Class-A Climate Controlled Self Storage Facility Complete in Tallahassee
Miller Valentine Construction has wrapped up a 118,500-square-foot, Class-A climate controlled self storage (CCSS) facility in Tallahassee, Florida, for MV Investment. Located near Florida State University, the CCSS is distinguished by a higher standard for architectural design and quality work. At every step, the project showcased Miller Valentine’s ingenuity and passion for building.
Building an Advantage from the Ground Up
The Tallahassee project is the thirteenth CCSS facility completed for MV Investment. As with all MV Investment projects, Miller Valentine worked alongside the client from project inception.
Partnering on the front end helped the client weigh all available options for maximizing the value of the project — such as how to best use the site’s significant grade change to create a revenue-enhancing opportunity. Building the structure into the slope allowed for ground-floor access on both the first and second floors. As a result, the owner can charge premium rates for two floors instead of one.
“This is the largest CCSS that we’ve constructed to date in terms of square footage per floor and total square footage,” said Project Manager Dean Fairweather. “By partnering with our client from the start, we were able to make decisions together in terms of design and construction that provided an added advantage in the finished product.”
Collaborating for Better Outcomes
Collaboration is foundational to better solutions and outcomes, which is why all of Miller Valentine’s work is grounded in collaborative principles. That worked to the client’s benefit more than once in Tallahassee.
When a shortage of electrical disconnects put the schedule at risk of a months-long delay, Dean reached out to project managers across Miller Valentine to try to source the part. Within hours, he had a lead on a part at a supply house in Charleston, South Carolina. Within days, it was picked up by the project superintendent.
“It was amazing how quickly people dropped what they were doing to help out this project,” said Dean. “It demonstrates our passion as a company to do whatever it takes to build certainty and deliver on our client’s priorities.”
Collaboration with trade partners also enabled the project team to efficiently work around challenges. For example, the potential for bad soil made it necessary to excavate more than a quarter of the site. However, cutting the site open would have required closing the adjacent sidewalk and potentially part of the street. When the site contractor recommended building a large diameter auger cast retaining wall using a low-PSI concrete, the project team jumped on board. The solution was more cost-effective and quicker to install than other options the team considered and could be easily removed in the future if needed.
No matter how much planning goes into the front end, obstacles arise on every project. As the Tallahassee team demonstrated, constant communication and deliberate collaboration make every challenge manageable.
“We pride ourselves on taking full accountability for our projects, and this project was no exception,” said Dean. “We had to overcome numerous hurdles, but we put our heads together with our trade partners and designers to solve each problem as it arose. There’s no taking the easy way out. We are always pushing forward to get the job done and get it done right.”
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