Overcoming Construction Challenges: Expanding a Facility At An Altitude of 8,500 Ft.

Last year, Spartan Investment Group completed a 14,000 sq. ft. expansion at FreeUp Storage Aspen Park—our very first purchase of an existing self-storage facility—in Conifer, CO.

The story of this project begins in August 2018 when Spartan purchased the facility—originally known as Aspen Park Self Storage—from a local military veteran.

The Aspen Park facility is extremely unique in comparison to Spartan’s other projects as it sits on the side of the Colorado Front Range at an altitude of 8,500 ft.

Recognizing the growing demand for self storage in this particular market, Spartan took on the project—fully aware that there may be several challenges along the way.

Shortly after making the purchase, Spartan began the process of rezoning the empty 1/2-acre parcel in the back of the property from residential to commercial. Then, Spartan sought site plan development and eventually received the building permits to expand the facility.

By the end of 2020 the Spartan Construction team—led by Spartan Project Executive Gerrit VanMaanen as general contractor—was finally approved to begin construction.

From the challenge of building on a grade to blasting rock to stabilize the foundation, the Spartan team was able to capture the progress we made while maximizing the facility’s square footage.

Watch the video series below for a behind-the-scenes look at all the surprises, setbacks and triumphs we faced throughout the construction process.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3