What kind of shop do you have?

[eggy]

Well its become time to spend some money on a new shop. I have been looking at different property and its kinda crazy with the real estate market around here, everything is super high and I dont have the room to build here at the house. What kind of shop do you guys have? Is it at your house or ??

[TLS]

I have a 20'W by 24' Deep with a 7.5'H by 16' overhead door. This will soon either be added on to in the rear or totally demoed and replaced with a 30x50 pole building. Right now its either my trailer or one of my trucks. Both dont fit. I want to be able to back straight in every night w/o unhitching, and close the door. In winter, trailer and mowing equipment contents go to my Fathers garage and both trucks can fit side by side with plows on.

Rental is an expense that I am happy to say I don't have, but a lot of guys rent out of the self storage places. Don't know the restrictions on haz-mat in those places though.

[bob]

I wish I had a shop, right now everything goes in the garage at night.

[HOMER]

I was fortunate enough to rent a house with a 30x40 shop in the back. I too have the problem with what goes in, I can bavk the trailer in but then can't get my truck in there. If I leave the truck out the cats get on it and leave their nasty paw prints all over it or the neigbors dog wizzes on the tires. I like to keep my truck clean so it's really a big toss up as to what goes in at night!!!!!!! We ain't had rain in forever so the equipment ain't hurt by stayin' out. If it does rain the equipment is in the shop. A tarp works just fine and the truck stays clean.

Homer

[Toddppm]

I rent a 1/4 acre yard to store my equip. and there is a nice garage there that a carpenter rents out . The owner offered it to me for an extra 200/mth when i first rented but i passed. I think in the spring i'm going to ask him to give the carpenter the boot, sorry for him but bus. is bus.! In the meantime i'm still debating if i'm going to put a 2 car garage at my house yet or not.

[Skookum]

During the season, I keep all my weekly mowers on the trailer and keep them covered with a tarp. I keep everything else in a few small out buildings where I also store everything else for the winter. I use my garage attached to my house when I have to work on something in foul weather, etc...

I plan to build a 30 x 40 garage out back this next summer. It will have a 10 foot door on each side in the middle so I can drive straight through. The main drive side will have another 10 foot door on one end. The remaining one third will be framed for a door in the future if needed, but for now it will just be a shop area.

This new garage will also have a high pitched roof allowing for enough space above for 8' ceiling storage and a future one bedroom apartment. Figure I might need this someday for one of my boys or when my wife tells me to go sleep with my mowers!

[Runner]

I have a 24x36 garage out back behind my folks house. (It was built back when I still lived there.) It has an 8x7 roll up door and a service door in front, and a double wide pull open door on the side towards the rear. With the workbench and storage area and all though, I only have room to put the trailer in (comfortably). The truck gets parked in an enclosed carport next to it. I definitely want to build something here where I live after I get this house all done. I guess I can consider myself very fortunate.

[Keith]

I have a 40'x20' building I rent. It ain't cheap, but it beats working on equipment in the yard. It has 120/240v, I have installed a bunch of lighting and some rafters for even more storage. At the lowest point the roof is 12 feet, and it has large 10 foot doors at each end. You walk out the back door and there are men's and women's restrooms right there. It's in a modern building complex and they have only one restriction...no welding. That sucks (considering the amount of welding I could do), but that is pretty much the only restriction. The owners don't care what time you are there. If I could have afforded it, the one next to me was vacated recently and was 40'x40'.

It's also a great place to work on anything including my Mustangs... one is residing in there right now :)

I also have a garage at the house I use, everything gets put up when we come in. After thousands of $ in stuff being stolen over the years, I don't leave it out.

[Richard Martin]

I built a 16X24 shop onto my house 3 years ago. It has the works including A/C.

[ant]

next to my house i had built a 30-44-12 foot high pole barn with 2 12-10 over head doors,1 service door <b>no windows just a peep whole to keep the muches out.</b>

[SMB]

Our shop is going to be a 13x15 homemade out building behind our house. The building was built 4 years ago, partly by my grandpa, who made it for lawn mowers-just didn't make the door big enough for anything bigger than a 38" cut. We're working on making the door bigger, and should be about done by this evening. The floor is built STOUT.

[Pauls Mowing]

I bought a 3/4 acre industrial-zoned lot last April, and I'm putting up a 30x48 pole type building on it next month. 2- 10 wide x 8 high overhead doors, 10' cieling and 6" concrete floor. The building is situated on the lot to allow a 24x30 office to be added on the end. I'm having just the shell erected, and I'll finish the inside as I go. Full insulation and steel on the ceiling and walls.

Paul

[eggy]

Sounds like you guys have nice set ups. Right now I am leaning towards building a shop with living quarters up stairs, and yes sellin the house! Crazy I guess, then build another house down the road.

[lawrence stone]

My next truck (a GM dullie cut away van)with a low height 12-14 ft Grumman van body with a 50" side door in the front on each side and a handy ramp endgate will double as a shop.

The double side doors lets you load two pallets of fert. from ground level with a lift or skid steer.

Also two derbis boxes can be made to swivel and dump out the side doors.

It will have a generator with lights,roof air and heat. All tools and spare parts, blade grinder etc rides with the truck to the jobsite.

In it's mowing configuration it will transport a 62, 52, 44, and 21 inch walkbehinds. If I need to bring more mowers to the site or to split up the crew I can hook up my 6x12 trailer.

[leeslawncare]

I just had a shop built at my house this past summer.I've got a 16x14 barn style with plenty of over head storage.8ft doubble doors w/a service door.a/c,water,phone an a small fridge, an believe it or not cable t.v.! got to watch them football games somewhere!

[pace lawn care]

Got a 30x50 with a 16 foot side shed. Only because I had it for the Tomatos I raise. If you are going to build one, I suggest 50' long. Your truck is close to 20' and so is your trailer. When I back mine in, it fills the shop up pretty much.

[landscaper3]

One of the mini malls we maintain has a future opening, going to try to talk the owner into a barder deal on property. Its 24 by 38 on a maine highway, frontage 300 feet before stop light, perfect location hope it works!

[ant]

<b>GARY<B\> YOU ARE RIGHT,IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN I WOULD OF WENT 50 FEET LONG AT 44 FEET I HAVE ROOM BUT NOT MUCH.
ANTHONY

[SLC1]

We have a shop that is about 4,500 sq ft. it has 20' high ceilings and a 12' high garage door. Right now we are able to keep two 20' trailers, 3 one ton dumps, 1 pickup, all of our mowers (5 riders, 4 walkbehinds), all of our equipment, tractor, snowplows and sanders all inside all at once, we also have outside room for 100 yards of mulch, or sand. The only set back to the shop is that it is located in an old factory that was bought out and sub-divided, the roof has a few holes in it and with the height of the ceilings it would be cost prohibitive to heat the entire shop, right now we are looking for ways to heat it. Also the landlord will only sign a one year lease at a time, so I do not want to put a lot of money into fixing or making things better that I will not be able to take with me if he doesn't sign another year. But all this does come at a price right now we are paying over $1,000 per month and in our area that is resonable. Just My two cents

[eslawns]

I have a 10x14 shed with heat & AC for an office. I use the whole 14x22 garage to store everything. I want to demo the whole thing and start over with a bigger 24x26 garage. The city has some ridiculous zoning ordinance and I'd have to move it 5' off the property line. Now it's only 2'. I'm trying to get an approval since the current bldg is where it is, but... who knows? I'm also going to put up another shed, maybe 8x12.

[Duncan IN]

I am very fortunate my dad has a 40x80 shed that has ample room for anything, it's got heat, welder, concrete floor, and I'll the tools I could every need. That's the only thing good about living at home right now.

Levi Duncan
Lone Tree Lawn Care

[Matt]

For those of you looking to save some dollars, but wanting to keep everything under cover you should look into a greenhouse or other types of fabric structures. We have a 30 x 60 greenhouse that we store our vehicles trailers and equipment in. We don't heat it in the winter but on a sunny day it will get up close to 50 degrees. This certainly isn't going to be a secure building, but if you are in a rural area you shouldn't have to worry. The other type of structures that I mentioned have a steel frame work similar to the greenhouse but then they have a fabric material streched over them. They certainly aren't for everyone, but you can cover alot moe sq. ft. with one of these than you can with a pole building $ 4 $.

[little green guy]

I have a 12x16 shed where I have tools and stuff. I keep some of my equipment on my trailer. My dad is a contractor and has a real big office with a nice garage with heat, welders, torches the whole deal so I do all my major equipment repairs there.

[Greenkeepers]

We are in the process of building a 30x60 shop with 10 foot ceilings. It's going to have 2 garage doors on the front, each 9x9. I'm puting it behind my house that I just built on 4 acres.

You guys who want to build a 2 story with shop below and house/apartment above. Make sure that zoning will allow this. I tried it on both commercial and residential property and they both denied my zoning permit. Commercial did because it was going to have an apartment above a business and residential because it was going to have a business on residential. I tried fighting it but to no avail. So I bought 4 acres residential and built a house and shop......

Mike
Greenkeepers

[TLS]

Mike,

If its not too late try for 10' wide garage doors. With 9 footers, you are only going to have less than 6" on either side of the trailer. Its tight but can be done. Never know, you may get a 102" wide someday and then 3" either side. Don't think the door would cost that much more?

Sounds like an awesome size garage!!!

[jrblawncare]

That is sort of a joke around here..this past spring My wife went home shopping and of course I went shop shopping.Well it worked out great..2 year old ranch on an acre of land..cows behide me and beside me.Of couse the shop of my dreams...1700 sq.ft.two sets of doors,concrete floor,water and a loft in the back for all that extra stuff.Why the joke you ask...the home is under 1600 sq.ft.I made out on this one!!!

[Greenkeepers]

Tom-

I've been thinking about that lately. But unfortunately it's too late. The materials are sitting in back of my house right now. I wish I would have got them but I'll deal with it. If I have to I can put a door on the side. or back the posts are 10' apart so it wouldn't be that hard.

Thanks

Mike
Greenkeepers

[TLS]

Mike,

If you don't mind me asking, how much is this garage...er...mansion going to cost you!!?? I want the same thing only 30x50, but want the 10' ceilings. Haven't priced for this size. Have a few customers with 20x20's or so though. How much will the concrete floor run you? Its always nice to take pics during the construction, I have done this for many projects, and its always nice to see before, during and after shots.

[Toroguy]

I use a two car garage. I plan to find some rural property in the next year or two and will construct a large pole bldg. The largest I can afford, even if I have to reside in a construction trailer, a tent, or a van down by the river. A mans castle is a over-sized garage.

Ideal shop should be heated and air conditioned. Located on your own land.
Also within 15 minutes of a large hardware store. Have enough space for all lawn equipment, a boat, snowmobile trailer, motorcycle, three cars, a big screen TV for the football game , a refrigerator and a Boeing 747. I would exchange the 747 for a keg meister as I dont have a commercial pilots license.

[morturf]

i have 3 shops......one is 42 by 80. one is 30 by 60 and the last is 30 by 40...all have mezzanines and rack shelving. I remember when all i had was a garage. Seems like everytime I get more space I get more crap to fill it up. But the equipment is cheaper than the labor hassels so on I go....driving the economy....

[Greenkeepers]

Tom-

The building itself with doors is about $13,500. The concrete for the floor is going to be approx $3,800 + 600 for gravel. That's $16,900 plus all of the electrical, gutters and materials(lumber, lights etc) to finish off the inside. I'll probably have between 25k and 30k in it when it's done. It will be worth it though..

Mike
Greenkeepers