Self-storage units make a comeback.

When contractor Tom Smith moved here from Orange County six years ago, he made a poor career choice.

In the midst of the recession, he started building high-end homes, eking out at most an 8 percent profit.

Last year, Smith made a better career choice. He started building self-storage structures and watched his return skyrocket to 30 percent.

"I got into self-storage because of the simplicity," Smith said. "It's as easy to build one self-storage facility as it is to build one custom house."

Other builders also are rediscovering self-storage - those tiny warehouses where you can stow things away for a monthly fee. In the Sacramento area, 10 to 15 self-storage projects are being built or have been built recently. …