Technical When is your shop/garage finally big enough?

32 years ago I went from a very small 1 car garage to building a new place with a 24x46 attached, 2 wide, 2 deep. My wife didn't want the house to look like all garage. That had worked well for a several years. Heat, AC. running water, beer fridge... what more could a guy want ? More room ....

Well, that became small in a hurry.....and today is a well equipped 1 car shop with a Bedpak full rise scissor lift and my Powdercoating Business. Luckily 23 years ago I was able to squeeze in a 24x36 12 foot high pole building with special permission from the city that would never happen today. That filled up quickly with 4 cars, so I added 4 BedPak 4 post lifts so I can park 8 cars in there. I also added a metal ceiling to my 12x44 deck on the rear of my home where I can park 2 more cars under it.

I am filled to the max for where we live. I don't think my suburban neighbors realize how many cars I have ...... As always, our daily drivers still sit outside in the Minnesota winter .....

 

My primary work shop is 30 x 24 with 10 foot ceiling with heat and AC. Also, a 20 x 16 for part storage and a 40 x 60 with 14 foot ceiling and for the heavy/bigger stuff and lift. It has a 20 x 60 lean too for trailers/equipment for around the farm. Yes, they are all mostly full of who knows what half the time. My kids are gonna hate me some day when I'm gone. Just hope everything doesn't get sold for what I told the wife that I paid for it....

 

When I am dead it will be big enough.

 

When you can't pay the property taxes you are maxed out.

 

I'm getting older and down-sizing. When I sell one more car, my shop will be big enough again.

 

I started out with a 12'x20' ? single carport. When I had something in there working on it, the drivers had to sit out in the yard or driveway. Most of the time it was no big deal, but when projects started taking longer and longer, it got to be a hassle. Last year, after a good tax refund, I built a 22'x40' open carport semi attached to the house. That gave me room to park 4 vehicles out of the weather, even if only on a gravel floor, and left the original carport for work space. Hope to concrete the floor one of these days and move a few things like the air compressor over to that side so I can have a little more open width working room in the original area.

The way things are right now, I just don't have the drive to work on anything on my day off. Hoping that changes next year when I can semi retire and get a couple of weekdays off as well as the weekend. Then maybe I can finish my car and get it out of the work area and into the parking area. Still think about building something else when that is done, but doubt I will, I think this one will do it for me. The desire just isn't there like it was 5 or 10 years ago. Just like today, I could be out doing something, but I'm not, just don't have the energy. Just feel like sitting on my ass doing nothing. I've worked hard, long hours all my life with little rest, and it's catching up with me....

 

Well I have 3 buildings right now and they're full. 40X40, (2) 24X24

 

Well my standard 2 car garage is mighty tight but big enough to hold all the toys I will ever have.
Its not ideal but I make it work, the two daily leases can brave the cold and snowy western NY winters. They are not really ours anyway.

 

It will never happen......

 

When I can stand at one end and not see the other! And not because it's piled up!

Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

It’s a never ending spiral that is for sure!

 

One could have a building the size of a city block and it could become too small in a short time and yes mine is too small.

 

Isn't that the truth! Mine started @ 40 x 88 with an upstairs for storage about 40 x 30. 10 years later it wasn't big enough so 2 years ago it grew to 56 x 88. Now after buying my 12th car, I am looking at either adding on another 12 x 40 or just buying two new container boxes to set behind it! Never enough!!!!

God bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

...probably when the next owner moves in...

 

when i can put a car in it and not just car parts

 

Current shop is 30 x 44, plus a 6 car parking garage, and they're both always full, it seems. But it looks like we'll be moving soon, to a house with a 2 car garage, and a 30 x 50 building. Which will be way less room, so I gotta get rid of a lot of stuff I really don't need.

Philosophically, either you're the kind of guy who never has enough room, or you always have just enough, or you have extra. Most are the first type.

 

From back when I was a kid my mom said I would need a one bedroom house with a ten car garage. Then I grew up got married and bought a suburban house with a typical 2 car garage. I used to want more, but I have 2 toy cars in the garage, and 4 more outside. It's hard to keep up with that fleet. I'd like to keep my old truck inside as well, but I've resigned myself to the fact it's just going to rust away because I'll never be able to keep it indoors. If I had a giant shop, sure I'd have more old vehicles and parts to go with them, but I've learned over the years the more stuff that you own, the more owns you.

Devin

 

I have a 24x60 that was just a 2 story metal hollow shell with a 24x25 upper level. It has a good thick concrete floor. It used to be a boat dealership. There is a 200 amp service so power is not a problem. I installed 14, 4 foot LED shop lights just this year. Over the years I have built a small 12x14 insulated machine shop inside with 4 LED shop lights and reinforced the upper level that the previous owner had just clear spanned. I just use the upstairs for storage. I would love to insulate the rest of it and get a lift installed some day. As it is, its not enough with 3 vehicles and a boat stored inside along with the enclosed shop and I don't want to put anything outside.

 

Never, the more space the more crap you haul home! I have a fair sized garage, will hold 5 cars and it was packed full so I started cleaning it out. In the past couple of years I've sold two cars and one motorcycle, sold parts or given them away. I have an attic full of parts that have been up there for over 20 years, figure if I haven't needed it by now I probably won't use it so someone else might as well have them.

 

There’s a fellow a few miles away, with a 15000 sq ft building. Each of his kids have their own stall w work bench....


Rusty, Greasy, Noisy

 

I have enough room in my shop for my projects. There's just too much of other people's stuff in there that's not related to anything I'm interested in. That's what happens when you have a wife and kids, I suppose.

 

Cement last week, framing this week and next. Doesn't even have a roof and I'm out of room. Excellent way to end 2020 and begin 2021 though.

 

One word answer to the title of this thread - NEVER! Lol!

 

So true, the taxes just keep going up every year without a hiccup.

 

When I can find the tool or part that I'm looking for when I need it.

 

The older I get the smaller the shop size seems to get. I've got a 28x30 area Behind the 80 something year old garage that my grandfather built where his old tacked together equipment shed is/was where I intend to build a 3 bay shop. I just have to get my ass out there and work on it.,

 

36x63 is full. 22x63 lean-to is full. 3 other smaller sheds are full. Need at least another 40x80..... I got it....bad....

 

My garage will be big enough when I learn how to store stuff. Properly.

 

I think one of those old blimp hangers would be just about right.

 

I bought my first house when I was 20, it was a real junker, but had a 22'x22' detached garage which was WAAY better than working in my parents gravel driveway ! it was on a 50x100' city lot and I thought, "some day I will have a shop the size of this entire lot" And hopefully by the end of January I will !!! (only took me 20 years....)
In the mean time I had a 24x40' for several years.
My current shop (built 5 years ago) is 36'x84' and I thought it was huge when I built it....then I inherited a horse drawn wagon and an old Scout.....and bought another Mustang.......then another fourwheeler....then an Excavator, and then a Pontiac....and rapidly ran out of room. Plus my wife and daughters think they need to store stuff inside (the nerve !!) in the meantime, we bought 5 acres, and now we are under contract for a new house and shop. The shop will be 42'x132' and we are also building a 24x24' just for my brides stuff, and the house will have an attached 22x22 garage for our daily drivers.