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Perfect size shop????

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 1hotstude, May 2, 2010.

  1. 1hotstude
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 40

    1hotstude
    Member

    What is the perfect size shop, and the perfect amout of hot rods? My wife said one time that I could have anything I wanted as long as it was in an enclosed shop in and out of sight at night. I built a 34 x 38 foot shop. Before long I kicked out the back and added a 22x20 out th back end of it. Then, I added a 12 x 20 off that.....where does it stop? I even made a removeable wall on the last addition for ease of future addition! And what constitutes a Hot Rod anyway....is there a year cut off? Can a 1985 be a Hot rod?
     
  2. Kingcrow
    Joined: May 8, 2009
    Posts: 343

    Kingcrow
    Member

    Hard to say what is the perfect shop size, I have a 30x40 shop that I am filling up fast. I would love to have 5000 sq ft shop but would fill it up too, and more space to lose shit.

    As for a 85 Hot Rod, I had a 85 Monte Carlo SS Hot Rod, You could "Hot Rod" anything I guess, but a 85 would not get much love on this site.
     
  3. 32SEDAN
    Joined: Jul 30, 2008
    Posts: 1,315

    32SEDAN
    Member

    40x60 with a man space upstairs in a corner
     
  4. kustomizingkid
    Joined: Sep 6, 2008
    Posts: 225

    kustomizingkid
    Member

    I have never ever ever been in a shop and once thought, damn, this is too big...
     

  5. 29Jay
    Joined: Aug 9, 2007
    Posts: 1,101

    29Jay
    Member
    from Ft Worth

    all I know is a 2 car garage 19x19 is too small...
     
  6. STILL OLD
    Joined: Jan 18, 2010
    Posts: 77

    STILL OLD
    Member
    from tennessee

    I built a 24w x 30 deep garage and My wife said I should've paved the back yard and put a roof over it.



    Buzz
     
  7. Nick_R_23
    Joined: Mar 28, 2010
    Posts: 127

    Nick_R_23
    Member

    50 miles long, 50 miles wide, and cars as far as the eye can see! :D
     
  8. Steelsmith
    Joined: Feb 5, 2007
    Posts: 581

    Steelsmith
    Member

    I'd have to agree with the sentiment that 5-6000sqft is about right! By the time you have your areas lined up for various activities like chassis building, sheetmetal fabrication, wood working area for plugs for the casting area, (2 different areas), the machine shop, the upholstery area and the mechanical bay it takes up a lot of space! Not to mention the other storage shop for the projects, the parts accumulation and the finished projects area! Don't for get about the bike shed either!

    No, I don't have that yet, and it may never happen but one can have a goal to work toward!

    Dan Stevens
    dba, Steelsmith
     
  9. Jalopy Jim
    Joined: Aug 3, 2005
    Posts: 1,867

    Jalopy Jim
    Member

    I have a 26' x 26' shop and it is to small to work on one car at a time. But at the cost of heating it it is plenty big.
     
  10. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There ya go. The only limit is the space available on your land and in your wallet.
    But I know guys who are just as perfectly happy with a one car garage to work on one project at a time in as they would be with a 40x60 with a full spectrum of equipment and projects.

    Right now a 30x40 would make me more than happy especially if it had room for a storage loft and "man space" over part of it. But I'll settle for my 10x18 or so and the Costco style carport out in front of it to keep the sun off me in the summer.
     
  11. If I had my wish, I'd level the house and build a 10,000-12,000sqft shop area below and living quarters up stairs. Of course there would be no money left for all the rides of my dreams...wait, I still don't have the money.
    My opinion, for what it's worth, is a hot rod needs to be pre-smog at least. However I can understand that the hot rod is in the eye of the beholder.
     
  12. kustom66cat
    Joined: Aug 11, 2007
    Posts: 157

    kustom66cat
    Member

    It doesn't matter how big you make it cause when its done, you will wish you went 5 ft more.
     
  13. Chaz
    Joined: Feb 24, 2004
    Posts: 5,016

    Chaz
    Member Emeritus

    The shop has to be large enough that you cant see from one end to the other because of the curvature of the earth.
     
  14. WhatThaFrig
    Joined: Feb 1, 2010
    Posts: 5

    WhatThaFrig
    Member
    from TN

    This true! Of course I only have a one car closet right now.
     
  15. msinclair32
    Joined: Nov 11, 2008
    Posts: 139

    msinclair32
    Member

    i like your wifes thinking!!
     
  16. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,914

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I bought a 30 X 40 storage unit at a local complex about 4 years ago (before real estate went to hell). I bought it outright because I had the money then. It had 14' ceilings, which meant a lot of wasted space; I had a local carpenter put in a 30 X 8 mezzanine over the back part, with an 8 X 8 "office" area off of that with a flight of stairs down. (If I were to do it over again, I would have made the mezzanine 16 X 30.) It would be plenty big enough for me if I didn't have to store my boat and snowmobiles. I see a lot of guys in the same complex that are wasting over half of the space they purchased, because they don't have anything over 6' tall. The real estate taxes are $180 per year, and the maintenance on the place (including security and electricity) is less than $300 per year. I see a lot of threads where guys can't seem to rent something like this for less than $1500 per month. I believe that you've got to think outside of the box here. Why not look at buying something. My place cost less than $40,000 total.:) If I had paid 20% down on a 20 year mortgage at 6%, I would have had a monthly payment of $229.26 a month. I know an $8000 down stroke may be hard to come by, but if you can come up with it, you have a 30 X 40 insulated shop for $229.26 + (480/12) = 269.26 per month. Plus, when you're done, you OWN it. I posted this here once before, but nobody seemed to appreciate it. This is one of the best things I have done in the last 20 years. Try it; you'll like it.:D
     
  17. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member

    The shop is were you work on things, and yours sounds about right, spray booth and welding shop to go with the full machine shop, and panel fabrication room. I think a 100x200 STORAGE building would be about right for the finished cars and future projects. This thinking is based on winning LOTTO.:D
     
  18. wolfers
    Joined: Apr 28, 2010
    Posts: 35

    wolfers
    Member

    My shop is 60 X 28. I chopped off 15 feet on the ground floor for woodworking that never really happened. I have a half story above for storage that is size of building. Now let me tell you, it is full and I can never find shit I am looking for. One can say that I need to be organized, but I gaurantee if you store shit in a room that size you are going to lose stuff. Also due to the crowded conditions I still can only work on one project at a time which for me is good cause it seems I really can't do more than one project at a time due to time and wallet size.
     
  19. 94hoghead
    Joined: Jun 1, 2007
    Posts: 1,289

    94hoghead
    Member

    I built a 24w x 30 deep garage and My wife said I should've paved the back yard and put a roof over it.
    I like your wifes thinking as well. My Dad always said that you need to build a shop twice as big as you think you need and maybe you can get by with it. You can never have too much shop space....
     
  20. G V Gordon
    Joined: Oct 29, 2002
    Posts: 5,713

    G V Gordon
    Member
    from Enid OK

    It has been my experience that stuff expands to fill the space alloted. In otherwords, we're screwed.
     
  21. 69f100
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 734

    69f100
    Member
    from So-Cal

    no its not. . . its way to small.
     
  22. evil clown
    Joined: Jan 15, 2006
    Posts: 283

    evil clown
    Member
    from Verona, WI

    The perfect size shop?

    I think most of you are close to the answer.

    I think the answer is . . . somewhere between a little bigger and much bigger than whatever you currently have! :rolleyes:
     
  23. 61bone
    Joined: Feb 12, 2005
    Posts: 890

    61bone
    Member

    huge x large x big + 50% for growth
     
  24. KoolKat-57
    Joined: Feb 22, 2010
    Posts: 3,073

    KoolKat-57
    Member
    from Dublin, OH

    Always built as big as zoning and your finances allow! It still won't be big enough,but at least you gave it your best shot!
    My son is building a 40'X50' "shed", we can't wait for it to be done!
     
  25. dave lewis
    Joined: Dec 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,378

    dave lewis
    Member
    from Nampa ID

    Shop
    Tool box
    Workbench
    Trailer ( open OR enclosed )

    All things that will make you say " I should have gone with the next size up ! "
    Dave
     
  26. petes65usa
    Joined: Mar 11, 2010
    Posts: 254

    petes65usa
    Member

    Living in Ohio...It's way to small in the summer & way to big to heat in the winter..........
     
  27. I have had several builders tell me that 30' x 40' is the point where the square foot cost evens out. Anything less and the cost go up. Anything more and it is just about the same.

    So I built a 30' x 40'. It is a good size for a working automotive hobby shop. But it is two small if you plan on using it for storage.

    My wife never throws anything away. She has our attic stuffed and here storage solution is to "find space for this in the shop."

    My next project is a dedicated garden storage shed.

    All of my plans are subject to change if I win Lotto.
     
  28. davidwilson
    Joined: Oct 8, 2008
    Posts: 595

    davidwilson
    Member
    from Tennessee

    if i ever build another shop, it will be an eight car garage w/ 10' doors & a 2 bedroom apartment overhead - canopy roof over the drive - balcony deck on the backside
     
  29. Jim Beam
    Joined: Sep 7, 2006
    Posts: 268

    Jim Beam
    Member
    from St. George

    mine is 45x95, and is seems too small!
     
  30. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    There was a huge antique truck and tractor auction in Minnesota?, advertized about 30 years ago in hemmings.

    I'm reading the ad about the collection and it mentioned a 1250 ft garage....well I am there trying to do the math to tell how small that is at 1250 sq feet.......duh........the freaking shop was 1250 feet LONG
     

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