Shop Envy

[FL&WVMIKE]

Originally Posted by James Rogers

Working on a deal to maybe get this building for a new shop. I may have to purchase it but feel it is a good investment. Old Pure oil filling station. The building is structurally sound but needs electrical work.

JAMES ROGERS ...................
Looks like a lot of work, but it's a good start.
I wonder just what might have been left up in the loft. I know of a man, in West Virginia, who bought a building, like that, back in the 60s, and the loft was loaded with NOS fenders, of all makes.
MIKE

[montanafordman]

Ok I'll bite. First of all ^ James Rogers, that is very cool! You see potential in the old building that just speaks volumes about what we do, preserving some history and character. I'm sure it will be advertising just by itself when completed. Many people would see the simple solution to just buy the lot, knock the old building down and put a metal sided pole barn in its place (probably cheaper, easier but lacking any character) I'm much more excited about the potential of the old building and what it will look like when you have it fixed up and setup.

As for my own humble setup I just have a 1.75 car garage. I call it that because with the furnace, water heater, and door steps in the left stall you can only fit a very small, short car. My model A fits the bill but you can forget about a modern vehicle of any size bigger than a compact to midsize sedan. My honda civic I recently traded off fit within inches lengthwise. We now have a new Honda CRV that will hopefully reside on the right side and my pickup will stay outside. I can squeeze my F150 in the right side within inches lengthwise yet width is a serious issue with two vehicles inside. Its a tight squeeze!

I spent the last year tearing apart my Model A and doing brakes, suspension, rear end and transmission work etc and my wife was (fortunately) a pretty good sport about parking outside since the Model A took over the whole garage in the process. I also hung some plastic to repaint my rear end and transmission parts. I am envious of people with a lift of any sort, people with air tools, paint guns, paint booths etc. I guess you gotta start somewhere and its not like I'm laying in the dirt either so I do have much to be thankful for.

I really want to slap the builder for not making my garage 3 ft deeper and 3ft wider! I guess modern suburbia doesn't have a need for a garage as we used to know it. Most of my neighbors use theirs just to dump their tons of junk and cardboard boxes etc. Nobody parks inside or uses it for a useful workspace anymore.

[Roger V]

Originally Posted by James Rogers

Working on a deal to maybe get this building for a new shop. I may have to purchase it but feel it is a good investment. Old Pure oil filling station. The building is structurally sound but needs electrical work.

Looks like a neat nostalgic place. Around here, former service stations don't sell due to the liability of ground contamination. Supposedly, most have or could have had tanks leak requiring certified companies to excavate and remove soil to hazardous waste sites. Unbelievably costly.

[Dave Mc]

here is mine

[brum1]

My Model A work space

[Chris in WNC]

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Originally Posted by James Rogers

Working on a deal to maybe get this building for a new shop. I may have to purchase it but feel it is a good investment. Old Pure oil filling station. The building is structurally sound but needs electrical work.

looks pretty sweet, James. your current shop is not chopped liver, but I know you'd like to be able to park your own cars inside again for a change. PM the address to me so I can do a drive-by!

[lance leblanc]

Dave Mc...
Like the idea of large storage bins under the counter space.

Remember the days of nailing mayonaise jar lids to the underside of shelves, and storing misc. hardware in the jars. As a kid, I thought my Dad was the smartest Dad around when I understood why he was saving those old jars.

[Dave Mc]

Originally Posted by lance leblanc

Dave Mc...
Like the idea of large storage bins under the counter space.

Remember the days of nailing mayonaise jar lids to the underside of shelves, and storing misc. hardware in the jars. As a kid thought my Dad was the smartest Dad around when I understood why he was saving those old jars.

Funny thing , I stole the idea of the hidden storage from my Dad too. I am sure we all could have learned alot if we had paid more attention to those guys.

[George Miller]

here are a couple of pictures. Do not have one of all the inside.

[Steve Wastler]

Looking with my phone, I am getting a completely different photos when trying to enlarge George's pics, is that a stationary steam engine in the first picture?

[Purdy Swoft]

Here is an inside view of my shop. I'm mixing Feather fill primer in the background. I installed a 42 inch attic fan in the back wall for an exhaust fan. I built bifolding doors to cover the opening when the fan is not in use.

[29ModelA]

Originally Posted by lance leblanc

Dave Mc...
Like the idea of large storage bins under the counter space.

Remember the days of nailing mayonaise jar lids to the underside of shelves, and storing misc. hardware in the jars. As a kid, I thought my Dad was the smartest Dad around when I understood why he was saving those old jars.

Originally Posted by Dave Mc

Funny thing , I stole the idea of the hidden storage from my Dad too. I am sure we all could have learned alot if we had paid more attention to those guys.

First thing I did when we had my son last summer is steal the empty baby food jars and screw the lids to the rafters of my shed for little screw and nut storage.

[oldmanandakid]

Originally Posted by Steve Wastler

Looking with my phone, I am getting a completely different photos when trying to enlarge George's pics, is that a stationary steam engine in the first picture?

Steve it's time for one of those new and improved soup can phones because I am pretty sure that first picture is of an early John Deere prototype.

[john in illinois]

Here is my shop.I have spent a lot of good time here. It was first a small engine repair shop . Then I started restoring British Triumph motorcycles and Harleys. Now it is model A and T. There will be an A V8 traditional hot rod next. I keep busy since I retired from farming.

[Steve Wastler]

ok, I have two different sets of pictures for georges post #71. one set of pics as viewed using my phone, with the first picture is outside an easy up, with what appears to be a small stationary steam engine, but I can't enlarge the picture. On my PC i see a completely different set of pictures inside the shop. No outside picture, this is too weird....

[Steve Wastler]

Haha good on Vince, took me a minute!!

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by George Miller

here are a couple of pictures. Do not have one of all the inside.

No steam engines here.

[Chris in WNC]

Originally Posted by montanafordman

I really want to slap the builder for not making my garage 3 ft deeper and 3ft wider! I guess modern suburbia doesn't have a need for a garage as we used to know it. Most of my neighbors use theirs just to dump their tons of junk and cardboard boxes etc. Nobody parks inside or uses it for a useful workspace anymore.

it's the American way, it seems...... keep $1500 (or less) worth of jumbled crap and dumpster fodder in your garage and park your $30,000 motorcar outdoors.

builders are competing to put out the glitziest product thay can at the lowest cost. only us car guys and maybe motorcyclists and hobby woodworkers give the garage a second look when buying a home.

[Maclab58]

Keep this thread going!!!! This is great!

[PetesPonies]

Having outside workspace, no matter how nice your shop is, is very important to me as well. When weather permits, I do a lot of work outside. So a carport, awning or whatever giving some protection outside is a great thing. Plus, I like the way it looks as well.