits and plans, click on any of our recommended metal building companies below.