Most businesses build a warehouse for the volume they have today and outgrow it within a few years. The cheapest expansion is the one you planned for at the start. Here’s how to design a warehouse that can grow without starting again.
Height is the cheapest space #
Racking turns height into storage, so clear height under the frame is worth more than it looks. Work out the racking you’d use at full capacity, including any sprinkler clearance if your fire design needs sprinklers, and set the eave height to suit. Before you go tall, factor in the equipment that comes with height. Your forklift has to reach the top racks, and replacing or hiring one that can is often expensive. Racking must also be big and strong enough to hold the loads at those heights, and may need its own seismic design. Weigh all of these costs when choosing height for storage.
Design the slab for the future #
Racking legs and forklifts put concentrated loads on the floor. Design the slab for the heaviest racking and forklifts you’re likely to use, not just today’s pallet jack. Thickening a slab later is close to impossible.
Keep the floor clear #
A clear-span steel frame means racking aisles and forklift routes can go wherever the work needs them, and can change later. Steelspan designs clear spans up to 30 m. If you need to divide the space, we can also design removable internal walls under the main frames, so the layout can change as your business does.
Plan the site, not just the building #
- Truck circulation: can a truck and trailer get in, turn and get out without reversing onto the road?
- Loading: roller doors, loading docks or a covered canopy, positioned for the way goods actually flow.
- Parking and yard space that won’t be swallowed by the next extension.
Build the end to come off #
If you might extend lengthways, we design the end wall so its cladding can be removed while the end frame stays in place as a full clear-span frame. The building then continues with the same frames and profile. It isn’t a temporary end: it is a complete end wall, designed for full wind loads, so it can stay as the permanent end of the building if you never extend or the expansion doesn’t go ahead. Placing the first building on the site with that in mind is half the job.
Fire planning for later buildings #
Fire rules depend on distances to boundaries and between buildings. Site today’s building so that tomorrow’s extension or second building doesn’t force a fire-rated wall or lose its doors.
Services with headroom #
Size the power supply, stormwater and water connections for the full build-out. Upgrading a transformer or stormwater line later costs far more than allowing for it now.
Offices and amenities #
Offices, staff rooms and toilets inside a warehouse are often best on one side or on a mezzanine, so they don’t sit in the middle of future racking. Heated offices bring energy-efficiency (H1) requirements, so keep that area compact.
Tax #
A new warehouse, and an extension to an existing one, may qualify for Investment Boost. See our Investment Boost post and talk to your accountant.
Talk to Steelspan #
We’ve supplied warehouses of many types across New Zealand, up to 2,500 m², and we can go larger. Tell us where your business is heading, not just where it is, and we’ll design a warehouse with room to follow. Use our Easy Shed Quote or call 0800 787 726.
