All Forum Posts by: Henry Clark

@Julia Stroud

@Mike Lambert

Mr Lambert makes a great point about blanket generalizations are rarely helpful.

As you pick your country, evaluate the following.  I will use Belize as an example.  It is actually one of the most "wealthy" countries on a per capita basis than the majority of Central and South America, again a sweeping generalization.  Let me explain "Wealthy".

A normal Belizean would normally pay about $60,000 to $100,000 USD for a modern house.  Quite small.

A normal Belizean trades/craft person will be paid $25 to $50 BZD per day, that is $12.50 to $25 USD per day.  You can hire a illegal immigrant from neighboring Guatemala for $8 BZD or $4 per day.

They have to pay for their kids to go to school, uniforms, meals, etc.  Most do not graduate from 8th grade because they can't afford it, plus there are few jobs that warrant it.

As you can see above, a normal Belizean can never afford to buy a house.  They just can't save enough.  Now you come in, they see you as "Money".  Again, this is in one of the most "Wealthy" nations in Central and South America.  The poorer nations, do not have a different view of you.  If you can bury yourself in a gated community, you will be fine.  Go to Cancun or Cozumel.  Tell the driver to take you a mile outside the tourist areas.

All the countries Mr Lambert, mentioned I ticked off as we searched for a Property.  They all have positives also that are better than Belize.  You have to weigh your total package. Let me try to help you understand my views, I prefer Houston over Dallas.  Lived in both.  Yes, I prefer Belize.  

Belize- official language is English, since it was a British possession; Belize Dollar is pegged to the US dollar 2 to 1, you will see in a second why that is important; When you buy property in Belize, you actually own it, since they are under common law like the UK and US;  2 hour flight to Houston;            Petty theft is common; Top 10 murder ratios in the World (small population, plus majority of murders are in a 2 mile square section of Belize City; not the best roads; Can't handle severe medical issues; smaller medical issues are cheap and over the counter medication (prescribed in the US) is available.

Mexico- yes a lot of US expats live in Mexico.  If you get a chance check out San Luis Potosi.  Mexico's interstate system is far better than the US's.  Do me a favor.  Go on the interstate between two towns an hour before sun down and stay there an hour after sun down.  Tell me what you see.  Tell me what you did next.  Tell me what you felt.  That is the country you will be living in.

Costa Rica/Panama/Dominican Republic-  Great places, better beaches than Belize. Compare land prices between them and Belize.  Also flight times.  Also in Panama and Costa Rica, stay near the cities.

Colombia/Brazil/Uruguay- Inflation/Deflation/Currency valuation.  Also how fast these can swing.  Have someone explain how to get your money out during inflation, deflation and normal periods. Won't go into the rest of the items.

Key is to build a matrix of the key things you are looking for and require.  Then do your visits and make your contacts.

First though get on your county Tax lists and off list properties and start building your wealth.

Follow up to an individual who was trying to decide to invest or not in the Storage unit business through a Storage Syndication company.

I'm going to go with you are in Philadelphia proper. Take all of the info above which is good, and apply it as follows. Your going to get "dirty" and get into the Micro the folks above are discussing.

Pull up Google and type in "Self Storage Philadelphia pa". Then click on the "Map". This is not all storage sites but is a true reflection of the market. As you move around on the map, to new areas, more storage will pop up. Do the same thing using "Sparefoot" and use their map.

Now a couple things to note, that aren't obvious.

a. A lot of the locations are in the same location due to easy zoning. Not customer service.

b. A lot of locations are along major highways, not in the neighborhoods.

c. Now start looking at the areas with many cross streets, this is where your population is.

d. Then look at the "holes" where you see very few storage locations if any. This is due to zoning and availability/price of land.

e. In a highly dense population like Philadelphia your competition is only within 1 to 3 miles. If that area has 50,000 people in it, it needs roughly 3,000 storage units, minimum. You just have to drive around and count the units. If there are 1,000 then build or buy; if there are 4,000 look somewhere else.

f. Lets say you see a location that has 5 National or Large local, climate controlled units all within 3 miles. I would love to build there. Even if they are all at 75% occupancy. I'm pointing out there are two markets in the same area. Say a 10 x 15 unit for $200 climate controlled. 10 x15 unit for $130 drive up. The drive up will win hands down. There are more people at the $130 market and who want to do drive up; versus buggy/elevator/hallway. The key is land availability/zoning/price.

g. Business approach. Most big box companies rely on an onsite manager. This forces them to stay at a minimum size location and also reduces their break even point and increases their unit price points. Like all big companies/industries you have two objectives in life. 1. Grow sales every year XX%., 2. Grow profitability % every year x% points. This puts a premium on making deals and expansion. Although these people are very smart, this pressure can make some stupid decisions. Even if all of their spreadsheets and market analysis are correct, 5 companies may pick the same local market in the same year and build, not factoring each other in. Don't play their business approach. They are playing averages over maybe 100's locations, you might only have one. Also they have greater SEO power than you ever will.

Takeaways:

1. As mentioned several times above, your market is micro.

2. Not only is your market micro, it is really micro within 1 to 3 miles in major cities.

3. Stupid Money. Finding a spot or evaluating a location for sale. Do a stupid money test. Assume you are trying to build in that 3 mile area. How hard is it to find land zoned, rezone, large enough, valued correctly, to hilly, rivers divide your territory, etc. The harder it is to find a spot, the more valuable your spot becomes. Stupid Money can't just walk in.

4. You mentioned syndication and passive income. Looks like you want to invest in the stock market approach, put your money down and have someone else do the work. Here's the rub. Do you want a AAA or B investment? For the AAA investment in storage you will need to do 6 hours hands on work per week at your storage location. You might have to do a lot of work up front developing; and go through a learning process. For the B investment you just read your quarterly report.

5. Where is the self storage industry going. There is only one Casket maker in the US. There used to be about 15,000. Economy of scale, distribution and marketing got rid of all the rest. The same thing will apply to Self Storage. Remember there are two markets in Self Storage, the above story only applies to locations above xxx units, with a Big Box business model. The other smaller locations will also tend to consolidate, but at a small town level within 40 to 60 miles.



So your final question of last stage market cycle or is the end near. Again, there are two different markets and they could be just across the street from each other.

Big Box- End is near- they work off of averages. They may hurt each other in some markets. But there are cities out there of 200,000 people that there is not a single Big Box located there. Even once they fill all their potential areas; then the consolidation process begins. They start to make money off of streamlined corporate, computer systems, financing cutting 1% point off, advertising they do away with Sparefoot since they own the market, they buy their own maintenance and construction companies- which I say stay in your lane, they control pricing, etc. Yes they will hit a dip, but then their profits will increase and streamline until they have reached maturity as an industry. That's about 20 years out. Buy them, there is still an increase profit stream in front of them, versus other mature industries.



Little Guy strategy- same as the big guys. Or are they the same as US. Take advantage of the Baby Boom generation, all of these locations will be for sale. Most of their kids wont live there anymore and don't want to do storage, it is boring.

1. When I go into a town I look to both buy and build. Which ever is the most beneficial is the one I do first. Prefer to buy, since this takes out competition and gets me faster to price control.;

2. Price control- Once I reach 60% of the market, I raise the unit price $10. Doesn't sound like much, but this is about a 30% increase in profit and cash flow, with no cost.

3. Now that I have consolidated several towns and locations in an area, if/when we go to sale; we will offer a multiple package deal versus one location. This is more valuable than just one location. All of the consolidation and acquisition work has been done. All of the systems, contracts, maintenance have been consolidated. Back office efficiency. We are in 5 towns. Have 7 locations and building an 8th. Last two locations are in large metro. Location 1: 230 phase 1/ 200 phase 2/ Contractor buildings phase 3; Location 2: 330 units in one phase. All done on one phone. We never meet our customers- self service.

4. Same as big boys, go back and refinance, and pick up 2% points on financing.

5. Do away with Sparefoot. We own 60% of the market. Increase our profit by 15% points.

My advice is for you to build your own syndicate. Go out and pick smaller (30,000 or less) towns and sit on them, hammer them, grow them, consolidate them.


Start small and make your Big Mistakes Early.

@Kimberly Gamez

If you want on excel file, send me a colleague request.  Otherwise BP doesn't allow files to be sent.  Good luck.

If possible, I would keep the putting green, a three hole course and the walking path, jus for kicks.  Your RV folks might enjoy.

Also, if you do any rock roads, use "Engineer Fabric" under them.  Black.  Comes 12 and 15 foot wide.  You will not have to put base rock down and will use less rock.  Also no potholes.  When snowblading, leave a little snow on, don't go into the rock.

See if you can go shallow on the Water and Sewer.  Set up for a blow out system, at the end of the season.  Unless you do all year park, which I wouldn't.  Take a winter vacation, or give free space to someone living there, to watch over.

Set up convenience store in lodge.  Ice, drinks, alcohol, snacks, propane, etc.

Really sounds like a fun project.  If you "nail" it, then go around the US re-doing it.  Even though this past year was one of the best ever for Golf, it is my understanding a lot of the mom/pop courses are calling it quits as interest has gone down in Golf from youth.

Your already a seasoned investor and developer, so I hopefully just stick to basic considerations and not Rah Rah.

Below is a checklist we use for developing Self Storage locations.  Please take it and change it to your needs.  Have other "RV Park" owners look at it and add to it (drive about 2 hours away, so they are not your competition or email and call them).  The below is on the development side.  Or do a post on this Forum after you have put your efforts into it.  Try to use one of the BP calculators if it applies.

On the Cash flow or Income statement side, major considerations:

a.  Property taxes

b.  Interest/Principal payments.  If you do a loan, ask for a Construction loan.  Only pay interest only during construction and for 18 months after or xx% full, during rent up phase.  Since you will be seasonal, I would shoot for two seasons.

c.  Insurance

d.  Repair costs.

e.  Marketing costs- we use Sparefoot for Self Storage, I'm sure there is a similar service or Association for RV parks.

f.  Along the above line, there might be an Affiliate group, you can buy into.  I saw a Yogi the bear sign down in Texas, that might be a program that takes care of all of your needs.  Contracts, insurance, marketing, etc.

I would think your biggest misses will be roads, pads, electric (metered or not), water ((big enough city line or do you need a larger well (use a cistern well if on a private well, that way you have a lot of reserve water)), sewer, wifi, marketing, maintenance- lot of mowing, trash, etc.  Our family owned a trailer park and it was a lot of work setting it up.  Cheap labor.  My brother and I did a lot of digging Water, sewer lines, concrete pads, propane lines, in one summer.

Look up our similar development in Glenwood, Iowa.  "Journeys End" on 80 acres.

1.  Check with your zoning to see how large the minimum lots have to be.  In the country side ours have to be 2 acres minimum.  Since we are within a mile of town, we can do 1 acre lots.

2.  Check with your local group.  If they haven't done many of these it could take 6 to 9 months before you are completed on the subdivision. Ask about Major and Minor subdivisions.  Two different processes to a degree.

3.  Don't invest any money into access roads, building sites, utilities, etc.  You will pick the wrong spot.  Let them do that, plus you won't sale for anymore with/without. Maybe put in Culverts to show access points.  If you do, try to do joint access, so two properties share the entrance.  County may not allow driveways within a certain distance of each other.

4.  Make sure you have Water availability.  See if you can do your own Percolation test if required for sewer.

5.  Lots take time to sale.  Don't get trapped where you need the money back out in 2 years.  It will probably take 5 to 10 years to sale all of the lots.

6.  Don't get hung up on perfect squares or rectangles.  Work with the land topo.  Some lots may be 1 acre and some might be 20.

7.  Recommend you do a Subdivision to protect your and future owners values, versus just selling land.  If you don't do a Subdivision, you lay all of this out and then I come park a Pink used Trailer on the front lot.  Your value just went down for all the rest of the lots.  If your only doing two or three lots and the property is small or limited access, then don't do a Subdivision.  Just position the access roads, so the owners can isolate themselves from their neighbors.  If your in an area that has a Tree Spade and live trees for sale, you might put some trees in, that will be out of the way.  This is cheap and helps the people visualize the property and any road noise issues.  Don't place exactly on fence lines.

8.  Call our realtor and get a copy of our Subdivision rules.

9.  If this is a great location and not many lots available, price higher than you and your realtor think it is worth.  Unless you want to sell fast for cash and still make a good profit.

Great project.

Would recommend you do the following actions, before getting to deep:

a.  Check zoning.

b.  Check Sewer, water and electrical system needs.  Pads and roadways.

c.  Do market study in the area.  Competition.  Occupancy percentage.  Get rates for Daily and Season rental spots.  Keep these two areas separate in your park.  Season, gets the best spots.

d.  Clubhouse, is there a need for Wedding/other receptions in the area?

e.  Added services.  Far to the side, put in a RV/vehicle storage facility.  Also use Cargo Containers and make storage rental, near the RV/Vehicle facility.

f.  Personal residence- will you house hack and live in it.  See if you can do a 1031 from your current house into this property.

Sounds like a great REI adventure.

@Julia Stroud

Agree with virtually everything said above. We started later with REI Self Storage and subdivision, wish we had started earlier. Also have made overseas investments in Belize.

Thoughts U.S.:

Invest in Texas first.  Do you have $5,000?  As mentioned above, start building your war chest and more importantly your experience and team.  

a.  Texas has the greatest laws on Tax sales and off list sales.  My brother lives just south of you, and last year bought two properties for $3,000 each.  Off list for $10,000 each.  One is on a major road in town, and they gave to his son who has it listed for $65,000 for 5 acres.  Normal $80,000 per acre.  Has a few issues but at least two nice home sites possible.  Try to buy land and not houses at first, until you understand why?

b.  Purchased subdivision lot for $10,000 back taxes and sold for $40,000 two years later.  Now worth $80,000 about 10 years later.

c.  Don't own anything, but get into the REI game. Your in Austin.  Tons of these BP members want into Austin from other states.  Example:  Offer on site third party tour reviews.  Video the property, neighbor hood.  Develop a review check list.  Charge them $100.  Offer monthly or quarterly onsite property reviews.  Whether new construction or existing rentals.  Charge them $30 to $50 per 30 minute visit.  Develop a review checklist and photo checklist. 

Chump change above?  Here is what is going to happen.  Your going to really get to know your market.  Get to know what other investors see value in.  Research their deals.  After a while one of them is going to ask you to partner with them or throw you a deal, that doesn't work for them, but works for you.  Your going to get to see Flip work going on.  Meet the Trades people and figure out who is good or bad, on someone else's dime.  Meet Realtors.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  Your going to get experience on someone else's dime.

Dumb- keeps making the same mistake.

Smart- Learns from their mistakes.  Has to pay for it.

Brilliant- Learn form other peoples mistakes.

d.  Visited near you two weeks ago, helped a friend identify a property for Self Storage and made an offer.  Spent 3 days and looked at 10 properties.  Not in my wheelhouse, but saw the need and locations for the following types of investments: 1.  Wedding/event center- brand new Oil lay down yard, with nice building, Oil is in a bust mode now., 2.  Need for Childcare center, Dance/Gymnastic/TaeKwonDo location, found great intersection, land, and neighborhood., 3.  Contractor Incubator location.  All other locations filled up.  These are higher priced investments, but your locale due to the growth, has a lot of new opportunities in neighborhoods that have out grown their support businesses.  Key point is your area is in a growth mode creating a lot of investment opportunities.

Overseas:

c.  Use your psychology background.  See the people above recommending you do this or that and why?  Forget whether they are right or not, but they are using Market Psychology.  Two beaches are the exact same and same price, which do you go with?

d. After I Boxed, I loved being close by so I could go home take a shower, get something to eat and go to sleep. No matter what type of REI you do, whether things go good or not, you will be "beat up" to get things done. Start first in the U.S. and more importantly Texas, until you have your experience built up. A lot easier to deal with things at home.

d.  Prior to making your overseas investments I would do the following:  1.  Vacation there several times, 2.  Do at least 2 one week trips (non-vacation) and spend one to two days with a different Realtor per trip and see properties.  You want to get your Expectations established.  Look at the type of properties you want to invest in.  Don't invest yet.  Start to build a team.  Electricians, contractors, lawyers, realtors, landscapers, management firms, etc.

e.  The majority of overseas investing, you will need to bring the "Cash".  Very few if any U.S. banks or investment firms will invest overseas.  With that said, don't wait till you have $300,000 to invest there, once you decide.  You might start doing some land investments for under $50,000 just to get your feet wet and this will cause your to start to develop a "Team" over there and forces you to learn doing business there.

f. In South/Central America, you are not a human. You are "Money". Although that sounds brutal recognize that. After that, make a "Family" down there. You have to have someone watching your property or it will get stolen or vandalized. My family down there is "Marc" my local contractor. Teaching him REI and investing. He could steal from me, but as I have told him, "You can either eat the Chicken or have a Egg per day for the rest of your life.". He understands that. Since I have known him for only a year, he now has a nice free living place, I have a free watch person, he owns a house lot which he bought for $3,000 which you and I would have to pay $30,000 for. Locals, get the Local deals. He has a new side rental equipment business now with a concrete mixer, scaffolds, lawnmower and weed eater. Small things for us, but huge for him. He is my family. Sends pictures once a week and calls as needed.

"Start small and Make Your Big Mistakes Early."

Just ordered our entrance gate yesterday. Will give you a run down on gate systems we use. We are in a blizzard so hey, got time. Over all our road ways are 25 foot wide. Use a 20 foot (drivable space) gate, the actual gate may be 30 foot long for offsetting weight and to stay on the rollers. You could go with a shorter gate. Make sure to put Posts or Bollards on each side of the gates, so no one runs into it.

We primarily use three types of gates on our properties. Two sided swinging/hinged gates for construction entrances, Walk thru gates- in case entry gate is down, and Entry gate- we use a Cantilever gate. If in the country side, we will do galvanized. If in the city we will use Black coated.  Two sided hinge gate around $1,000.  Walk thru gate (??).  Cantilever gate by itself without motor (rough $10,000).  Motor (rough $15,000).

​

Before we get into the entry gate, if you look at the walk through gate you will note a "Blue" chain and lock. PEWEG grade 120, 1/2 inch "square" chain. Get at a "Rigging" store. Use this type of chain since it is impossible for Bolt Cutters to cut; and extremely hard to cut with a cutoff saw. You may see a youtube with a Vise holding it and cutting it, but they won't have a Vise outside. For a lock we use the below which is a Master Lock, model 6127A Key??????. If you keep the model and Key number, you can buy or have the locksmith key to the same Key. This is not even close to the "BEST/BEST" lock out there, but is less expensive and great. Due to the heavy neck and metal strength, no one has been able to cut through this lock with a bolt cutter. I like the moisture cover for the key hole, for our weather.

Don't remember exactly the prices.

Chain is about $20 per foot.

Lock is about $25

​Three pictures above is our Cantilever gate. The next picture shows the Rollers for the gate at the bottom. There are 4 rollers, one at the top and bottom and then about 8 feet away is another set of top and bottom rollers. The gate rides on these rollers, and is called a Cantilever since the weight transferring over the rollers as you close and open, the weight on one side, helps offset the weight on the other.

​Good thing about this gate, is it can be turned off and then easily manually rolled open or shut.

a. Your gate might not being getting electricity. Breaker switch could be thrown- long term you need your electrician to check if that is happening. Make sure your Electrician when installing puts the gate on its own Breaker Switch. Same thing with your NVR and Computers.

b. First thing to check though if gates won't open are the sensors. See next section.

First picture. To access these controls, you must unlock the cover. Then second picture, turn the switch off.

Third picture is the manual latch lever.

Fourth picture. You must use two hands and at the same time, pull back on the Handle sticking up in the air, and lift the latch that is laying down on the locking arm, to the second tooth position. Then just roll the gate open or closed.

Some folks may use "Lift" gates where there is just one fulcrum point. Then the whole gate lifts up in the air, until it is at a 90 degree angle to the ground. My contractor has this gate at his storage. He says the only issue he has ever had is in an ICE storm and the gate was to heavy. He has to go knock off the ice from the gate.

Ice is an issue with the Cantilever gates also. On the top bar, we take a small hammer and knock the ice off. Otherwise it builds up under the roller wheel and blocks the gate as you open. On the bottom bar and Rollers, I usually take windshield wiper fluid and pour on the two bottom rollers and bar.

​

​

​

​

First thing to check if your gate won't open are the sensors. See if weeds have grown up or trash is near the Beam or reflector. Or if humidity or frost are occurring.

a. Make sure you have hoods on both your Beam and reflectors to protect them from ice and rain.

b. Put Rain X on them to keep them clean of ice, snow or humidity.  If you still have problems in the cold, your Beam may be freezing.  Get your gate company to install a heater on it.

c. You will have two sets of Beams and reflectors. One for the gate opening and one for the rear area where the gate retracts when opening. These sensors should note if there is a vehicle or a human blocking the signal and stop.

d. Also you may have in ground sensors on both sides of the gate where the vehicles drive through. The sensors, sense a vehicle and will stop the gate from closing until the gate moves. See the third picture below. After the driveway is poured, the Gate company will cut tracks in the concrete and lay a sensor wire there and cover up.

e. Some gates may use a Bumper sensor on the edge of the gate and if it hits something it will retract or stop.

​

​

​All or none of the above may be required depending on your government/zoning entity, your business model or other considerations. Also the above are what I use, not necessarily all or the best solutions on the market.

These automated gates can be programmed in several fashions.

a. Keypad, we use just a push button. You could use a code or a fob. We don't want the extra calls on I lost my code or fob. To beef up the security just using a push button, we have about $8,000 worth of special cameras. Face camera when you push the button coming in and going out. Special license plate camera that is built just for that. Passenger camera and an overall camera. Both sides of the gate.

b. You can program the time the gate stays open when activated.

c. We have programmed only during the hours 8 am to 9 pm.

d. We have a hard lockdown we communicate at 9pm.

e. Gate is accessible through our phone. We are 25 minutes away. So if someone gets locked in after 9 we can open, or if we want to test because of frost, we can do this over the phone. Or if police need to get in after hours.

​

​ Just ordered our entrance gate yesterday. Will give you a run down on gate systems we use. We are in a blizzard so hey, got time. Over all our road ways are 25 foot wide. Use a 20 foot (drivable space) gate, the actual gate may be 30 foot long for offsetting weight and to stay on the rollers. You could go with a shorter gate. Make sure to put Posts or Bollards on each side of the gates, so no one runs into it.

We primarily use three types of gates on our properties. Two sided swinging/hinged gates for construction entrances, Walk thru gates- in case entry gate is down, and Entry gate- we use a Cantilever gate. If in the country side, we will do galvanized. If in the city we will use Black coated.

​

Before we get into the entry gate, if you look at the walk through gate you will note a "Blue" chain and lock. PEWEG grade 120, 1/2 inch "square" chain. Get at a "Rigging" store. Use this type of chain since it is impossible for Bolt Cutters to cut; and extremely hard to cut with a cutoff saw. You may see a youtube with a Vise holding it and cutting it, but they won't have a Vise outside. For a lock we use the below which is a Master Lock, model 6127A Key??????. If you keep the model and Key number, you can buy or have the locksmith key to the same Key. This is not even close to the "BEST/BEST" lock out there, but is less expensive and great. Due to the heavy neck and metal strength, no one has been able to cut through this lock with a bolt cutter. I like the moisture cover for the key hole, for our weather.

Don't remember exactly the prices.

Chain is about $20 per foot.

Lock is about $25

​

Above is a picture of our Cantilever gate. The next picture shows the Rollers for the gate at the bottom. There are 4 rollers, one at the top and bottom and then about 8 feet away is another set of top and bottom rollers. The gate rides on these rollers, and is called a Cantilever since the weight transferring over the rollers as you close and open, the weight on one side, helps offset the weight on the other.

​

Good thing about this gate, is it can be turned off and then easily manually rolled open or shut.

a. Your gate might not being getting electricity. Breaker switch could be thrown- long term you need your electrician to check if that is happening. Make sure your Electrician when installing puts the gate on its own Breaker Switch. Same thing with your NVR and Computers.

b. First thing to check though if gates won't open are the sensors. See next section.

First picture. To access these controls, you must unlock the cover. Then second picture, turn the switch off.

Third picture is the manual latch lever.

Fourth picture. You must use two hands and at the same time, pull back on the Handle sticking up in the air, and lift the latch that is laying down on the locking arm, to the second tooth position. Then just roll the gate open or closed.

Some folks may use "Lift" gates where there is just one fulcrum point. Then the whole gate lifts up in the air, until it is at a 90 degree angle to the ground. My contractor has this gate at his storage. He says the only issue he has ever had is in an ICE storm and the gate was to heavy. He has to go knock off the ice from the gate.

Ice is an issue with the Cantilever gates also. On the top bar, we take a small hammer and knock the ice off. Otherwise it builds up under the roller wheel and blocks the gate as you open. On the bottom bar and Rollers, I usually take windshield wiper fluid and pour on the two bottom rollers and bar.

​

​

​

​

First thing to check if your gate won't open are the sensors. See if weeds have grown up or trash is near the Beam or reflector. Or if humidity or frost are occurring.

a. Make sure you have hoods on both your Beam and reflectors to protect them from ice and rain.

b. Put Rain X on them to keep them clean of ice, snow or humidity.

c. You will have two sets of Beams and reflectors. One for the gate opening and one for the rear area where the gate retracts when opening. These sensors should note if there is a vehicle or a human blocking the signal and stop.

d. Also you may have in ground sensors on both sides of the gate where the vehicles drive through. The sensors, sense a vehicle and will stop the gate from closing until the gate moves. See the third picture below. After the driveway is poured, the Gate company will cut tracks in the concrete and lay a sensor wire there and cover up.

e. Some gates may use a Bumper sensor on the edge of the gate and if it hits something it will retract or stop.

​

​

​

All and none of the above may be required depending on your government/zoning entity, your business model or other considerations. Also the above are what I use, not necessarily all or the best solutions on the market.

These automated gates can be programmed in several fashions.

a. Keypad, we use just a push button. You could use a code or a fob. We don't want the extra calls on I lost my code or fob. To beef up the security just using a push button, we have about $8,000 worth of special cameras. Face camera when you push the button coming in and going out. Special license plate camera that is built just for that. Passenger camera and an overall camera. Both sides of the gate.

b. You can program the time the gate stays open when activated.

c. We have programmed only during the hours 8 am to 9 pm.

d. We have a hard lockdown we communicate at 9pm.

e. Gate is accessible through our phone. We are 25 minutes away. So if someone gets locked in after 9 we can open, or if we want to test because of frost, we can do this over the phone. Or if police need to get in after hours.

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​Building framing. They are building the last building for us this phase. 30 x 220. They have nailed the Studs to the concrete and then adding the purlins between the studs. They drill a hole in the concrete first, then they drill a threaded bolt into the concrete.

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The next picture shows the side view. This building is a "Single Slope" roof to the right side. Studs on the back are taller and diminishing as they go to the front, where is the low side is. Will show you a side view, then show you the labels on the studs.

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The next labels are on the front three studs down at the base. You will notice the last three digits are 118, 318, 518. This tells the erector the sequence to place the studs. These studs are on 5 foot centers. So if this was a 20 foot wide building with a Gable or double sloped roof; you would see 118, 318, 518, 318, 118. With the 518 being in the middle.

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Will start setting up the location with signage, cameras, lights, etc. Also will start to finish out the Office and walk through that with you.

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