Equipment Storage Location

[Oly's Stump]

I have been renting pole barns the past 19 years to keep my trucks and equipment. In my area the government keeps you from parking commercial equipment in residential area (like my home). The property must also be zoned right to park commercial equipment. My present landlord has notified me that I must be out by the 1st of the year because they are tearing down all the pole barns to re-develope the property. I am now contemplating on buying a vacant piece of industrial land and build a large warehouse which is devided into separate units so I can rent out units to other contractors. In my area its hard to find property to store my equipment. Some of my equipment I need stored inside but most can be stored outside. Anyone on this site have the same problem ? Where do most of you guys store your equipment ? Does anyone have a situation like I have mentioned where you built a building for your equipment and then rented portions of the building or property to other contractors and if so how is it working out?

 

[jazak]

We also are not allowed to park in residentail areas. I park in a lot. If you know a bunch of guys who need places to park there trucks it will work out great.

 

[Xtra]

Shops/garages and places to park your equipment are hard to get in my area (it's become way too over developed). Most places get $300/month to park 1 truck.

Commercial land by me goes for $35K an acre or $75K+ for highway frontage.

I got lucky - I rent a small garage (for stump grinders, saws, etc), park several trucks, a few trailers, chippers, tractor, get to dump all my wood for free and pay just a grand/month.

Also a good cheap storage space can be made by using the body off a box truck. I convert box trucks to dump bodies and then keep the boxes for storage.

 

[Log hog]

That sucks.

I have been lucky, a rental company has a very large fenced in lot and they have let me store all my equipment in there. Up here, any and all of my equipment, saws, booms, stump grinders, trailers, etc. inside the city limits, you have to pay personal property tax on it. Thank God for the city assessor I don't know what I'd do with out him and our beloved tax system. Hey don't forget free wood can go along way. I have everybody and his brother asking for wood for there out door burners. There is a place here that makes custom furniture and needs the wood to heat there buildings. Well my dad gets first dibs on the good stuff and they get all the pine and odd Ball crap to burn. They don't care what kind of wood it is. They made me a beautiful bed room set out of solid maple, stained and sealed. My wife was pretty delighted when she came home and saw that in the bed room. There going to make me a bar, entertainment set, hutch, etc. You can always barter give that a shot. And good luck.

 

[Toddppm]

I've been renting a lot a little more than a 1/4 acre for 6 years now and will soon lose it to development. I knew it was coming and have been looking for the last couple years. Around here you are looking at rent of at least $1.25 sq ft/yr. for an empty fenced in lot unless you get very lucky.
I've also been looking at buying and a properly zoned property right now would be around $600K + way up for an acre. If not for needing a bigger house I could of have got in for half that a couple years ago but this area is steadily exploding with development.
I came close to taking the plunge and buying but I don't want to stress myself out that bad:bang:

I'll just find another place to rent I guess when I have to move.

 

[pesimon]

truck parking

Big problem here too on Long Island NY. It costs about $300 per month per truck and you only get a spot in a semi fenced in yard. Always in the bad side of town. The towns only seem to make it harder and harder for the legal buisnesses to make it and shrugg there shoulders about dealing with the fly by nighters.
To buy a lot [100x100] in a industial area is about 300,000 , get a building on it and expect to pay about 500,000. Taxs on the lot are about 7,000, with a building about 10,000.
If you go way out on the island you can get things cheaper but spend all your time sitting in traffic. And things are changing fast out there as well.
The next 10 years are really gonna be a struggle.
Shoulda listen to Mom and become a brain surgeon