What are some options for alternative garages?

[Mach5]

My buddy and I work on our cars. A lot. Our houses are about 2 mi apart and invariably the tool we want is at the wrong house. Both of our garages are filled with various other things (wives cars, business stuff, etc.). Plus, neither garage has height for a lift, neither are perfectly suited for what we do, and neither have HVAC. Oh, and I live in Phoenix AZ.

We dream of having a real shop with a tall interior height, ventilation, heat, AC, plumbing. Ideally space for a bathroom with a toilet and shower, and a work sink, and possibly room for an old washer and dryer so that we can clean our rags and such.

Problem? Well, neither of us has any money at present and it seems to make little sense to rent space when we don't have a business to run there that will at least cover the costs. Finding a place reasonably close to home hasn't been easy, either. Oh, and we live in town and have smaller lots, so building behind the house isn't an option.

I'm sure this is sounding familiar to many of you. So, what have you done to overcome these obstacles?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I've seen some places that build large metal buildings with a big front / back door so like an RV could drive through. Anyhow, they "sell" each bay, and there are different sizes to choose from. So once you buy it you can build it out however you want... I guess it's kind of for the well-to-do that want a little garage but can't put one at their house (like you)... They don't run businesses out of them, it's all for personal use. Maybe they have those in your area? I have no idea what they cost but if two or three people share the cost I'm sure it wouldn't be too bad.

Maybe start searching for foreclosed properties? I'm sure there has to be some old building with a large open area you could make a nice garage into, and who knows what it could lead to...

Or... find another friend with a large garage and a car lift... lol...

 

[Josh Kinzey]

What kind of space do you each have?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Start saving your pennies, keep your purchases to a minimum till you can build a shop at your place or he can build his own. Before you do anything big, make sure it's a written deal to protect each other incase something happens.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Sounds like Ramen Noodle time!

 

[gritsngumbo]

I rented an 1,800 square foot warehouse that had been being used for an A/C contractors storage for $500 per month including utilities, heat and air.

 

[Klammer]

I bought a commercial property that has a workshop and some office space in it. The place wasn't perfect, and still needs some cosmetic work, but it is structually sound, less than 10 minutes from home, and I got a good deal on it. It took some time to rent out the office space but with that rent and some other storage rent I'm able to cover the loan payment and taxes and still have a fair amount of space for my own workshop.

I will warn you, it could take a long time to rent out the other space in this economy. You may be able to find a place that is already partially rented and speed up that process. It took me about a year of making the entire payment and paying for some materials to refinish parts of the place before it rented. Your location may be better or worse. I was only able to do this because my kids had recently stopped going to full time daycare.

Oh, and I still run into times where I don't have the right tool at the right location. I bought a cheap set of basic tools and that has helped, but I end up making regular trips to get the right tool for the job

 

[Mach5]

I used to own a commercial office building. I lost that to the bank when the market crashed. Part of the reason I lost it was that I couldn't get tenants into it like I'd planned before I bought it. So, I'm a bit gun shy. I'd still consider it if I knew I could get enough quality long term tenants to cover the loan and other costs.

As for renting, the really cheap stuff is hard to find and generally far away from home. I keep looking, though, and trying to scheme a way to make it work.

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[cubicle]

I know I have seen some ads on Craigslist where you can just rent a bay in a garage even for a few hours.

 

[Mach5]

Renting for a few hours is impractical for us. We need someplace where we can store all of our tools parts and resto projects.

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[Jeff Ivers]

Have you thought about buying a well used panel or cargo van that you could store tools in and drive to whichever place you are working?

 

[Jagmandave]

Are you allowed to build all the way to the fence on the garage side of the house? If so, do you have room to add another bay? Even a part sized one?
That would probably be your cheapest way, other than buying a storage shed.