A self-storage facility is mostly slab. The buildings are low, the floors are simple and the margin of the project lives in how many square feet of pavement and floor a developer can deliver for each dollar. That arithmetic makes the concrete package the most important line in the budget, and it makes errors costly: a floor that is out of level shows up as a door that will not roll, and a drive aisle that holds water becomes a customer complaint.
West Texas is a natural market for storage. Households and crews move with the energy cycle, apartments are compact, and many residents and small businesses need room for equipment and seasonal goods. Developers build conventional drive-up units, climate controlled buildings and vehicle or equipment yards, and each of those has different concrete demands.
Concrete Contractors of Midland places and finishes the footings, slabs and drive aisles for storage facilities and coordinates the earthwork and utilities that prepare the site. We lay the project out as a series of repeating pours so the developer can open buildings in phases and begin renting units while construction continues.
Coordinating repeatable concrete placements
Storage buildings repeat. A row of drive-up units shares the same footing, the same slab thickness and the same door opening dimensions, and that repetition rewards a crew that knows the work. The concrete contractor works down each row with a repeating sequence of slab and apron placements. Forms, reinforcing and finishing tools move with that sequence so the next storage building does not wait through a long gap.
We coordinate trade partners for the underground work, including drainage, water for fire lines where required, and electrical conduit. That coordination is not an afterthought. Pipe in the wrong location or at the wrong depth will interrupt a pour, so we mark the slab edges and utility crossings on the plan and walk them with the partners before the first form is set. Our slab on grade sections are designed with the door tracks and floor drains in mind.
The crew also tracks the small things that owners notice later: control joints placed so that they do not run through a roll-up door opening, a slight slope toward the aisle so rainwater leaves the unit, and edges that are formed straight so wall panels sit tight. Each of these takes a few extra minutes during the pour and saves a repair visit after the first tenant moves in.
Mobilizing to storage sites across the basin
Storage developers look for land at the edges of towns and along highways, which is where delivery trucks drive. We mobilize crews to Midland and Odessa and to communities such as Big Spring, Lamesa and Coahoma. Each location has a different haul distance from the nearest batch plant, so we decide the pour size and the number of trucks before the date is set.
Smaller markets often support a single phase of storage buildings, which means a smaller mobilization but the same attention to quality. We price those jobs with the same line items so a developer can compare a town site to a Midland site on a fair basis. When several sites are under consideration, we can lay out a comparison that shows haul distance, expected pour sizes and mobilization cost for each, which helps a developer choose which parcel to build first.
Where the storage concrete budget moves
The ground is the first variable. Midland County is flat land broken by draws, with sandy red and dark loam soils, elevations from about 2,550 to 2,900 feet and no rivers or other permanent surface water. Those soils generally drain well, but a draw nearby can mean a drainage easement or a lower pad elevation, and the geotechnical report decides how much preparation the site needs. Midland Draw runs through the northern city limits, and the city sits at about 2,779 feet, so a parcel in that area should be reviewed early for drainage and floodplain questions.
Next come the drive aisles and the thickness of the slab. A facility that expects moving trucks and heavy vehicle storage needs a stronger section than a lot for small units. We also compare broom finish against a lightly troweled finish. A smoother surface helps door operation and cleaning, but it costs labor, and some owners choose it only inside climate controlled buildings.
Developers and owners who build storage
Storage owners range from national operators to local investors. A national operator brings prototype drawings and strict schedules. A local investor often brings a smaller site and wants advice about phasing. We work with both, and with commercial developers who build storage as part of a larger parcel, adapting our proposals to their style.
General contractors hire us for the foundation and paving scope, and we fit into their master schedule. Whoever the buyer is, we state how each concrete and preparatory task is assigned, and we give a dated calendar for the first building and the repeats that follow. Owners who plan to add buildings later can ask us to stub utilities and leave pad space so that a second phase does not cut into new paving.
Slabs, aisles and the pieces around them
The scope usually includes thickened slab edges, interior slabs for each unit row, drive aisles between the buildings, curb and gutter, entry aprons and gate pads. In climate controlled buildings we add vapor barriers and interior floor drains. Because the buildings are metal framed, we also coordinate base plate locations and anchor bolt layouts with the building supplier, who sends a plan and expects the bolts in precise places. An error of a half inch can halt erection.
Wind affects both construction and design. Midland's record wind gust is 93 mph, set June 26, 2007, and a 74 mph gust was recorded May 24, 2022, so building suppliers design for uplift and so must our foundations. Dust is the companion to wind here, so we keep a water truck on site and hold freshly finished surfaces under cover until they set. We follow the engineer's drawings, check bolt placement twice and keep concrete tied to the frame with the specified embedment. For sites with similar light industrial layouts, our flex and light industrial and warehouse experience applies directly.
Phase your storage pours with us
Send the site plan and building layout. Concrete Contractors of Midland will propose a phase sequence, the pour sizes and the trades we coordinate.
Common Questions
How do you phase a storage facility?
We propose a first phase that includes the entry, the office pad and one or two unit buildings, and then repeat the cadence for later buildings. The first phase is sized so the owner can begin renting while later buildings are still in the ground.
Does a storage slab need reinforcing?
The engineer decides. Many designs use welded wire or fiber reinforcing in light sections and rebar at thickened edges. We follow the drawings and flag any conflict with door tracks or drains.
What is the best finish for a storage floor?
A broom finish is typical outside and in drive-up units. A lightly troweled finish inside climate controlled spaces makes cleaning easier. Each finish option is discussed with the owner and shown on its own pricing line.
How do you handle drainage on a flat site?
We form the aisles with a slight crown or cross slope, set inlets to match the civil plan and check grade at the subgrade and again before finishing. On a flat Midland parcel a quarter inch can decide whether water leaves or stays, so we use a laser level for those checks.
Can you pour in strong wind?
We can, but not carelessly. High wind dries the surface quickly, so we use evaporation retarder, fogging and windbreaks, or we move the pour to a calmer hour.