At Trachte, our goal is to help you build a successful business so that we can develop a partnership that will span many years.

Trachte can review your site plan and provide valuable feedback. For a fee, Trachte can develop a preliminary concept site plan for most projects.  This plan is an excellent tool that provides a general idea of how your site will be designed. Send us a land survey, which is a map designating the boundaries of the property with degreed angles and lengths and additional details that will impact facility layout. Trachte’s services are not a substitute for a local civil engineer – if a survey is not available, we suggest you contact a local civil engineer to provide a survey for you in AutoCAD format. Please specify the setback requirements of your property, including front, rear, and side; as well as entrance location. A Trachte regional manager will discuss different layout options with you.

Certain complex projects may be outside of the scope of Trachte concept design services.

For a project involving the conversion of an existing building to self-storage, we will need an as-built plan of the existing structure including interior column locations and inside dimensions. Most conversions require the services of a local architect or civil engineer prior to Trachte’s layout planning.

Submit A Site Plan

Send us a qualified land survey and a Trachte regional manager will discuss different layout options with you.

Submit Site Plan

View these sample plans to see how the type of storage you choose to build affects your land use. Use our investment calculators to see how various layouts will affect your project’s performance. Please be advised that due to high demand, we will not provide multiple site plans for developers weighing various options.

  • At what point do I need a detailed site plan?

    Laying out a site in great detail is one of the most exciting parts of developing a property however, many new developers make the mistake of investing a great deal of time and effort in fine details earlier in the process than needed. Creating site plans for customers is also an expense for us at Trachte, so we ask clients to do their homework to ensure that the site plans we create are for valid projects. Designing a site that cannot be built helps no one.

    Early in the development process, you should be looking as a number of locations. Rather than attempt to develop a specific unit mix and detailed plan for multiple properties, estimate the buildable square feet and use expense and revenue estimates. Our basic investment calculator is designed to help you create financial forecasts without a detailed site plan. It will guide you through construction expense and revenue.

    As you compare properties, be sure to account for the space consumed by stormwater retention ponds, as well as the significant expense to engineer and build them (you will need to contact a local civil engineer for guidance). Research setbacks, easements and other building limitations that may affect the ROI of the properties. Finally, do not underestimate the difficulty of changing zoning. Time after time, new clients dismiss the zoning challenge (after all, you are a friend of the mayor, right?) and later find their plans stalled when they cannot acquire the correct zoning or conditional use permit that they need.

    When will you need a site plan? Once you are sure you have the right location, and have detailed information on easements, setbacks, and stormwater facilities; and you’ve established that the project makes financial sense using ballpark construction costs; you are ready to request our help with a site plan.

  • Plan 1 - Traditional drive-up units

    This plan demonstrates a typical Trachte customer site. In most cases, the developer would phase the project to reduce the upfront cost. Building only the structures needed at first reduces interest expense during the first years of business, and allows you to fine tune the unit mix in later phases. Some developers choose to build the perimeter buildings first if they serve as a fence. Some developers also choose to pour the foundations for future buildings up front to avoid bringing in heavy equipment later.

    driveup
  • Plan 2 - Incorporates some temperature controlled storage

    This plan will cost more to build than the first plan, but will provide a greater return due to increased land coverage and higher rents that may be charged for the heated/cooled units. The demand for heated/cooled units has been increasing and spreading into smaller markets that a decade ago would not have had this class of storage.

    some_temp_control

  • Plan 3 - Increases the amount of temperature controlled storage

    Assuming that there is demand for this level of climate controlled storage, this plan maximizes income by increasing the number of heated/cooled units. This type of facility can do well in an upscale suburban or urban market. The increased land coverage helps compensate for the higher land costs that are associated with those markets. Where land is exceptionally costly (and scarce) this plan could be taken further by building multistory structures.

    some_temp_control

  • Plan 4 - Self storage with large RV storage building

    This plan demonstrates a layout that utilizes large, tall units for RV storage. While the RV spaces have a high rent, it is typically not in proportion to the increased cost to build the large units. Additionally, these units require a large driveway in front of them, utilizing valuable land and requiring additional paving. When demand for traditional or heated/cooled units exists, developers are typically better off using their land to build those units instead. RV storage can however make sense if high demand pushes the rent high enough, and land cost is low enough.

    rv_storage

  • Plan 5 - Self storage and outdoor parking

    The final plan presents a layout with outdoor RV storage. Open storage can provide additional revenue from land reserved for future expansion. Open storage makes sense when land is cheap, or if you have exhausted demand for enclosed storage. Outdoor storage does bring with it a number of negative aspects: most communities frown upon it, and it may not be allowed or may need to be hidden from view. Additionally, open storage is more susceptible to theft and vandalism, and is typically more problematic. For lien purposes in case of default, it is critical to positively identify stored items as well as develop proper procedures for dealing with items that are titled and are already likely covered by bank liens.

    RV_parking