What are you trying to

What are you trying to store?  I'm sure someone has built something.

Rick

I think the question is about building a layout at a rental storage facility.

Not that I have heard of...

But it would be interesting. Probably the biggest thing would be the swings in temp in a non-climate controlled unit. 

Rick: Same problems I found

But I  was curious - with the money, I could build an empire, if I had the space!

Thought about it....

but the commute would be to much for casual modeling.  Don't want to run back and forth.

Get one near work and you can

Sotrage units are expensive, generally.

Usually they don't have electricity handy.  They can be very cold or very hot.  I've even seen mold grow on stuff stored in lockers.  And often the management doesn't like people hanging around.  Store your stuff and get the *%$# out.

A better solution might be a basement in a commercial space.   There's a lot of empty commercial space out there right now, and that means the real estate under the stores is probably empty too.  A club in my town leases space in the basement of a mall.  I bet there are some great deals, especially if it's rented a year at a time.  In some cases, entire strips are empty, so you could be providing the owner with a bit of security.  

Check out industrial plazas too; they have large doors for moving in and out.  You can probably find a landlord who can rotate you from unit to unit for years if you are willing to move your supplies a couple hundred feet every ten months when a new space opens up.

Storage Rental Layout Space

Storage space is very expensive for the square footage you get, and there is usually limited access and questionable security. Also, that rent is relentless, I think you would be better to consider alternatives like joining a club, or going to a smaller scale. My favorite solution to layout space problems can be seen at http://www.t-trak.org.

A modeler on another list solved his space problems by finding a motor home who's interior had been gutted by squatters. The motor and transmission were good, and he would have wanted to remove most of the interior anyway. Very creative!

Bill in FtL

"a motor home "

Those office trailers that they use on construction sites would make a nice layout space. They have decent headroom and HVAC equipment. Would be very handy when moving time came :> )  .DaveBranum

40 foot container

Since we are digressing into non-storage locker spaces already for use of a train room: a used 20 or 40 foot container for housing your layout might work if you have the space on your property. I've seen people building houses out of them, so why not a dedicated train room? Heck with proper construction you could potentially even bring your layout to conventions: talk about a modular layour *laughs*

N scale layout in a 10 X 20 outdoor building

I used to have my N -scale layout in a 10 X 20 outdoor building. The places that build them are commonplace here in the South. You go choose a standard design, decide what kind of doors and windows you want and where you want them and they build it and deliver it and set it on blocks. These are not just " garden sheds" either. They are built with studs and a plywood floor and usually have a metal exterior although I have seen wood ones.  You can get all kinds of sizes ranging from smaller than mine on up to huge "barns" depending on the money you want to spend. I insulated and sheet rocked the inside of mine and had a window unit air conditioner mounted in a hole I cut for it in one of the walls. I used a space heater in the winter.

Alas, we moved and although I had the building moved, I never got power run to it at my place here now and the layout is gone and the building has been relegated to being a storage space, just the purpose it was actually built for. I'm in a spare room now with my HO layout and am hoping and praying that someday I can build a new basement on my land and put a house on top of it to keep the rain out and make my wife happy!!

Michael

Commercial basements

North American Prototype Modelers in Milwaukee has leased basement space under a strip mall for probably 40 years now. I haven't been there in a few years, but word had it they were going to branch out from the HO layout and start an N layout in some (then) newly-negotiated space.