The Longyards blog.
Stories and lessons from building the self storage model for land — new posts as the network grows.
- ✓Written by people who run the yards
- ✓Market openings announced here first
- ✓Land, storage and real assets
- ✓New posts as they land
Follow the build.
Longyards is being built in public — new markets, new infrastructure, new lessons from the yards. Start with the reads below.
- ✓ Lessons from operating real yards
- ✓ Market openings announced here first
- ✓ Landowner and investor deep-dives
- ✓ Straight from the founder and the field
Three reads worth your time.
Yards in clicks, not months
How the Longyards booking model replaced brokers, lawyers, and long leases.
Read it →The yard that moves with the work
Inside the deployable infrastructure that launches a secure yard in days.
Read it →From idle acres to income
What landowners should know before turning a parcel into a storage yard.
Read it →Where to go next.
170 active yards. 207 in progress.
Move in where we’re open, or claim your spot before your city launches. Pick a market to start a request for it — we build where the demand is.
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New from the blog.
Practical guides for contractors who need a secure yard, and for landowners with land to put to work.
Florida greenbelt land and storage yards: what to check first
A storage yard on Florida land with agricultural (greenbelt) classification? What Fla. Stat. 193.461 says, and what to ask the property appraiser.
Read → For contractorsFlorida HOAs and your work trailer: what the 2024 driveway law covers
Florida's 2024 HOA law protects many work trucks in the driveway, but not every vehicle or trailer. What it covers, what it doesn't, and your options.
Read → For landownersNeighbors and screening: will a storage yard work next to homes?
Thinking about a storage yard on land near homes? What neighbors notice, how zoning handles screening and buffers, and what to check first.
Read → For contractorsLong-term storage (30+ days): fluids, fuel and tires
Storing trucks, trailers or machines for 30+ days? A checklist for fluids, fuel, batteries, tires, pests and paperwork, plus what to check before restart.
Read → For landownersZoning words decoded: 'by right', 'special exception', 'conditional use', 'variance'
By right, special exception, conditional use, variance and rezoning: what common zoning terms mean for landowners thinking about outdoor storage.
Read → For contractorsLeaving equipment on the job site overnight: when it's fine and when it isn't
When it's reasonable to leave machines and materials on a job site overnight, when it isn't, and how to secure what stays.
Read → For landownersHow distance from highways affects storage yard demand
Does your land need to be next to a highway for a storage yard to work? What matters more: the route trucks take, the entrance and nearby demand.
Read → For contractorsContractor yard vs. self-storage unit: which fits trailers and machines?
Drive-up unit or outdoor yard? How self-storage units and contractor yards compare for trailers, machines, tools and materials, and when to use both.
Read → For landownersFive signs your parcel could work as a storage yard
Size, zoning, truck access, a nearby metro and local trades. Five quick signs your parcel could work as a storage yard, and how to find out for sure.
Read → For contractorsFive signs your trade business has outgrown the driveway
Violation letters, a crowded driveway, near-miss thefts, early-morning noise and wasted hours. Five signs it's time to move your gear to a yard.
Read → For landownersHow much land do you need for a storage yard?
How much land a storage yard needs, why Longyards looks for 2+ acres zoned commercial or industrial, and what else decides whether a parcel works.
Read → For contractorsWhat is a contractor yard? A plain-English definition
What a contractor yard is, who uses one, what a good one includes, and how it compares with a shop, a laydown yard or a storage unit.
Read → For landownersQuestions to ask before letting anyone build a storage yard on your land
Letting an operator build a storage yard on your land? Ask these questions about experience, feasibility, deal routes, security, insurance and exits.
Read → For contractorsWhat size storage yard do I need? Sizing by the rig you own
Size a storage yard from the rig you own: measure your longest combo, add turning and working room, then pick. Includes a worksheet and yard size table.
Read → For landownersCan trucks get in? A landowner's guide to access and turning room
Truck access makes or breaks a storage yard. Check frontage, driveways, turning room, gates, ground and traffic on your land before you submit it.
Read → For contractorsHow to stop trailer and equipment theft: a layered checklist
A layered checklist to stop trailer and heavy equipment theft: records, locks, immobilizers, parking, GPS and a secure yard. What works and what doesn't.
Read → For landownersHow to make your land profitable with Longyards
Own 2+ acres of commercial or industrial land near a big metro? How Longyards builds, fills and runs a storage yard on it, and 3 ways to do the deal.
Read → For contractorsWinter storage for trailers and equipment in Ottawa: a practical checklist
Get trailers, trucks and machines through an Ottawa winter outdoors: salt, batteries, fuel, DEF, hydraulics, snow and spring checks, in one checklist.
Read → For landownersWho actually rents storage yards? A landowner's guide to the demand
Contractors, landscapers, truck owners, equipment operators and more: who rents outdoor storage yards, why, and what that means for your land.
Read → For contractorsWhere to store your business equipment: 6 options compared
Driveway, job site, a buddy's lot, self-storage, a warehouse or a fenced yard? How six places to keep trucks, trailers and equipment compare.
Read →
Secure outdoor storage yards for contractors, fleets & trades. Fenced, gated, camera-monitored, month to month.