Hello guys, recently I have been considering the purchase of a shop building for my personal use. The building in question is perfect for my wants and use. The price is less than half of what it would be in my immediant area. This leads to my issue. The building is 81 miles from my drive way. The drive is all interstate and takes about 1.5 hours without speeding. It is in a fairly secure area being directly across the sreet from the local police department. I often have weeks at a time between work projects and think I could spent that time at such a shop on my own stuff. I would like to know if any of the members here have had to travel to work on their hobby, and do you think it would be to much trouble and gas expense to do so? The economics consern me also. The building has been on the market for more than a year. The small town in which it is located is virtualy dead as far as commerce goes. This is due to the interstate taking the highway traffic away many years ago. Now in more recent times walmart has dealt the final blow to the local economy. This would make any improvements made to the property useful, but it would be hard for me or my aires to ever sell the property and regain the original investment. I would like to hear other guys opinion on this matter. Thanks MickeyC
Sounds too far away. Also, since likely no resale value (based on the description), if it starts to get you down you will be stuck with it. My feeling: find something closer.
I live in a small town just like your discribing. And thats how I was able to have the shop that I'm in now. Yes it is a investment that you may never see back; but at the sametime can you put a price on your happiness? Nothing beats a small town to keep an eye on things while your away. And who's to say that your investment may bring another person and then another.
My old shop was 1 mile from my house and I went all the time, when I moved 15 miles south of there I almost never went. I can't imagine 81 miles!!! I would think hard on it. Drive back and forth a few times and see, I think it it will get old FAST!!
I own, and work 18 miles from my home. It takes me about 35 minutes to get there. Lots of idiots on the highway,so I am never bored. I've commuted that much or more for about 85% of the 40 odd years I have been working. It gets to you after you have done it for a while. Not a lot, but that's a lot of time wasted in a car. But, if you really want to do it, and can afford to do it without seeing a lot of return, go for it.
If my math is correct... That's about $25 in gas each round trip at 20 miles to the gallon...5 times a week is $125. $500 a month and $6,000 a year PLUS it's 81 miles away. Your new job will be driving, essentially. I'd pass on that without thinking any more about it.
i went from having my shop about 20 steps from my back porch to 1/4 mile down the road and that even sucks. is there a chance of relocating residence? you know you can't beat small town living, or i my case no town living. also how much work can you get done having 3hrs. drive time taken out?
I went to living with the shop, then after my parents got a divorce. I now live 5 minutes from the shop, and even that sucks.
I agree with what others have said,plus I've got another question.....are you married? Do you have kids? Even with lots of down time between your other jobs,that drive is going to get really old.You put in a long,productive day at the shop,get to a stopping point,then,what,drive home,come back the next day? Then it might make sense to stay over every now and then,avoid the long drive....Is that going to work out? I wouldn't do it,especially if you have a family...
ditto on the no way unless it is cheap..............or move there like others say.......... I fid iit hard some days going to my shop that is 30 feet away................ got pictures??
Years ago, I had my business (European sports cars) in Boston and I lived 32 miles away. I actually enjoyed the driving, but there were drawbacks. Like the times I forgot my keys....as I got to the shop.....so, back I went. Or, I think, "Did I lock the doors and set the alarm"? Yup, back I went. At home, I needed a hand tool I had at the shop. ARRGGHH!! Driving wasn't the problem. Time lost was. Plus, I didn't mind driving round trip once a day, but twice got old really fast. Now my business and home are one mile apart. PERFECT!!
For one solid year I lived 70 miles from my job. It was all Interstate and on a good weather day it was a solid 1 hr and 10 minute drive. Initially it was no big deal but after 3 months it was a chore. The job was not a clock out at 5 and go home either. I dreaded the extra hours because I knew I had an hour plus of driving to get home. I moved closer to the shop and I was much happier. I had a little 4 cylinder Dodge getting 30 mpg when gas was $1.25 I bitched about the amount of money I spent on gas plus the miles on the car. Like others have said the economics really dictate whether its smart or not. Do not want to ruin the dream as I am looking for a shop as well but I would find something closer.
I wouldn't do it , but that's coming from someone who gets annoyed walking down to their shop with slippers on that don't have a back on them cuz they are always slipping off .
If your not married how about making an apartment in the building and staying there a few days a week. Or better yet would it be possible to sell your present home and move to the new location? Frank
Yea for me after working all day its tough getting motivated to walk 30 feet out the back door. 81 miles is nuts
no way would i have my shop that far away. mine is 25 mi right now i hardly go down to it. i am moving tools and machines to the new place. kids have been breaking into the house. they broke in the fence and the garage and busted up my vette last spring. still putting that back together.
Thats what I was thinking too Frank. If I had it to do all over and wasn't married I'd live upstairs in the shop.
Don't let that give you a false sense of security... My brothers truck was parked directly across the street from the cops in a small town in Louisiana when it was stolen! Supposedly no one saw anything...and the cameras on the parking lot were "coincidentally" not working at the time the truck was stolen.
The key to making this work is to set yourself up living quarters there that you can stay in and use it like most people would use a second home. You won’t get there every day, but weekends, holidays and vacations could be a lot of fun. Instead of going fishing, go work on your hotrods. What could be cooler than that? I sold some cars to a guy a few years ago that had bought an old John Deere dealership in a deserted town called Plum Texas. It was really cool art deco style building with a full shop in back and a showroom with offices in front. It is situated in the middle of a tree covered green space with a large open area and a few old homes nearby. Across the street are railroad tracks, and then wide open farmland as far as you can see. Not long after he bought the place, a neighbor came by and offered to sell the rest of the buildings in the town, consisting of an old lumberyard, a post office, bank, a mercantile, and the house the neighbor was living in. He bought the whole town including the dealership for lest than 250 grand. He hired a body man that he knew and set him and his family up in the house. Set up a body shop in the lumberyard building, a parts room in the mercantile, a clean room in the shop area of the dealership, and a party/show room in the show room, and an apartment in the post office for him to stay in when he visits the place. He then started a business that the body man runs for him restoring cool cars, goes out searching for cars to buy, fix up to re-sell and throws parties for car clubs on the green space and in the showroom. With noting but wide open spaces across the street, they can make all the noise that they want and no one cares. His name is Mike Bandy. We call him the mayor of Plum.
gotta side with the others; move there if single and it will not impact your job or find something closer.
I've got a buddy with a place with some land 1.5 hours away. He said we could keep project and parts cars there. I have an 51 chevy parts car up there. Want to know how many times I go there to get parts? Maybe once a year. One summer I went up a bunch of times to take stuff off it. It SUCKED! Between driving, eating, shitting, and driving, eating, I didn't have much time in one day to do much, and I was dog ass tired when I got home. Move or don't buy.
three hours a day wasted on the road,cant just get an idea in the middle of the night and go to the shop,cant just shoot in there for an hour thrash on a project,so many reasons not to do it.cant you build on your property? im with them ,dont do it.
The Jalopy Journal
