"hey grumpy I figure I can afford to spend $80-$90 K on a shop I want to build, whats the first step, where do I get plans etc.
whos going to supply guidance, plans do inspections, how do I find out local requirements and restrictions, what do I need??"
I think youll find reading these links Ill post below,helps, sit down and list everything you need, start with having a current land survey,done its usually required, as will be a soil survey in most areas and a minimal height building pad, for drainage, be aware, youll need to met local codes, visit the local building and zoning office and find out about your areas building codes and your home developments limitations, on land use! and get written estimates on building pad costs, purchasing and getting actual architectural plans approved and city build permits, get financing, if required and if you plan on having a bathroom in the shop look into whats required don,t guess or estimate,youll need to plan every step, and know when and where all building inspections and requirements are met.
and yes the longer you wait the more it will cost.
expect things to cost more than you think they will, and take longer to complete, try to deal with licensed contractors and don,t pay in advance, people should get no more than 20% up front and the rest when work passes inspections by the local building inspectors.
IT helps to hire a construction supervisor IF you can find one you can trust, but be aware theres a bunch of rip off artists and guys who do very sub-standard work or fail to even show up if paid in advance.
get at least 4 written estimates on the work you want done and be very specific about ALL details on material, time frames costs and who will do what,you won,t like surprises and don,t assume anyone will do a damn thing unless they are paid to do it.
ID also point out that a shops likely to cost a minimum, of $50 a square foot of floor space by the time your done and permits inspections and electric connections, outlets, ceiling fans lighting, shop doors, a decent auto lift ,compressor etc. etc. add up fast.
its been my experience that almost any contractor or sub-contractor you hire will do as crappy and as cheap of work as they can get away with and if you don,t watch everything carefully bill you for stuff thats never used or bill you for materials youll never see, substituting lesser quality materials, etc. ITS been my experience that youll want to sub contract each step and supervise each step and that will require YOU understanding what and how every things designed to be done, so youll need to get specific,
if for example
you don,t specify a minimum of 10 ga copper wire and 12 dual 20 amp rated outlets, and where each ones placed, or the type and placement of ceiling fans and lighting and the fuse box, with a 200 amp 230 volt feed breaker panel, your very unlikely to get anything close to what you expect.
youll also need to specify roof truss design or youll get the minimum code allows, or if you don,t specifically mandate 8" of 4000psi concrete in the floor your going to get a good deal thinner concrete pad that might not work with a lift! I saved and planed for 35 years before both having a place to build and the time and cash to build, and I still found I only had the basics down, as an example I didn,t ask and understand that if I had built my shop foundation pad height just 18" taller than the 60" height I did build it It would have saved $8K on the type of septic tank and drain feild I was required by code to use in the shops bathroom, the extra pad height would have been less than 1/2 the cost, so it pays to ask inspectors, architects and contractors, lots of questions , like how can I save money?
how would you go about building this?
can you think of anything Im overlooking?
is there a way to do this better?
youll need to be very specific about what you want, GET LOTS OF REFERENCES FROM PREVIOUS LOCAL CUSTOMERS, VISIT and INSPECT PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED PROJECTS, TAKE NO CONTRACTORS WORD ON ANYTHING WITHOUT PROOF, what it costs, labor costs ,labor time frames,when its to be completed, whos doing the inspections, component quality,being used, whos paying, whos doing inspections and county permits get receipts for all labor and materials , and understand that if you pay a contractor and he fails to pay his material or labor, its YOU WHO GET STUCK PAYING FOR IT TWICE,and watch every step of every process
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=98
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5035
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=5
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5007
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=24
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4865
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=297
http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=7458