Welcome to Our "Paved or Stabilized Yard" Center of Excellence

Paved or stabilized yards have many uses. They can be used to store inventory - i.e. pipe and other items that can withstand the elements - as shown in the attached photo. They can even be used to display inventory, as in the case of processed stone used for countertops. They can also serve as a place to park trucks and trailers - empty and loaded. With proper security, gating and fencing, they can be a reasonably secure place for these and many other items.

So, why not just buy some land and place these items onto it? The purpose of land stabilization is to prevent heavy materials stored on or moving across that land from sinking into the ground. Roads are a primary form of stabilization. Vehicle tire contact points concentrate the vehicle’s weight and represent an excellent example of the need for and the challenges of stabilization. A broad range of situations drives the need for stabilization. In this article, we’ll discuss:

• Several types of stabilization
• Issues with stabilizing yards
• Stabilization use cases
• Problems with using stabilized yards

For the record, we are not discussing stabilizing your back yard here. We are discussing industrial grade stabilization - probably an acre or much more.

“Commercial warehouse” as a label is broadly used to describe a number of types of commercial space typically offered for lease or rent.  For purposes of this article, we will use Five (5) main categories.

General Office/Warehouse

Typically grade level, this type of building is suited to businesses that provide a product and need to receive materials/items and ship out materials/items which may be at grade level or at dock high. The dock-high loading requirement with smaller freestanding buildings is usually facilitated thru use of in ground dock truck wells where the truck backs down a ramp to adjust for the height of the shipping container.

Bulk Distribution

Used for the distribution of palletized products in large volume, these buildings have true 4’ dock high loading with multiple doors, high clear height and fire protection systems.

Heavy Manufacturing

With grade level overhead doors and ample outside storage yard, these buildings often have large overhead cranes, heavy power and high clear heights.

Flex office/warehouse (aka Service Center Space)

Heavy office ratio and  air-conditioned and heated areas used for tech or assembly are common with Flex space.  High parking ratios and generally higher end business park settings are also popular with this type.

Truck Terminal w/Cross Dock

Used to transfer goods quickly from container to container, these buildings are usually very shallow and long to allow for a very high number of offloading spaces and overhead doors.  Additionally, an abundance of trailer storage area and staging yard is normally required.

These are some of the main categories of buildings in Commercial Warehouses which are found for Lease.

For a more recent article with an updated list, go here.

For help finding a qualified industrial broker in your area and the perfect warehouse for your business call WarehouseFinder.net at 800.814.4214