Climate-Controlled Indoor Car Storage

[cegerer]

I'm looking at the potential purchase of an office building in a downtown location. It's a former bank headquarters. The building is unique in that it has a vehicle-elevator running from the street level to the second floor. This was used to drive the armored trucks into and load/unload money on the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor is primarily office space. It is obviously heated/cooled, fire-sprinklered and carpeted for that matter! My idea is to use this 2nd floor as collector car storage (assuming the structure can support such loads and zoning allows ....). I think I can get 25-30 cars in there.

Any ideas on what kind of fees I could charge for this kind of storage? What would you be willing to pay? I realize this is location-dependant but I can adjust costs accordingly. There is no such storage in my area (about 250,000 population in the metro area here). -- Curt

[ErVikingo]

No idea but, local enclosed storage goes for 15o/month for my 22 feet trailer (27 in total length).

hope that helps. Cool idea. I'd be interested but you are way too many miles away!

[RickM]

Will you offer extra services like excercising the cars regularly, detailing, etc...?

[cegerer]

The plan would be strictly storage. Although depending on the car, I may offer free weekly personal exercising!

[RickM]

Heh heh, good one. I'd be very concerned with security. If word gets around......


I guess market value for the service really depends on the area? Imagine the delta between Hi-Ho Kentucky and Manhattan. Off the top of my head I'd say 150 - 200 a month as well.

[cegerer]

I don't think security would be a big issue. It's elaborately alarmed as you might expect from a bank. The building is about as fire-proof as they come. However, liability insurance would be a BIG issue. I'm sure also, that having 25 tanks full of gasoline above an office (the first floor would be my office) is going to be an issue that needs to be addressed. I think even at $150/month some pretty decent money could be made here.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Wonder what your insurance would be?

[RickM]

Another consideration would be on the type of access the owners would have to their cars. Would they be able to get their car at 2 am? Or use your facility as a high end garage and come and go as they please?

I'm sure there's some type of enhanced ventilation system if trucks were driving in and out of there...and some serious structural reinforcement.

[RickM]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Wonder what your insurance would be?

Good point as many insurance policies (especially collector car) insist the car be parked in the owners garage.

[304065]

Zoning?

[MotoSook]

Better to turn the second floor into lofts and sell to people who want to drive their cars into the building and park it up there.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Don't know how it is in your area, but all you have to do to get a zoning change in Maricopa County, AZ is grease the right palms. Hell, the zoning board will ignore petitions with 1000's of signatures, public outcry, and death threats if it means more moneys in their pocketses.

[Dantilla]

Individual stalls, or open to everyone?

You need rules about working on cars. Some would like to tinker in a heated space in winter. Is that allowed? How is it enforced?

A great idea. I've got a warehouse, and I've considered making it race car storage. Individual garages, so tools would be safe. Maybe a community lift.

Ask local car clubs. Advertise as such and see what kind of response you get.

[cegerer]

Good ideas guys. Access is a big issue. I think the spaces would need to be laid out so each car could be driven to/from the elevator without moving any other cars. There's also the issue of having all the cars in one big open space. In general, I wouldn't like that for my own car but this would be very secure, very high-end storage. Alternatively, if the car storage thing is too much of an obstacle, I'm thinking general storage for downtown residents and businesses.


Souk, I kind of like the loft idea. This downtown is going thru a renaissance right now with many old buildings being converted to condos. But 2nd floor condos with their own drive-in second floor garages???? How cool would that be!? Hmmmmm ......

[id10t]

Whats the ceiling height like? A few of the folks on the 356 list I'm on use various 4 post lifts to store one car above another... Maybe divide into separate bays with garage type doors, with a few that have a lift (at an extra 30% or so per month). It all would depend on what type of car climate you have in your area... near NY or LA you could probably rent the whole floor out to a Jerry Seinfeld type of person for mega bucks...

Maybe do something really fun (insurance allowing) and make it an indoor gun range, paintball field, etc. ?

[MotoSook]

Curt,

You give me a job and I'll buy the first unit...and I'll wrench on your car during my 2 hour lunch breaks What employer wouldn't want someone to live and work in the office

I've been on the lookout for a building to do a combo loft/shop/office! No good prospects in my town thoug

[cegerer]

I'm envisioning a James Bond type scenario ..... the Gray Wolf is driven from my living room onto the elevator to the street, the door slowly lifts and the Wolf emerges into the night fog for a quick buzz around town to the local pubs. Then back to the elevator for the ride up to the bachelor pad ...... oh wait, I'm married. *****.

Realistically, I'm thinking all that would be needed for individual car security would be some type of wire fence/cages - cheap and light. No need to protect anything from the elements because they're already indoors.

[MotoSook]

I've got a buddy who owns a condo in a rennovated warehouse in New Orleans. The first floor was converted to a parking garage, with the condos up on the top two floors. They have assigned spots, but no fence or such. It works well as the people who live there are not the type to steal or damage stuff.

I'd love to own a pad that I could drive up to (even if it's just a weekend pad in the city for my buddies and I to escape the wives to). Just don't tell my lady about it

[cegerer]

I'm thinking indoor go-kart track ......