Being one of the original Shurgard facilities, On Guard Self Storage in Tumwater, Wash., is about 30 years old. It's in an industrial area, and even though the rent was very reasonable, its previous appearance deterred many potential renters. The owner decided to renovate to improve the facility's appeal.

One of the fundamental improvements was a complete changeout of 200 doors. The original doors, which had developed severe rust, were primarily sectional, with swing doors on the smaller end units. Janus International replaced the sectionals with swing doors and frames in the original door openings. The above photos show the before and after of this project.

The door replacement was done in two phases. The first, completed in 2010, took about two weeks and concentrated on the all the external unit doors. The internal doors were replaced in 2011 in about four days. The project included security, the moving of tenant goods as necessary, and the complete installation.

The facility owner also painted the exterior and added external lighting and surveillance. Since the renovation, occupancy is up, and renters are very pleased with the upgrades. The owner and manager are also pleased with the results, enjoying more walk-in customers and a higher rental ratio. They raised rent $5 on each unit after the improvement and received little to no negative feedback on the increase. They expect the renovation to pay for itself in about three years.

“Since we upgraded our facility, we have seen a significant increase in our occupancy, while other facilities in our market have not,” says Eric Nikolaisen, regional manager for Investment Development Corp., which owns the facility. “People really like what we have done and have remarked how great the property looks and [that it] was one of their deciding factors on renting with us. Beyond just our property’s curb appeal being upgraded, the increased security with our new doors has been fantastic.” 

Photos courtesy of door supplier Janus International.