Old potato processing plant given new lease of life

Wantsum Self Storage, located in the Kent countryside, was originally an old potato processing plant that served its purpose for over a decade.

The owner, Jim Pace, contacted Kuboid to find out if the team could breathe some new life into the building and convert it into a self storage facility.

Together they explored the feasibility, and Kuboid assessed the building’s unique design and layout, ultimately concluding it was possible.

“We worked together and looked at the plans, looked at the building, surveyed the building, and decided there was a great scope to convert it into a fully functioning self storage facility.”

Building challenges

The project presented several challenges, particularly due to the building’s four-degree floor gradient designed for water drainage.

“We did encounter some challenges in taking on a property that was in its former life a potato processing plant,” says Kuboid CEO Andy O’Dell.

“Many of the floors had a four-degree gradient from the centre of the building to the exterior of the building to allow for water drainage.”

This meant that when the Kuboid team was on site to fit their partition system, they had to scribe each panel to the floor line.

Rising demand

Upon completing the first phase, which included ground and first-floor units, demand quickly surged, prompting expansion plans.

Kuboid installed a fire compartmentalisation wall, effectively adding an additional 2,000 square meters of space to meet the increasing needs of customers.

“With the expansion plan, we looked at how to gain more accessibility into the property.

“We decided that we would use the west elevation and we would apply a new canopy to give shelter to the customers and three new sliding doors and three lifts.”

Upon completion of phase two and the ever-increasing need for self storage in this area, the occupancy rates were doing fantastically well, which led to the customer needing more space.

The Kuboid team soon got to work to start phase three. “This project became one of my favourites, not only because of the working relationship with the owner but also due to our shared goal of maximising every inch of space available.

“This included cutting into the roof line to give us sizeable rooms!”

Additionally, the Kuboid installation team had to follow the roofline of the building, which meant that in one corridor there were two different height sizes.

“On the right side, we have a 2.4 system height with a standard 2.1m high door.

“On the left-hand side, we’re down to 2.2m with 2m doors, giving us accessibility nice and comfortably, and enabling us to maximise upon the square meterage available.”

With the exterior heights of the building being higher on one side than the other, Kuboid reduced in certain places the mezzanine height which then needed the incorporation of ramps to achieve smooth access from one area to the other.

The result

Three phases later, the build is finally complete. Every inch of space has been maximised. The customer is thrilled with the result and highly recommends repurposing old, retired buildings into self storage.

“Every single square metre of this property has been maximised.

“Should you find yourself with an old, tired building, please contact Kuboid so we can give you the expertise to transfer that building into a new lease of life, a new purpose, and new profitability for you.”

For more information on Kuboids services visit their website.

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