Self Storage Steel Buildings in Moorcroft, Wyoming
Drive up storage units are a plain, steady business, and the building that holds them should be plain too: a long steel shell, roll up doors, a slab that stays level and a roof that sheds snow. We design and erect pre-engineered mini warehouse buildings for self storage operators in Moorcroft, and we coordinate the trade partners who prepare the pad, pour the slab, erect the frame and hang the doors. You get a price per unit and a price per square foot, side by side.
Moorcroft sits at about 4,226 feet, with about 14.07 inches of precipitation in a typical year, and the coldest reading on record is 46 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. That cold matters to a storage building more than people think. Concrete placed in a hard freeze can fail, bolts can be knocked out of position by frozen ground, and doors and weatherstripping need to work at temperatures that stop cheaper hardware. We plan the foundation and the door package around the cold.
Tell us how many units you want and what size, and we will show you the layout. We will also say how much of the budget goes to the slab and how much to the steel, since many first time owners are surprised by how large the foundation share is.
Timing the pour, the steel and the doors
Storage projects move quickly once the pad is ready, so the pour date drives everything else. We aim to place the slab in warm weather, let it cure, check the anchor bolt layout and then bring in the frame. If the work has to go into winter, we plan for heated enclosures, blankets and tested mixes.
Highway work affects delivery routes in this area. The state transportation improvement program lists an Interstate 90 pavement rehabilitation from Moorcroft toward Sundance, 8.51 miles from mile marker 168.50 to 177.01, at about $19.4 million, and a 7 mile rehabilitation on the Gillette side, between mile markers 145.20 and 152.20, at about $14.7 million. Lane closures on either stretch can slow a flatbed, so we check status before each delivery. Wyoming Highway 51 is the other route we watch: it covers 24.79 miles, leaving the Interstate 90 interchange at Exit 128 beside the east edge of Gillette and passing Wyodak and Rozet before it ends at Moorcroft, and loads coming from that side can use it as an alternate to the interstate, while loads from Sundance arrive on I-90.
Layouts for different renters
A basic self storage facility uses drive up bays with roll up doors in several widths, from small units for household goods to wide units for boats, trailers and work trucks. Some owners add one building of larger bays with taller doors for RVs and equipment.
Climate controlled units cost more because they need insulation, a vapor barrier and heat, but they suit documents, furniture and electronics. We can price a mix, keeping the conditioned units together in one end of the building to hold down heating and plumbing costs. Door choice also matters in a cold climate: a roll up door with a good seal and a sturdy track will outlast a light duty one, and the extra cost is small across a whole building.
Services that go with storage
Owners often ask for an office unit, a fenced yard and lighting. We coordinate those with the building, and we can plan self storage metal building rows to be added over time, with utilities sized for later phases.
Because the frame defines the cost of growth, we also look at building additions when we design the first row. Planning the last bay as a removable end wall is cheap now and very useful later.
Foundation first, then the steel
A storage building depends on a flat, stable slab, since a door that binds in a heaved wall is a daily complaint. We specify footing depth for frost, drainage away from the slab and a bolt layout that matches the frame. The layout is checked with a survey before the erector arrives.
Our anchor bolt and foundation drawings show bolt size, spacing and projection, so the concrete trade and the erector read the same page. Trade partners place the concrete and erect the frame under our schedule. We inspect the footing, bolts, frame plumb and door installation and give the owner a short written record at each stage. Wind loads on long, low roofs are part of the engineering, and we state the design values on the drawings.
Keeping the site safe in a cold place
Cold weather brings ice, short days and slick pads. Our trade partners use fall protection, lifts and written lift plans, and we do not work on roofs with ice or high wind. Heated enclosures for concrete are inspected for ventilation, since fumes can be hazardous.
If the site is next to an active road or business, we separate the work from the public and control delivery times. A short pre start meeting covers all of this before the first load arrives. Storage sites also tend to stay open to customers during later phases, so we plan gates, lighting and a clear path between the work and the units already in use.
What changes the price per unit
Unit size, door type and finish set the cost. Smaller units cost more per square foot because they need more partition walls and doors. Insulation, heat and lighting add to the total, and winter concrete adds to the schedule.
Local project budgets show what small town jobs run. In August 2025 the Moorcroft council picked the low bidder out of 8 for the North Little Horn Water Project, a $183,548 contract, and the low bidder out of 3 for a $54,562.50 water load-out station at West View Park. Competitive bids matter, and we encourage owners to compare us line for line, including the slab, the doors, the trim and the delivery, so no cost is hidden in an allowance. We also pair Moorcroft pricing with Wright projects when the same trade partners are in the area.
Price a Moorcroft storage building
Send the lot size, the unit mix and your target opening date. We will return a layout, a price per unit and a schedule.
Common Questions
How many units fit on my lot?
It depends on the lot size, the unit sizes and the room needed for trucks to turn. Send us the dimensions and we will sketch a layout and count the units.
What size units rent best?
Mixes of small, medium and wide units are common, but your market decides. We can build a flexible row and adjust partitions later.
How do you protect against frost heave?
We set footings below the frost depth, drain water away from the slab and verify bolt locations. These steps prevent the movement that makes doors stick.
Can I add buildings in phases?
Yes. Plan the utilities and the pad for future rows, and design the first building so an end wall can be removed. That keeps later additions simple.