Construction Corner is a Q&A column committed to answeringreader-submitted questions regarding construction and development. Inquiries may be sent to[email protected]. 

Q: I own a facility in Nebraska and am having the biggest problem with peoplelassoing surveillance cameras off the building walls. Aside from putting some big ugly cage around each camera, do you have anysuggestions? Or can you recommend another type of camera?

Gayle in Lincoln, Neb.

A: There is a wide range of high-quality camera housingsavailable. For your application, you would probably want to look atsomething in a no-grip design. Picture a half-dome camera with a mountingring around it. This camera is surface-mounted but doesnt provide any way forsomeone to easily grip or pull it off the wallwith a rope or otherwise. Thereis a wide variety of camera options that can fit inside this form factor, suchas night vision, vari-focal, etc.

Q: I am seeing more and more storage facilities withself-service kiosks. I would be interested in adding one to our facility, but Iwant to know what I need to do from a construction standpoint to prepare for one(e.g.,walls, cages, etc.).

George in Santa Fe, N.M.

A: There is no doubt that kiosks, or auto-attendants, are thewave of the future. Not only are they a great convenience for your customer,they are also a good way to reduce your operating costs by hiring less officepersonnel.

The construction modifications required will vary greatly withthe type of kiosk you purchase. Some kiosks are self-standing units that requireno construction (mostly for in-office use only). Others are surface-mounted tothe exterior of your facility; and still others require a remodel of the wallinto which you flush-mount the unit.

I recommend the latter design. Even though it does require some initial construction, it willlook cleaner and offer long-lasting service, much like an ATM machine. The wallwill help protect the unit from theft and vandalism. Once you decide on themodel and get the specifications, contact a local contractor to get an estimatefor the work needed to install it. It will likely pay for itself in a shortperiod of time.

Tony Gardner is a licensed contractor and installation managerfor QuikStor, a provider of self-storage security and software since 1987. Formore information, visit www.quikstor.com.