Questions about building a workshop...

I live in a very small house. It's about 1500 sq. ft. I have a 1.5 car garage and a finished basement. The house is very comfortable, and I've done a lot of work to it, but it's just too small for all my stuff. I do brewing, wood working, and I'd like to get back into classic cars (I had to sell mine a few years back). Every time I do a project I have to re-arrange everything in my garage. I can only do 1 project at a time.

I've tried convincing my wife to move, but she wants no part of it. I finally told her that if she won't move I'm going to go buy a workshop somewhere. She's fine with it. I'm starting to think about how to go about this.

My requirements are:

• Must be close to my home.
• Must have at least 2 car bays.
• Must have a finishable room, separate from the car bays.
• Must have a basic bathroom.
• Must be heated and have basic utilities.

Here are my options:

Option #1:
Buy an existing building that I can renovate to suit my needs. I'll do 95% of the work myself.

I'm thinking of an old repair garage or a small warehouse building. I've been looking, but the cost is pretty high. Most are setup to sell as an ongoing business, so that's factored into the price. Plus, I really can't control location.

Option #2:
Build a new building from scratch. I'll hire someone to do the shell, then finish the rest myself.

I'm thinking of getting a small piece of land and erecting a pole barn, or possibly a 3-car garage with a large loft above it. I've actually found a suitable piece of land about 2 miles from my house. It's at the end of a small subdivision on a crappy corner lot along a very busy piece of road. It sucks for a house, but is perfect for what I want. It's cheap too. It has utilities available (gas, electric, water, sewer).

I have a rough idea of costs for the foundation and the building, but I have no idea about what it might take to get sewer, water, gas, and power to a building like this - or even if it would be allowed.


What do you think about each option?

Has anyone done something like this?

Can anyone give me some advice?

Once upon a time I had considered the same thing. Circumstances changed and I didn't need to, but that's not the point. I would recommend option two. Consider that with option one, you would also likely have to pay higher taxes since the building would probably be zoned commercially instead of residentially. Or, if you're lucky enough to find a barn or shop that's already built and doesn't come with a house, that could be suitable, no?

jmendez29 said:

Or, if you're lucky enough to find a barn or shop that's already built and doesn't come with a house, that could be suitable, no?

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Yes - That's kind of where I started. It's tough to find that though. I think I'll have more options with an existing commercial building or doing one from scratch. Then again, I'm looking at this as a long-term project so waiting for the right property is an option.

Find a house with a shop then rent the house out to pay the bills.

Keep in mind that not all municipalities will allow a garage without a house. They think that a stand alone garage will be used for commercial use and won't issue the permit.

I like reynolds idea.

Why not build another garage in the back yard?

I knew a guy that was into cars and bought a house with a detached garage. Rented the house, used the garage for himself. Worked out well.

I have a similar situation. Bicycles, woodworking, and brewing. Everything in my 1.5 car garage is on wheels. When it's clean, it's quite manageable. That said, we're looking at taking it down and making a full 2.5 car garage with a floor drain and water for a brewing area, then separate woodworking area. We'll see.

i know this doesn't really answer your question, but more a look at how you have your shop setup. Perhaps there's way's to make it more manageable?

Thanks for the replies.

I'm limited with my current yard. I don't have a lot of room for expansion since I'm in a subdivision.

My current setup rquires a lot of shifting around. I have everything on wheels. When it's clean it's manageable, but if I'm in the middle of a project it becomes a problem. I end up rolling things out into my driveway before I can work. Everything fits together like a 3-D puzzle. Room for a car is my main problem. I had to pay to store my old car. It was real a pain finding a storage area. It's the main reason I sold it.

The house idea is a good one. There are some small houses with huge yards in my area. A little work and I could probably get one in rentable shape. I'm not sure I want to become a landlord though.

I did wonder about the building permit. I assumed I might have a problem getting a permit for a garage only. I'll have to look into that locally.

Add a second floor to garage ,go up.

Option # 2.
I built a 24X36 detached shop, ( should have went deeper!), 10ft. stud walls, laminated beams to span the depth, 2 bays, with one bay vaulted to allow a side post lift.
Remainder of vertical space I built a "mezzanine" overhead for more storage.
2 rollup doors, (not "roll ins"), from a demolition site.

1 walk in door, no windows, plenty of lights, spray foam insulation, pegboard covering the 3 "non-door" walls, electrical outlets 36 inches off the ground, placed every 48 inches along the walls.
Long wall uses 2 separate circuits for outlets, short walls have separate circuits.
Dedicated circuit for Mig welder with 2 outlets, ( long wall and between rollup doors), and a separate circuit for the air compressor.


And a disco ball in the vaulted bay, above the lift.

Remember the laminated beam part, as it leaves no support poles downstairs.

Stealthcruiser said:

Option # 2.
I built a 24X36 detached shop, ( should have went deeper!), 10ft. stud walls, laminated beams to span the depth, 2 bays, with one bay vaulted to allow a side post lift.
Remainder of vertical space I built a "mezzanine" overhead for more storage.
2 rollup doors, (not "roll ins"), from a demolition site.

1 walk in door, no windows, plenty of lights, spray foam insulation, pegboard covering the 3 "non-door" walls, electrical outlets 36 inches off the ground, placed every 48 inches along the walls.
Long wall uses 2 separate circuits for outlets, short walls have separate circuits.
Dedicated circuit for Mig welder with 2 outlets, ( long wall and between rollup doors), and a separate circuit for the air compressor.


And a disco ball in the vaulted bay, above the lift.

Remember the laminated beam part, as it leaves no support poles downstairs.

Click to expand...

Is this on a dedicated piece of land? Were there any permit issues? Is it zoned commercial or a residential?

This is very similar to what I'd like to do - except for the disco ball. I'll probably just do black lights and flourescent velvet posters instead. Maybe a cobra.

I've been pricing some pre-fab structures with similar dimensions. They seem to be pretty reasonable.

Hayseed said:

Add a second floor to garage ,go up.

Click to expand...

I've thought about this. Might be my last option if nothing else works out. I priced this out a few years back and was pretty shocked at the quote I got for just the shell. I have an attached garage, so I think that complicates things a bit.

Adding onto your existing house would seem the most convenient and lowest cost but if that's not an option I'd look into buying a second house.

The rent on the house would help offset the mortgage and real estate is arguably in the beginning of a comeback. Having an occupied house on the premises would also provide a measure of security.

Buying a house to rent out and using the garage for your shop sounds like a risky venture. Not long ago I was interested in a place but the owner used the garage and I wouldn't have access to it. I ran away from the property. People renting a house want the privacy, not the landlord in their yard.
You would also have to think about utilities. Unless you separate the house and the garage are you going to pay their utilities?

Sounds like you need to build an addition or to move.

Why not lease a building? Find a closed-down gas station that you could rent.

Acquiring your own building, be it build, lease or purchase, brings a lot of headaches. Not the least is security. Even in "nice" neighborhoods word gets around fast that your not there most of the time.
How 'bout option #3?
Find a secured warehouse/storage building and lease space. If you stay away from "storage rental centers" the price is very reasonable. I keep my RV in a building where the landlord leases space to a wide range hobbyists. Don't think there's any brewers in there yet though.

I've been a carpenter and a landlord. Buying a rental with an outbuilding/shop benefits from having people around, and deters theft. Go up if your town allows the addn, but it may deter from the appearance. If you buy, do NOT get an ARM; it will eat you alive if inflation worsens.

b-boy said:

Can anyone give me some advice?

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http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

You could spend months of your life discussing and researching this topic...

b-boy said:

Is this on a dedicated piece of land? Were there any permit issues? Is it zoned commercial or a residential?

This is very similar to what I'd like to do - except for the disco ball. I'll probably just do black lights and flourescent velvet posters instead. Maybe a cobra.

I've been pricing some pre-fab structures with similar dimensions. They seem to be pretty reasonable.

Click to expand...

It's on a 1.1 acre lot, behind my house.
I permitted it as a "hobby shop", in a residential section.
Has siding the same color as my house, ( albeit vinyl siding vs. "Hardy plank").

No permit issues.

As another poster mentioned, Garage Journal is an EXCELLENT source for info!

And don't discount the disco ball............

BCM said:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

You could spend months of your life discussing and researching this topic...

Click to expand...

Thanks. I might be off homebrewtalk for a while. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do.

Stealthcruiser said:

I permitted it as a "hobby shop", in a residential section.

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How does permitting it as a hobby shop differ/benefit from permitting it as a garage?

I needed something to permit it as.
If I told them I was building a 2 car "shop", then the questions would have been sure to ensue!"Are you planning on doing it for a living?"
"What kind of noise will you be making?"
"Do you plan on painting there?"
"What kind of chemicals will you be using?"
"What about waste oils and petroleum products?"...........

I could go on.
Build your shop, to the minimum needed for a certificate of occupancy, ( electrical, plumbing, etc....), and when you clear those hurdles, you can upgrade / expand your electrical and utilities as you see fit.

Give them no more information than they need, or ask for...........Keep it simple, and it's a simple process.

"What kind of hobby work will you be doing?"

"I will be design curtains and tapestries , and repairing sailboat sails......"
"I will have lights, a sewing machine, and a stereo....."

You get the idea.

Stealthcruiser said:

I needed something to permit it as.
If I told them I was building a 2 car "shop", then the questions would have been sure to ensue!"Are you planning on doing it for a living?"
"What kind of noise will you be making?"
"Do you plan on painting there?"
"What kind of chemicals will you be using?"
"What about waste oils and petroleum products?"...........

I could go on.
Build your shop, to the minimum needed for a certificate of occupancy, ( electrical, plumbing, etc....), and when you clear those hurdles, you can upgrade / expand your electrical and utilities as you see fit.

Give them no more information than they need, or ask for...........Keep it simple, and it's a simple process.

"What kind of hobby work will you be doing?"

"I will be design curtains and tapestries , and repairing sailboat sails......"
"I will have lights, a sewing machine, and a stereo....."

You get the idea.

Click to expand...

Good advice. So I should avoid mentioning brewing beer, welding, hot rod assembly, late night poker parties, and loud music till all hours of the night... Got it. Think I'll take up scrap-booking right before I speak to the zoning department.

Scrapbooking is an EXCELLENT idea!..........

It's been awhile, but here is my barn....

Wait what just happened in those 4 years? Did you find a piece of land somewhere?
Anyway it looks good!

b-boy said:

It's been awhile, but here is my barn....

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looks great!

I convinced my wife to move. We bought an old house on 10 acres.