Shop size help

[Freightshaker]

Good evening all. New here. I have a slight dilemma as I tend to over think/over analyze things a lot.

I am in the market to have a new metal shop installed but I keep second guessing sizing. I own a little over an acre and it has a pipeline running through it so that does hinder my options a bit. My question is, would a 28'x30'x12' be sufficient floor space for a full frame off restoration of a gmc crew cab dually? I looked at the pre engineered 30'x40' but seems excessive but I don't want to cut myself short being you only get one shot to get it right. Truck is 22' bumper to bumper. I have upright shelving to put along a side wall to store new parts out of the way which I will disassemble once the build is complete. Bathroom won't be installed.

I have a 1 ton gantry crane from Harbor Freight to remove the cab and bed (which has already been done and temporarily reassembled due to having to be moved) which is around 9-9.5' wide. Tool box and work bench on back wall. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lucid Moments]

I have never heard of anyone complaining about their shop being too big. Go as big as you reasonably can up front.

 

[larry_g]

I once read a post that said that one needs 4 full bays to do a complete restoration. One bay to store the body and do sheetmetal work, one bay for the chassis work, one for the interior and misc storage, and one for the mechanical rebuilds of the sub assemblies like motor, trans, rearend and other small items as they get rebuilt as well as the fab area if needed. I have found that to be true.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[JohnnieMo]

I’m restoring a Jeep YJ in my 31x22x10. It’s a disaster in there. However the real killer is if you want a paint booth. For a vehicle that large it will be problematic.



I’d say your design would be large enough if you don’t plan on doing anything else in there. (Ie parking, large floor tools etc)

 

[sberry]

30x40 is not excessive, it's really too small.

 

[dirtybrownracing]

my first shop was 30 x 30, I thought a little extra room would be helpful so at the farm they are building a 30 x 35 and just got the slab done....

I've never once said man this looks too excessive.....

I have said over and over...shoulda went bigger!

 

[Hephaestus29]

Go for the 30x40, and put your door/doors on
the LONG side.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Go with the larger 30x40 if you can. Try marking the area off around the truck with the smaller size and see how much room you have.

Once you do that, mark out the 30x40 & you're going to realize how much you'll want the bigger shop. Don't forget to tape off work bench, toolbox and shelf area.

 

[niget2002]

Mine shop is 28x50 because of a similar gas pipe situation. A full frame off in mine would feel tight. If you have the money for the larger shop, I'd go for it.

 

[zmotorsports]

Personally even a 30x40 would be tight as anyone who has stripped a car down to bare chassis and body off knows, the project will occupy nearly 3 times the size of just an assembled car. Plus you want some room to work and if you're tripping over parts all the time it will be frustrating and hard to get work accomplished.

My last shop was a 34'x34' and it was extremely hard to do a full frame off restoration and have plenty of room to work. Granted I had a lot of machining and fabrication equipment in the shop as well but overall I could have used more space. When I had to work on one of my daily drivers and the restoration project was in full swing, I ended up working on the shop's apron.

Looking back I also would have gone to 30' deep and 40' wide rather than my 34' x 34' as that was an odd depth and I think a bit more width would have been more useful.

My new shop I can have a full project going on and still have enough space to pull a daily driver car in for routine maintenance or repair.

 

[Cryptic1911]

Go bigger than you think you need. You'll still run out of space. They always look big until you start putting **** in there

 

[Falcon67]

Considering that our F-350 extend cab is 240" long, 30' IMHO is insufficient for something like a GMC Crew. We're looking at new F-350 crews and most are running 250" plus. As in "it'll sit outside" because it won't hardly fit anywhere else. I could put one in the 24' deep shop, just for parking - if there's no race car in there for service.

 

[faultymechanics]

Bigger is fine, the key seems to be workflow. How you actually setup and use the shop. Having tools you use often, together, etc etc.

 

[L79Chevelle]

I have a 30'x22" garage that I built a year ago, I live in the suburbs so it was the largest I could go without a variance. I am currently doing a frame off of a '71 Chevelle the body and chassis take up two bays and I have the third set up with workbench, storage, welders, etc.. It's comfortable for me to work in but a few extra feet on either side would have been great. I think a 30x40 would be excellent.

 

[Daubs]

Acreage we purchased had a 30'x40' pole barn. I love it!

It now has power and a mezzanine in the last 10' to store stuff. My plan is to start the restoration for the 1972 Chevy K-20 when the weather warms up.

Build the biggest you can afford...you will not regret it!

Be prepared for friends and relatives to start asking if they can store stuff in your shop / garage.

View media item 99939
Mr. Floppy-Ears approves : )

View media item 99942

 

[Jagmandave]

30 X 50 is a real common pole barn size around here. I have a friend who does paint and body work on Classic Minis in a 30 X 40 shop - he's pressed for space if he has more than two going at a time.

 

[sberry]

My bud had 30x40 and it was cramped with 2 cars. Was too short for 2 also. The space along the walls was really wasted, just so crowded. Minimum wide 36 and 40 would be better.

 

[sberry]

Got a neighbor just did 30x50,,, long is fine but 5 minutes after he started to fill it he wish it was 6 ft wider.

 

[Cougar]

If you can go 30x40, GO 30x40.
Or even bigger if it's allowed, and you can swing it.

 

[Shrimpblue]

I have a 32’ deep by 48’ wide. We put a Cummins in a 1978 4 door 3/4 ton Ford F-250 4x4 with an extended frame and it was cramped. Several times we needed more space in the front and rear of the truck. My shed has 3 pull in twelve foot wide stalls and another 12 foot area for mostly lawn, carpenter equipment and everything else. The build of the truck took up all three of the stalls. It didn’t take me long to realize I should have built a 40x60. Hence, here soon I plan to build a 12x32 lean to for everything that’s not vehicle related.

 

[sberry]

This is a place to really condiser some real cost. As the square ft go up the construction efficiency does too. Its the same 4 corners, same 2 endwalls, somewhat the same doors. The area cost less per sq ft as it gets bigger. They can be 40x30 as well as 30X50 to get the doors in a gable end. Yes the truss cost a little more but you need less of them.
Depreciation on a modern car is huge. Saving and maintaining can pay off. Not friving and having 1 old car is the best, some want to save some etc, some families have a lot of stuff, drive an old car a couple more years and dump10 or 15 large more and get some sq7uare feet, makes the whole rest of everything you do so much easier. Do this before home remodel etc and is the cheapest place of finished space that can free up other space for utilities. In this class of building ,, really 3 or four if you start from small garages but 40 wide and up to 60 long. Have kind of h for the floor plan for the shop with a room in the corner for utilities One bay 20 x 60 and a hoist at the far end A parking space in front of it for DD type thing and use roller curtain to make a booth, drain in the floor and have a fan rigged to it. Could drop the curtain 1 side and run engines, paint, can drain and dry a car. What ever room I didn't use for a room would be another bay for general work big enough to get a car in. Office/overhead storage in the corner, could canteliever it above over benches or put shelves.

 

[johnnyradiant]

The tighter the more organized every step needs to be. I think my shortest dimension I'd want would be 32'.

Damn easements.

 

[sberry]

Put the corner in front towards your house, if you are short put any additional utilities you might need in, urinal and a wash up sink. New office if its needed etc, we got no idea of the rest of it etc but guest and utility bathroom and a place to wash up about priceless.
First thing lots of guys do is design the stuff should be in the back in the front and the front in the back. I was in one recent,,, when the guy moved in he put the air comp by the door and then a big,,, h8uge set of monster shelves right in the way and the tool box is in a snake trail to the back of the building. Moving 1 air comp, moving a big shelf to the back wall and moving the tool box up front and it woulda been a whole different place. Full of junk coulda been hung up too.
The object is to get the most stuff along the walls and as much open as it can get. We get caught up on the truck dimensions but buildings are about people, people moving around trucks, a zillion times you are going to walk in, take a leak and wash your hands, make coffee etc. Worth it to get it to work on one floor. I saw another recent. 50x56 and he did it with 1 big door which was nice. But he will be able to get to a hoist in the back, the size allows enough turning. Any7way,,, the climate and road condition would have a big impact on design. If the goal is to repair a 1 off truck would pick some nice time in nice weather and do most of it bust *** outside and get it done.
Know someone just done it, they had a little house that needed work and they built a new big attached garage and put all their **** in it.

 

[sberry]

Acreage we purchased had a 30'x40' pole barn. I love it!

It now has power and a mezzanine in the last 10' to store stuff. My plan is to start the restoration for the 1972 Chevy K-20 when the weather warms up.

Post 15 I think but this is really nice. The posts don't hurt, the steps are out of the way as they can get, leaves some room to get stuff up out of the way.
Good spot for the air hose, reach all the way to the back, anywhere in it and well out the front with a single unit.

 

[sberry]

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=6873&pictureid=99939 This guy did good, can reach it all 50 ft reel, can add if and when needed vs trying to design every feature in, 1/2 you never use and wont need.

 

[CJseven]

I wouldn’t want anything less for that project, I have a 30x40 “Shop” area with 3 reels, works nice.

 

[Freightshaker]

Thanks for all the replies fella's. I just played around in google earth and took some dimensional measurements. I have two easements one is power at the back of the lot and the pipeline which I already mentioned. The power easement isn't an issue as it's at the very back of the property. The property dimensions are roughly 125'w X 375'd. Current home is 14'x64' but I have a new home on order that is 16'x80' so my access behind the house is fixing to become a little difficult unlike now. Front yard isn't an option and all structures must be 10' or more off of any property boundry. If memory serves me, nothing can be placed within 15' of the pipeline easement.

After placing a measured box on both the size I mentioned and a 30x40' it looks like the 30x40' is going to be the way to go but now trying to figure out placement. The further back it is placed the more it will cost.

I'm not doing any of the body work. Just frame and mechanical. Paint and body isn't my strong suit. I am a firm believer in vertical storage with I notice not a lot of people take of. (Square feet vs cubic feet type of deal).

As I mentioned there won't be a washup sink, shower toilet because I know work space is valuable. I had a 2 ton cherry picker that I sold and went with a 1 ton gantry which turned out to be far more useful even though it being very large in comparison, it does have a smaller foot print for storage as I leave a gap between two sets of shelves for it to roll inbetween. Might get another air compressor but it won't be a very big one

 

[PhantomEB]

30x40 min... I prefer 40x40.

 

[472scout]

Look at your savings, investments, retirement, vacations, kids tuition, etc. and then build the biggest damn shop you can't afford.