Building Covered Storage Bays with Toro Shelters
We’ve collaborated with Toro Shelters for years now, integrating our precast retaining walls with their tensioned fabric canopies to create clean, secure, and weatherproof storage bays. It’s a partnership that works because our systems work seamlessly together.
If you’re planning a covered yard, bulk store, or salt storage building, here’s how we make the walls and shelter fit properly and why that integration is important on-site.
Why Precast + Fabric Works So Well
Storage yards are tough environments. Wind, salt, temperature changes, and heavy loading all put stress on the structure. Combining precast walls with high-tension shelters gives you the best of both worlds:
- Strength where you need it (at ground level)
- Flexibility above
- Speed and safety throughout
We’ve used this approach across the UK on projects ranging from local authority salt barns to aggregate and waste storage bays.
Getting the Details Right
It’s not just about stacking walls and dropping on a roof. We work closely with Toro to ensure the handover between the two systems is seamless – both practically and structurally.
Wall height and roof tension
- Shelter tension exerts lateral force on the wall tops; the precast must handle both the surcharge from material and the uplift/tension from the canopy
- We typically use 2.5m to 3.0m wall heights for covered bays, but that depends on site use and equipment
Joint sealing
- The roof-to-wall interface is a common failure point in poorly planned builds
- We use weatherproofing tapes or hydrophilic gaskets, depending on exposure
- In salt barns or marine zones, extra protection is essential
Anchorage and fixings
- Fabric shelters are often bolted through the wall crown or side face – we can cast-in fixings, plate mounts, or stainless sleeves where needed
- All fixings are designed to resist pullout, water ingress, and corrosion
Drainage
- Water running off the canopy must be managed
- We’ll work with you on gutter positions, fall directions, and interface drainage so it doesn’t pool behind the wall or erode the base
One recent collaboration was a salt barn project where:
- We supplied cast-in precast retaining walls to form the perimeter
- Toro installed a steel-framed, tensioned shelter spanning the full bay width
- The joint was sealed and capped to prevent salt ingress
- The result: a low-maintenance, high-capacity store that can be loaded quickly and withstands the UK’s worst winter weather
Planning Your Own Covered Bay?
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- Choosing the right wall height and layout for your bay
- Integrating fixings or base cast-ins for Toro Shelter installation
- Making sure the interface is sealed, stable, and watertight
- Getting precast delivered and placed before the shelter goes up
Let’s Build It Right Together
If you’re planning a covered storage bay, whether for salt, aggregates, compost, waste, or something else entirely, we’ll help you find the right wall system and make sure it matches your shelter’s specification.
