We are delighted to announce our first birthday for Lusso Concierge. What an incredible journey its been. We thought we would have a recap from the year since first receiving our keys to the extension works which have just been completed.
Before we start, we would just like to thank all of our clients and partners who have supported Lusso throughout the year and we look forward to what the future has in store with tonnes of exciting plans still to announce.
Throwback to October/November 2022 when we received the keys and viewed the facility.
A complete blank canvas, with no power in the way of plug sockets, bare concrete and dusty floor, un-finished painted beams and old/faded light units here and there.
We had a decent working space and plenty of room for many cars. We however knew we had a lot of work to get the facility to a point we would be happy to store our own cars. The strip out, cleaning and refurb begins step 1!
It was important to monitor the humidity to learn and document the behaviours of the environment inside the facility. This meant when we were ready to install the humidity system, we had full reports with times and temperatures to know exactly what system we required. We were fortunate, the facility even in its current state maintained a 55% RH, however we knew the temperature was relatively high for this time of year and the humidity would rise as the temperature falls through winter. Our aim was to have the facility ready to go and a controlled humidity by the time December arrives when we anticipated accepting vehicles.
Our imaginary reception area was currently a bit of a mess. The previous tenants of the facility had a make shift sink and fuse board which all looked a bit tatty.
We had big plans for the reception area as this was the place our clients will firstly walk into and we needed to create that "wow" factor. After all, we understand our clients vehicles which are in storage are their absolute pride and joy. So the love at first sight feeling must come back for when our clients wish to take the cars out for a drive.
The entire area was stripped back to basics, cleaned and a new wall was built which we could install a TV to, power and a brand new fuse board with electrics for the entire facility.
The side wall was painted black and this new wall would be painted black also. What soon followed was a glass reception area wall built so we didn't block out the amazing cars in the facility.
The black wall idea looked so good that we tested it out in the main facility against the grey floor paint. A test section was done but we weren't 100% sure on the colour.
A corner was then done as our initial photo corner but we soon learnt it darkened the area and later you will see we actually went the complete opposite with white walls to brighten it up. This project was all about trying things and learning along the way.
The big tools then came in to change and install all the roof lights.
Lots of late nights, but already looking brighter...
Quite a difference from before. Floor painted, tiling down, new lighting, plug sockets in each bay, reception wall and TV up, new fuse board and full electric wiring, alarm, CCTV, motion sensors and all beams painted black. Not forgetting the initial deep clean.
Humidity system was installed by AlorAir, our partners. We chose a desiccant de-humidifier due to the potential low temperature and the fact this system works better in this climate. It sucks in the moist air, throws out the moisture out of the building and re-generates dry and warm air back into the facility. We then have a huge number of air movers dotted around the facility, meaning all the air within the facility is constantly rotated and dried out to an optimal 55% relative humidity.
Our reception area was then built ahead of cars due to arrive. The difference this made was amazing compared to how it initially looked.
Not yet perfect, but a huge improvement and meant immediately that clients would enter and be in our glass waiting area with a nice view of all the vehicles. Somewhere they can grab a coffee, fill out forms and have a general chat without it feeling like a car park!
Cars then begun to fill up ahead of December!
We then held our first open day with Supercar Driver Club which was a huge success.
Since then, we soon filled up and made a huge decision that prior to adding ramps with the current floor space, to extend the side wall by the reception area out which would gain an additional 30% capacity. The roof was extended, with side walls and concrete walls.
Concrete delivery!
Brand new concrete laid and levelled so once the interior wall is removed, cars can freely be moved around on a level surface.
Once the messy work on that side was done, the interior wall could then be removed to expose the additional space. Working from top to bottom with all cars removed.
Almost fully opened up now.
Once the interior wall was removed, it was time to securely close in the exterior wall with concrete walls.
Now fully enclosed, the space is much better. Now comes the same process we initially had of painting, new power, plug sockets per bay, lighting and extending our humidity system, CCTV, sensors and alarm system. Fortunately this time, we knew exactly what to do and when to do it so the process was a breeze.
Lighting is in, power, floor painted and cars positioned.
Now our glass reception area had a wall missing, so an additional glass wall needed to be installed.
Painting of all the walls in white, with black metal beams was the plan. It took a team over a week to paint the entire facility.
Now lets get another before and after picture!
Overall, we are extremely happy with the progress since first getting the keys. We are proud to give clients a tour of our state of the art facility and are even more excited to show the results of our future plans which we have in store for 2024.
If you are interested in storing your pride and joy in our state of the art de-humidified car storage facility in Leeds, please contact a member of the team where we can discuss our packages and advise which we recommend for the best care.
You can download our brochure below to learn more.