Looking to rent some warehouse space to store stuff and have an area to build some cars for fun. Do any of you guys rent warehouse space and if so what does it cost you and how many square feet is enough? I have found an old mill building with 35 foot ceilings and red brick - really old style. Just curious if anyone is actually combining a warehouse with living quarters as well. I am sure that the female of the species would never stand for it, but I thought is was a cool idea,
My wife and I were considering it for a time while we lived in Boston. Warehouse space was cheap at the time, The plan was to sell the house in Hudson, and lease a building in Lowell. Move all the toys and tools in put up a lift, then build a NICE apartment About 30x50. All was well until we started asking around and the city planners would not let us use it as our permanent residence. One of the elders even told us we should have just moved in and kept our mouths shut. Very trendy place to live now. Much of Pittsburgh's warehouse space has been turned into apartments. Keith PS: the Garage Journal is awesome for all things not hot rod. Keith
I had a 40 x 60 shop with tall roll up doors, etc., I put my motorhome inside and hooked up to shore power and plumbing. check crime rates for areas before committing.
problem with renting is you need to set up a large amount of stuff to do a car, you tend to accumulate more if theres room, if you lose your space youre screwed, car apart, etc. you'd have to stay real organized in case the conditions change.
commercial rental space is pretty cheap right now....way more empty buildings than is good for the owners. Find a real estate agent the specializes in that type of property, they can plow through all the chaff for you - just let him know how much room you want, what you plan to use the space for (welding? painting? hoist?) or...buy a hangar....it's tons of fun and as long as you have something that's aircraft related inside (hang an old aileron from the rafters) and don't piss off the other residents, you'll enjoy the security that an airport location offers. dj
It's a dangerous proposition.Believe me, I know. I rented a 5000 sq ft storage building for 10 years. Easy to cover the rent at first, sell off stuff from parts cars. You pick up so much stuff so fast and cram the place with "I can build this too projects", motors, trannies, wheels, tires, and free krap. Then winters, you don't want to spend time there, you get tired of picking and want to build your stuff. Next, ya got to buy more stuff to sell and cover rent. Then after paying all that rent, you get out, try to find a place to put all this accumulated stuff, and end up selling cheap or scrapping a buncha potentially good stuff. Got out of storage 3 years ago and I'm still trying to organize the aftermath.
I've rented warehouse space for my business over the years - anywhere from 500-10,000 square feet depending on the need. If you have an industrial area near you the rent will be cheaper. Just remember that you don't own the property - make sure you look over the place real well before you move in and document all existing damage for future reference. Look over the lease agreement and see what you're responsible for as far as damages or malfunctions during your lease. This includes things that people don't think about, like plumbing issues, a furnace crapping out, electrical malfunctions, roof leaks, etc. Also, check to make sure that you aren't on the hook for rent if damage does occur from a storm and you have to vacate for an extended period of time. Just a couple of things that come to mind.
I did it differently. My wife and I bought a house with plenty of yard to build on. The house had a 2 car garage so the first thing I did was build a 900 sf shop complete with gas heat. Then came a two story shed, about 400sf. Then came a barn with about 2500 sf. It's 30ft high and I could add another floor but decided 2 floors are enough. All the rent you pay could build all these and then they are yours.
I did it differently. My wife and I bought a house with plenty of yard to build on. The house had a 2 car garage so the first thing I did was build a 900 sf shop complete with gas heat. Then came a two story shed, about 400sf. Then came a barn with about 2500 sf. It's 30ft high and I could add another floor but decided 2 floors are enough. All the rent you pay could build all these and then they are yours.
Thanks for the input, and yes I am familiar with the Garage Journal. I found 9000 square feet that has a 1500 square foot office space attached. The office has its own HVAC system as well as a separate system for the warehouse. Its cheap by price comparison, and its not in an entirely bad area - but it is industrial. $1200 / month plus utilities for the whole thing. Its just, well you know, industrial. I don't really have a hoarding addiction, but I can see how easily you could fall into that trap. The other thing that I have seen is around here in Charlotte there are tons of NASCAR teams on the rebound with 5000-10000 square foot shops up for rent. Nice to live close to all of that talent, and many actually already have an apartment built in. If anyone is considering this plan its a good idea to look close to the race track in your area. Thanks for the advise on keeping my mouth shut to the local authorities. I think that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission
Yep, usually a few places with apartments hidden at the back at the dragstrip, but I think rents out there are not the friendliest. Certainly "The Nurse" would love to live in some converted shop space with the smell of gas, grease, and welding fumes permeating the air, wouldn't she? I will take two storage spaces for $10/mo. to help you out. vic Better yet, read this http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49785&highlight=sharps and DIY.
Am I getting my space back at the shop?! I could use a little more room however I don't think Damon wants to start paying again right now so give me a little notice when you'll be out even though you were only taking it through August.
We've been renting our shop for the past 6 years. I think it is about 2000 sq ft or so. My Sons and I split it and use it as a hobby shop. We have outgrown it with too many toys, so we are starting to think about buying one now that prices are so cheap and so many are available. What is funny is that our landlord didn't want to rent to us 6 years ago because he felt a hobby shop would be iffy getting his money and that we would be gone in a little while. But 6 years later we have never been late on the rent and the complex, that was once filled all the way, now is 50% empty because all the regular businesses have folded. Needless to say, we are now his favorite tenants. That might be one obstacle to overcome if you are looking to rent a shop for your toys, landlords can't get their head around how you would be a good paying, long term tenant. But these days they are less fussy than they used to be. Don
Expensive as Hell here. I currently pay .83 cents a foot. And it varies around here from a little over 75 cents to as high as a buck and a quarter. That's the price we pay for living where so damn many other people want to live. Plus electrical and we have to carry Liability insurance
I rent part of a warehouse with some friends of mine. 3600 sq.ft. with a small office, big door front and back. Cost is $800 a month plus util for the whole space. No restriction on when, what, how loud, it's awesome. I can run the grinder at 3am with the doors open and not piss anyone off. GUy next door is the landlords son-in-law and builds rods and chassis and is there late usually and during the day to keep an eye on the place. Plus we have about 1/2 acre out back for storing cars/parts cars, crap. and yes...you will fill up what space you have. If I had to move out this month I would be in huge trouble!
ive been living in my shop for the past year. i originally got into it to build my merc, and do side jobs (auto body) to help earn some extra cash to fund the project and help pay the rent. about 1500 square feet of floor space, with what are 3 offices upstairs that ive made into a bedroom/livingroom/kitchen. works out great. honestly the one thing i ask myself is, where im gonna put all my equipment when i move back to civilization. its small enough where i cant bring in too many cars, but big enough to move cars out and have a ton of work space. Its super quiet, no one around really. In wall heaters and a/c units upstairs keep things cozy. i put up a shower in the bathroom downstairs. it's worked out great so far...
My buddy "Saint Vic" is always looking out for me. What would I do without him. The Super Model is the CGFE (coolest girlfiend ever) and I know she would be cool with hanging out at the warehouse. No worries on my Iron Lord space - I will give you plenty of notice. I hope my stay has helped you out. Glad to hear that I am not the only one with this idea. My fear is that I will fall prey to hoarding, over improving property I don't own, becoming too entrenched where moving becomes an issue, or having a concrete recycling plant move into the other 75,000 square feet. I guess the best bet is to stay nimble and eventually work into something that I can own.
I am currently renting a 12' x 30' mini warehouse/U-Store It space while I remodel my shop and add heat and air conditioning. $80 per month. Not bad. My building plans also include adding a 16' x 24' storage building for garden and lawn maintenance stuff.
My boss did the smart thing years ago - rented a unit in a small warehouse complex, found the owner (and found out the guy collecting rents was skimming off the top) and made a deal on the whole place. Gives a couple of his friends a good deal on rent, kept a couple long-term tenants including a mechanic, and keeps his cars in the rest of the units along with one unit for a workshop. We also had a genius Caddy mechanic named Ray Cash who could fix anything vintage (he was on Andy Granatelli's Bonneville Studebaker team in the '60s) but sadly we lost him to cancer a couple years ago.
Renting 1200 sq ft in Albuquerque for $500/mo. Not bad so far. I was lucky though, I am in a block with three other car guys in it. Gated too.
Lots of ifs: Dry Secure Heatable if needed Power available Water available Type of work owner and municipality will allow you to do there Long term cost of rent/lease vs building/buying something A few years ago I had a clean, secure, heated, occupied space I was considering renting out for car storage. That was a few years ago. I may have been wrong, but at the time it looked iffy whether I could get enough customers at the prices I needed to charge to make it work out. Today space is cheaper and I think it would have worked at today's prices. As others have said, shop around and see what's available and what it costs.
I rent a small work space for my "projects" also. It is just large enough for 3 cars and tools with enough space to work comfortably. It has a small office with a bathroom and air conditioning. The landlord occupies the rest of the building with a custom mill shop. They are great guys and offer me the use of just about whatever they have. The only draw back is the walls that separate us do not go all the way to the roof and I get dust from the mill work. I just blow it off with a leaf blower and consider it a minor nuisance that is far outweighed by the advantages. The shop is a mile from home. My son brought over a recliner and I have it in the shop for breaks. I agree with guys on here about accumulating to much stuff. I make an effort to avoid doing so, but it sneaks up on you!
I rent a small warehouse in a 'business park' in a small town. Been living inside the office area for over 3 years. Rent is cheap, bills aren't bad either. It's like having an oversized 3 car garage attached to a small efficiency apartment. It has its perks, but has it's downfalls as well. I can't really do any permanent modifications to the building. I got a cheap stand-up shower and a small water heater tapped into the sink plumbing. No stove/oven, so cooking is limited to microwave meals, BBQ pit, or electric burner. Luckily my place has Central heat and air, but recently had issues with the compressor, so I bought a new window unit since the landlords say they aren't responsible for the AC system. Noises from the other businesses are constant, but you get used to it, and it's nice to have people around 24/7 when I'm not around. Mine is at the end of the row of warehouses so I have a loading dock and two roll up doors, which really just means more parking for projects. As said before...you think you have a lot of stuff now...that's why you want more room. Before you know it, you'll have tripled your parts & projects inventory, and the extra space you rented will no longer be enough room to store all of your junk. I am not looking forward to the day I have to move out of here.
Looks like the biggest issue is the accumulation of stuff. I am not really moving to get more room, but to get everything closer together so I can work on it more often. As it stands now the shop is in South Carolina, and I am in Charlotte, and that 1.5 hour ride to work on my stuff is getting old. Hopefully I can sublet to some like minded guys that can store stuff and reduce my cost.
I'm surprised Del hasn't convinced you to move to concord yet. I say you just move to Huntersville and when we lose the shop I'll store stuff in your place
Used to live on a golf course w/ a HOA. No working on cars allowed. So I rented a 1700 sq ft shop to work on the cars. Cost me 1200 a month in a good area. Had it 10 years. Do the math. We moved & I added a 2 car garage onto my 3 car. Not as much room but waaaaay more convient.
Hopefully I can get enough help from my friends renting a spot to make the thing work. Plenty of room and someone always there to keep an eye on the treasures.
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