Building a Shop

I just built a 36 by 40 and it'd be too small to get 2 bobtails in and have any room left to work.
But I didn't build it to get a big truck in.

 

Some polish and a few chrome goodies plus elbow grease that would be a great looking ride.

 

My cousin just started building a 40x60 shop. He ordered the kit from a company called DuroBeam or DuroBuilding or something like that. Steel I-beam construction that's all bolt together. The entire kit includes the roll up doors and everything. That cost him 17k just to give you a price point. He still needs to pour the slab, run the electrical, and build it. He's estimating it will cost around 30k total in the end.

 

I have a 40x60 18 ft ceiling, 20 ft side shed each side. 20 ft concrete in front for my washing etc. It isn't really big enough for the life time of spare crap I have accumulated. Then you put my ol 4900 IH mechanics truck in there, course I still use the Auto crane for everything lol. Some days it's rough to just get the hood of mine nosed in to do a lil something

 

One thing to also consider is that some counties have strict regulations for bigger buildings. He had to get a civil engineer to come out and do some drainage assessment or something like that. Cost him a few grand. Later he found out that he wouldn't have needed that if he had stayed under 2,100sf. Just something to keep in mind if cost is a huge issue. Talk with the county/city permits office and inspectors a lot before you decide on a size.

 

Little things will help a lot to like putting the compressor in a little shed against the outside wall. Same with the crapper but a door to it is handy. A 6 to 8ft wide storage area with a wide set of stairs instead of a ladder on one wall will help. To me the floor is most important. When it comes to concrete you want the best finisher in your area. Not the cheapest. It's a life time investment.

 

Yes getting permits to put in drains can be an environmental issue. I think someone told me putting a pit in could also be a big issue insurance wise also.

 

I just found the shop my cousin bought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DuroBEAM-St...rage-Material-Structures-DiRECT-/291891793316

He already started and is pretty happy with it. Keep in mind though that he's not doing it for trucks so 16 high is enough for him. Truckers might want a taller one.