mlehikoinen Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 So, the time has come where my little 9x20 shop can no longer hold me, my tools and more than 1 furniture project and there is a backlog of about 3 projects. I know, not a bad problem to have! However, in trying to find a new location, I would love to go big, Big, BIG. Then reality sets in with the cost/sq ft and I'm down to 2 options. 1. go with a 650 sq ft location and be forced to have to deal with having to break out certain machines as needed in order to have some space dedicated to works in progress OR only have 1 job at a time; or 2. go with a 1200sq ft location, have some space to grow into, but be paying $400 more in rent/mth. But this would allow me to work on multiple projects and minimize downtime while glue or finish is curing I'm basing this more around the working footprints having no/minimal overlap as I would like to eventually hire an apprentice. What would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlehikoinen Posted July 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 forgot to mention, my bread/butter clients are furniture builds, refinishing projects and cabinetry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Turner Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I recently ran into this problem with my main job I own my own Sound/Lighting Company and I have run out of room to store equipment and be able to work efficiently.. I have gone for the route of renting a warehouse and turning the front section into a meeting area of sorts and using the back section using it for equipment. I went this route which is about 800 sq ft. but its better than being crammed in my living room with my desks and gear oh and kids... So after that explanation having a place where you can work on more than 1 project is a plus and if your worried about paying for the space you may have to charge a bit more to cover costs and just think of what your ROI can be... Bigger area means More Work Possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsiard Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 A back log of 3 projects is great but what about when those jobs are finished? Is there a constant flow of business, do you go through lulls or turn work away because you are back logged? Answer those questions and you've answered your own. If you're in 180 sq. ft. now moving into 650 sq. ft. would seem like a ballroom I would think finding a layout for you're equipment and projects would be doable. I would at least work my lease in one year increments so if I need more space I'm not saddled with a long term lease or outrageous penelties if I need to break it. If it were me I would go with the smaller space with a lease caveat, start small and work up. I've seen many guys sink themselves getting involved with to much space, to many people or leasing/purchasing equipment in the hopes of work finding them. I can deal with being smaller and paying my bills than the stress of being too big and struggling to get by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evenprimes Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I'd just like to agree with jsiard here. I'm assuming that woodworking is a large portion (maybe 100%?) of your income. In business, cash is king and keeping expenses low in the good times is essential for surviving the inevitable bad times. (This applies to all businesses, not just woodworking! ) The cost of putting casters on your larger equipment is made up for in a few months worth of rent. If the big worry is about glue ups and finishing, you could probably just construct a small finishing room in the 650 sq ft space to be able to glue/apply finish and then go back to working on other projects. Putting up a couple of walls and some ventilation would only be a couple of thousand $. A quick return when you think of saving $400/mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 In the end, the only person who can answer this question is you. In my opinion, however, unless you have the client requests and project process / income to justify not only paying for a shop but paying $400 more plus a shop, I'd go as small as my regular, average income can justify. I guess, what i'm trying to say, is go for the 650 shop. Once you feel the same situation you are in now in the new shop, then go for the even larger shop. Hopefully (and don't take this the wrong way), you won't feel cramped and crowded right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlehikoinen Posted March 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Gonna have to figure out what's happening with my notifications. I didn't get a notification in any of the above replies. So thank you for your responses. I ended up going with the 1200 shop and have been keeping busy enough to pay for my expenses plus a little extra. Slow over Christmas of course, but the quotation pipeline is starting to fill again. The space is working well for me. I need to add a wall to separate the back 1/3 or put in a spray booth. I'm leaning for the second option at this point. When in a production environment, I'm definitely appreciating the ability to leave tools stationary and not wheel them out as needed. I think I could have made do with the 650, but setting up and putting away the bigger tools would have irked me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Mike, when I first went into business, I opened my cabinet shop in a mini-warehouse. As I grew, I added bays to my facility and took out the movable petitions that the complex had in place. I ended up with four bays. I needed more room later and made the mistake of going to a much larger space with a much larger price. The recession of 1981 put me under. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJC5151 Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 I changed locations a year ago...went from 800 sq ft to a much bigger space...I have a 1200 sq ft main shop with 2 other rooms that were supposed to be locker room/bathrooms...I have a small office/kitchenette in one which is 400 sq ft and the other functions as the bathroom and also holds my dust collector, compressor, grinder sharpening station and bulk storage and jigs,fixtures and templets. there is a hallway between the two extra rooms that holds all my hardware and clamps on one wall and a panel clamp on the other wall...I was terrified about the move and the 500 bucks more a month...but it was the best move ive ever made....im able to get out jobs way faster which has dropped my production cost and led to me losing less bids...my advise is go as big as you can swing financially...it may take a few months to get your flow figured out but it is so nice not to have to completely transfom the shop for an individual task...I still have mobile tools but a lot more that are stationary...my ts was the only stationary tool in my old shop. now ive added an excaliber to my ts which is a huge help in cabinetry. my jointer and bandsaw drill press, 2 different assembly tables, a work bench, and a miter box...I also purchased a kraig forman and dropped it into my miter bench. all that stuff is stationary. I still move my router table, oscillating spindle sander, and planner around but they all have a dedicated storage area against the wall and when I pull them out I use them all in the same spot where there is a dedicated dust port for them...its helped a ton so my advise is the more room the better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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