Coop Basement Storage
I’m on the board of a smallish (14 units) coop in south slope. Currently our basement is somewhat of a free-for-all relative to storage. We’re interested in cleaning it up and putting in some cages/storage spaces for the units. I would greatly appreciate any information on storage situations in other coops – what type of…
I’m on the board of a smallish (14 units) coop in south slope. Currently our basement is somewhat of a free-for-all relative to storage. We’re interested in cleaning it up and putting in some cages/storage spaces for the units. I would greatly appreciate any information on storage situations in other coops – what type of units do you have, what works well/what doesn’t, recommendations on installers, etc, etc. Basically any advice on where to begin. Thanks!
What you are looking for are “storage cages” or “tool cages.” McMaster Carr Sales carries wire panels for this type of application, though it may be less expensive to do what someone else said and use a fencing contractor.
Any handyman can assemble the panels from McMaster.
Steve
Our condo just installed cages. In negotiations with the owners the board decided to install one cage for each apartment, with each cage being identical in size (4′ x 4′). Installation was funded by a special assessment – nobody minded paying a one off charge and getting a roomy locker for storage. There are places that manufacture the lockers for installation by a contractor. The Board had estimates from Giant and Young Equipment Sales – went with the latter.
Depending upon the size of the basement, you can actually o something nice. We put up a bunch of 5’x7′ sheetrock rooms about 7 feet tall, with standard metal doors, and wire mesh sealing the top while allowing light and air through. We have a very tall ceiling for a basement, so they stop 2′-6″ or so below the ceiling.
We sold them at cost to the shareholders, and after the first five years there’s a small annual rental charge. If you think who’d want to pay for that kind of construction, just think about how much you’d pay to have a 35 square foot, 7 foot tall closet to put all your stuff into. They sold like hotcakes.
Thanks for the feedback so far – this is truly the beginning of the process, we want to see what the options are, how much they’ll cost, etc, and then will make a decision on the finances.
“This could be a building decision that everyone wants and it’s just paid for with the funds that have already been accumulated. Right?”
Funds that have already been accumulated how? You mean through a budget surplus?
Shareholders have to pay for every improvement in their coop one way or another. Either through assessment or higher maintenance. The money does not just appear and there are so many operating expenses in a typical building. A board would be foolish not to charge fees for storage units. It is standard practice.
Well, Minard, you don’t necessarily have to recoup the costs. This could be a building decision that everyone wants and it’s just paid for with the funds that have already been accumulated. Right?
Sounds like the goal just may be to add some order to the free-for-all situation so it’s fair for everyone — Mr X is taking up 1/5th of the basement, so there isn’t room for everyone.
That being said, if someone measures it out well, any handyman could probably do the standard 2×4 and chicken wire cages.
We hired a fence contractor and had him put up cage storage bins approx. 4 feet by 8 feet, as many as could fit. We chalked out the layout on the floor.
However there are companies that specialize in lockers and storage bins of all sizes. The magazine “The Cooperator” always has ads for these companies. If you are on a coop board, you should have a subscription to that magazine. Once built, you charge a monthly or annual fee to recoup the cost to the corporation.