renting a shop as a 1 truck o/o

was looking for your guy's opinion on renting a shop as a 1 truck owner operator.

i am looking at a shop its big enough to pull in a truck or a trailer but not both at the same time. has lots of outside parking and would be easy to get in and out of with a semi. has heat water and a floor drain. door is tall enough for a flat top or mid roof but not a condo(not much issue as i run a flatop) i do 90% of my own repairs but would probably be closer to 100% if i had a place to work on the truck out of the elements.

shop rent would be 750 a month plus utilitys

if i had the shop i would save 150 a month in cab fair as i cant park a vehical where i park my truck while im gone all week, i could save $350-400 a month on truck washes (the truck wash charges $5 a minute for spraying mud off my truck. i could also save atleast 150 a month by doing my own pm's and buying oil ect in bulk. id also save some money on some repairs that i take to a shop for not having a shop to work in. i already need to find a new place to park my rig at. it would also be able to free up some parking space at my house by being able to move my camper and boat from the house over to the shop. it would save me in a few other places $$ wise

basicly all in all i see it as break even at best $$$ wise by the time rent and utilitys are paid. but would make my life a lot easier.

i also go a guy that wants me to partner with him in starting a auto detailing business but i don't know if i want to go that route. just seems like trying to do a partnership with someone could lead to problems

iv got money in the budget to afford the shop just looking for oppions on if it would be worth it or not.

 

i don't know what the heat bill was last year although atleast 5 days a week id probably have it turned down to 45* or so. i will ask if that info is available. sq foot age is simular to my home and my home heating bill runs around 150 a month in the winter. also although sq footage is simular the shop has taller roof and probably not insulated as well.

 

there would be a lease.

and yes i spend that much on truck washes i run alot of dirt roads and the truck wash charges $5 a min to de mud a single truck wash can cost as much at $180 if we have had any moisture. 2-3 truck washes a month long term average has been right around $350 per month.

looking at $$$ i see it as break even at best. may even cost me a couple hundred a month depending on how high the utility's come out to be. but would make my life alot easyer. if i thought it was going to save me a substantial amount of money i woulden't be asking for opinions. on the flip side of the coin it may save me more on more things than i currently see.

 

also another thing i thought of is the shop is in a building with other shops in the same building with other shops and share some interior walls so the heat may cost less than the 300 a month im estimating, esp if i keep my heat turned down lower than the neighbors....lol

next time i talk to them i will ask what the previous utility's ran although i would think mine would probably be less than previous as i wont be working in the shop every day.

 

i think you are right but im having a bit of a hard time justifying adding a monthly obligation on something that iv been doing ok without. although last Sunday when i was trying to weld on my trailer as the wind was blowing and trying to snow. swaping out my mig wire for flux core cause it was too windy for shelding gas and my breaker popping on my generator after every inch of bead. i was really cursing not having a shop. as well as last saturday waiting at a shop for 4 hours to get a pm done. or greasing my truck today in -10 windchills and snow on the ground