Shop renovate or waste of time? (1 Viewer)

[FJBen]

So when we moved I begrudgingly Had to give up my nice 40x80 shop.

Now I have 3 potential options and a really tight budget. I can’t complain as I’m not working out in the open on a dirt field, but I would definitely like some improvements. The other possibility is that this isn’t our forever home. I doubt we will be here much longer than 4-5 years as my son is starting his freshman year of high school and we aren’t sure we will stay if he and the rest of the kids move away.


Building A:

I currently use this. Inside height is 9’ and slopes to 5’, Hence the problem. Other than that not bad. Concrete floor (ok shape)

My thought is basically taking either the roof of the center section or from just to right of the doors and pushing it up to like 8’ inside height. It’s 2x4 so not hard, but it is a bit of work for an old shop.

1/2 way through is a support “beam”. It would be upgraded. Roof stringers are over layed on these stacked 2x4s. Like I said, it’s old lol.
It’s 20’ deep, the section with doors is 9’9” wide, but open inside so you could go wider

Option B.
This is only 6’ at front. Would take some work to raise it, concrete floor is chipped out pretty bad in spots. No electricity or door.
Will Probabaly keep this for our other vehicles to get out of weather.

Option C:

40x50 hay/storage shed. 10’ tall, (to the rafters.
This is the way right? However, no concrete floor, no electrical, open on one end. Concrete alone would be $15-$18k from estimates I have seen. Plus the electrical, plus the finishing the end and the doors. Is 10’ even enough to put a car lift in? I always assumed 12’ was needed. Either way the car lift may never happen…

 

[1911]

None of those options would appeal to me, if I were only staying 4-5 years.

If you did one of the three, the odds would be 50/50 or less that it would appeal to a buyer when the time comes. In my market anyway - YMMV.

Sorry to be a debbie downer!

 

[Malleus]

@FJBen, I'm always loathe to forgo additions/renovations due to "what is the next guy going to want"? I can't count how many times I've wished I'd gone ahead with a "temporary" mod, years later. Live for the day and make your life as easy as you can.

I'd personally vote for option "A". You can probably do it yourself, and a concrete floor and power makes life so much easier to live. As to the lift height conundrum, I've come to the same conclusion: I can't have one until I get 12' of overhead. But 11'-9" and a hole in a ceiling will work...remember you don't have to be able to walk under it, that's just the way commercial shops are built because they can be that way. So you don't need to be able to clear the roof rack, you just need to get it off the floor a couple of feet.

 

[bkfj40]

40x50 hayloft = 2000 sq feet X 5" thick concrete slab = 31 yards of concrete x $200 a yard = $6200 in concrete + rebar or fibermesh so $12-$15k is a good guess at cost. I can see you getting into close to that for new walls and roof on option A. You could build in front of option A a new garage and use the existing as a tool room, but you'll need concrete slab and new framing.

You could do the front 30' of the hay loft with concrete and then just gravel at the back for covered area, but no concrete. Spend the additional money on an overhead door or two and some basic electrical. Add a door at the rear to access the covered area.

If I was buying it 5 years down the road, it seems that the hay loft conversion would be the most universal as you can still store hay on concrete. Biggest overhead door you can fit.

 

[firestopper]

Option C. If done right, the next guy will pay for it and then some.

 

[greenbeast]

What’s likelihood next buyer will use for hay storage? Do you live on adequate acreage for folks to run cattle or horses.

4-5 years is good amount of time. With Colorados real estate market it couldn’t hurt your sale to have shop finished out especially with the winters. I would think that would be bigger selling point than to have hay storage but that’s just me.

When we bought our place south of Steamboat I was more interested in the shop than the house. If market softens (30 year mortage hit 20 year high today) maybe prices to do things will drop some even though they will still be crazy stupid up there in CO.