Temporary is a subjective term, so in this guide, we aim to remove this and give you a clearer idea of when temporary warehouses are most effective depending on the timescale and needs of your business.
How long can you use a temporary warehouse?
A temporary warehouse can be as temporary as you like. Though during a typical hire period, the bulk of the cost stems from shipping, installation, and dismantling, meaning most temporary industrial buildings are hired for a period of 6 – 12 months, with 12 months generally being the sweet spot in terms of ROI versus off-site storage. However, for larger or more urgent (or unexpected) peak season demands, the costs of off-site storage often mean renting a temporary warehouse is the more attractive option financially. Hence, the reason that, at Roder, we now hold rental stock that can be hired for periods starting from just 3 months, specifically to cater to peak demand.
Whilst construction and dismantling times for temporary buildings are short, the materials and level of engineering precision used in their manufacture means the same building can be utilised multiple times at different sites or withstand many years of sustained use at a single location. An extruded aluminium frame using galvanised steel fixings enables the basic structure of the building to last indefinitely on stable ground, whilst steel or insulated cladding can be expected to have a similar lifespan to that on a conventional steel-framed building, with weatherproof canvas roofs and walls normally lasting for 20 – 25 years before replacement should be considered.
A typical example of the flexibility and durability of a Roder structure is demonstrated below.
First, you see the building, a 15m span x 17.5m long S-line structure, with insulated walls to an eave height of 3.5m, being used as part of a furniture production process for a client in Sheffield. The building, already part of our rental stock, was initially hired for 12-months, but eventually remained on site for a period of 4 years.
Next, the same building, dismantled in a single day and re-installed an hour up the road in Retford, having been bought by a client with an existing Roder S-line building, requiring bulk storage for engines and components. Note, that the personnel doors are now positioned differently, something easily achievable due to the adaptability of the modular design.
What are the different types of temporary warehouse?
Variations in frame profile to allow for greater or lesser wind tolerance, snow loading, and available eave height (all aspects that serve to differentiate the various Roder models), but there are three main types of temporary warehouses, typically defined by their use.
Weatherproof storage
The first type, providing straightforward covered storage, employs weatherproof heavy-duty PVC-canvas covers to ensure goods are kept out of the elements. This type of installation lends itself well to storage on secure sites, loading operations with a fast turnaround of product, or short-term installation where construction and dismantling time must be particularly rapid.
Inner covers can be used, either from eave to eave or from ground level, to mitigate against condensation during colder weather, with sliding panels fitted in either the gables or sides to allow personnel and vehicle access.
Below are two examples: on the left, a Roder S-line warehouse used for parts storage; on the right, the interior of a newly installed Roder M-line temporary warehouse.
Secure storage
Cladding the same structures in trapezoidal steel panels allows for use on sites where access can be gained from public spaces, or where additional security is required for high-value items. The steel cladding sits in a u-profile between the uprights and can be sealed at the base to minimise water ingress where site drainage and topography allow.
The buildings are fitted with rain guttering as standard and are typically equipped with roller shutters, either manual or powered, for convenient forklift access and goods vehicle loading.
Below left, is a Roder S-line warehouse with gable and side shutters, used as storage for part-finished furniture. On the right, another steel-clad S-line warehouse, this time housing construction materials and configured for side access with a personnel door in the gable.
Insulated storage
All Roder modular warehouses can be equipped with insulated sandwich panels to help maintain inside temperature. This type of insulation lends itself best to our M-line and H-line buildings since both can be specified with an inflatable roof. Particularly useful where goods must be stored or produced in a temperature-controlled environment, or where staff work within a building that must then be heated during the winter.
With the Roder M-line building, below, sandwich panels of 40mm are fitted between the uprights. This example was built for both production and storage, with ventilation panels clearly visible in the gable end of the inflatable thermal roof in the external shot, and the fitment of speed doors to better maintain the inside temperature, shown in the interior image.
In the case of the Roder H-line, its heavier profile allows not only eave heights of up to 8.2m, but also enables the fitting of thicker insulated cladding, beginning at 60mm. Mounted outside of the legs, this cladding, combined with the option of a specially lined inflatable roof, delivers insulation approaching the standards of a conventional insulated steel building at far lower cost and with a massively reduced installation time.
Below left, an insulated Roder H-line warehouse, in standard grey-white, with 6.2m eaves and 60mm sandwich panel cladding, used for raw material storage. To the right, an H-line in special colour scheme with solid gables, used as a beverage warehouse – the contrast between it and the canvas-clad Roder building behind is readily apparent.
Additional insulation can be specified with the Roder Eco-line package. Available on both M-line and H-line buildings, the package includes either a specially coated or fleece-lined thermal roof as standard, thicker insulation, and other measures designed to eliminate thermal bridging for a finished warehouse that provides insulation directly comparable with a conventional insulated building to keep energy consumption to a minimum.
Different thermal roofing options and U-values can be seen below, for comparison.
For further elimination of thermal bridging, ground seals are employed. Below, a ground seal with optics package has been fitted here to an H-line building, the example here in a special colour scheme elected by the customer. In addition to helping insulate the building, when combined with a suitably raised pad, angled for effective drainage, the ground seal can be used to eliminate water ingress at base level.
Of course, for simple loading requirements, dependent on local site conditions, most Roder modular warehouses can be specified as canopies, keeping your staff and product out of the elements during goods in and despatch movements. These industrial canopies, whilst typically open-sided, can also, dependent on site conditions, be specified partially clad.
Below left is a Roder S-line, of 5m eave height, used as a despatch tunnel, with both side walls clad in trapezoidal steel. To the right of this, another S-line, this time with a 4.4m eave, employed as an HGV loading canopy; a portal beam on the left side widens the bays for access to the warehouse, whilst the right side is clad to keep goods and personnel dry.
Should you hire or buy?
Whether you hire or buy a temporary warehouse depends largely on how long you anticipate keeping the building.
For short to medium-term peaks in demand, or whilst you await a site move or construction of an extension or purpose-built facility, rental makes sense.
From a financial perspective, 12 months is typically ideal for rental. For fixed periods of 2 – 5 years, your most cost-effective option will invariably be to lease the building – something we can arrange through our finance partners.
If the building is likely to become a permanent fixture and your business is either cash-rich or has the Cap-Ex budget to make purchase viable, then a Roder warehouse is designed to provide semi-permanent space that will last indefinitely.
More details on which option will work best for you can be found here.
How long does it take to install?
Delivery times for a Roder temporary warehouse begin at only 2 weeks for a rental unit, with brand new buildings for lease and purchase that are built to order arriving in as little as 4 weeks for standard S-line and M-line models and slightly longer for the H-line.
As far as installation time is concerned, this depends on numerous factors, not least the size and configuration of the building.
For the smallest temporary warehouses, such as the 10m x 7.5m example shown below, allow 2 – 3 days for construction of the building, dependent on cladding materials, with around 3 – 4 hours required to fit and commission each industrial door.
For the next example, below, measuring 15m x 20m with a 5m eave height, including vehicle access shutter, internal lighting, guttering, and steel cladding, this building was completed comfortably inside five days.
For larger installations, with insulated cladding, thermal roofs, multiple vehicle access points, and other special equipment including items like windows and rapid-rise industrial doors, the installation will likely be measured in weeks but is still typically far quicker than for an equivalent conventional warehouse and, in most cases, provides a much better ROI.
Whatever kind of space you need, short-term or for the long haul, at Roder, we build it. Contact us here today, or call us directly on 01487 840 840.
