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Shop Size

mybombshells

mybombshells

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I recently relocated and it looks like I’m going to build vs buy in my new location. That said, what size shop would you build if you going to build? First thought is 40x60, but what’s the groups collective recommendation? I’m building an RV-8 and I’m sure a car or 4 wheeler will need some floor space too.

What are some thing you wish you had built into your shop?
 
Also check the property tax rate in your area, and if you're taking on a ground lease, that, too.

Dave
 
I built my RV-6 in a single car garage, so 40 x 60 is excessive. That said I now have a good-sized hangar... 22 x 17. Meters. :) (72' x 56" for you lot)

And it's sometimes only just big enough... but that's because we have 5 completed aircraft based there. I can fit 8 RV's at a push.
 
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JeffPeters said:
I could only dream. I’m building a -10 in 14x24 shed.
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Technically, we are building in a 2 car garage. Realistically we have about 8' x 8'. Everytime we have to work on something large (more, and more frequent), we have to move things. Ugh.

Best of luck!
Mike
 
planenutz said:
I built my RV-6 in a single car garage, so 40 x 60 is excessive. That said I now have a good-sized hangar... 22 x 17. Meters. :) (72' x 56" for you lot)

And it's sometimes only just big enough... but that's because we have 5 completed aircraft based there. I can fit RV's at a push.
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I stand corrected. There one vote for "excessive".

I would NEVER say the shop or hangar is too big!
 
We built 2 -6s simultaneously in a 2-car garage. This was back when the kit was basically a "materials kit" compared to today. We had to build fuselage jigs, etc. Believe me, it took a lot of ingenuity and forethought. We had completed parts stored in various bedrooms throughout the house.
 
Mel said:
We built 2 -6s simultaneously in a 2-car garage. This was back when the kit was basically a "materials kit" compared to today. We had to build fuselage jigs, etc. Believe me, it took a lot of ingenuity and forethought. We had completed parts stored in various bedrooms throughout the house.
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Now that has "dog house" written all over it! 🤣
Sorry. Just my sense of humor. I actually had a twin in the loft of my barn. Thankfully, never needed it.
Oops. TMI. Sorry again.
 
Our 50’x60’ hangar holds four or five aircraft (depending on the aircraft and configuration). Honestly, that is way bigger than necessary to build an RV. Our attached shop is 30’x50’, holds a finished (or being finished) RV in one end and fabricaiton benches in another. Its more than adequate! (Currently it has Louise’s RV-15 project and the F1 that is being finished up.
 
I built a 28x24 shop at my old house. It was just big enough to put the wings on (no tips) for rigging and other build tasks, but you had to crawl under to get to the other side.

I miss my shop, but there's nowhere to put one at reasonable cost on our lit now, and the garage is so much bigger there's no real need. My son asked if I was going to build a new one; I just laughed because he wasn't around to see the first one get built and has no idea how much work was involved.
 
Why build vs buy? Building is fun but frustrating. A lot of my motivation to build changed with LSRM/LSRI availability.
 
I built a 40 x 60 shop (it's a shop because it's not on an airport). It's just about right. I have significant respect for those who are building (or built) in smaller spaces. One thing to consider is what will you use the building for when the project is complete? Another project, cover for equipment & vehicles, hangar, man cave, etc.

I see you're in Andover, you're welcome to come and see mine. I'm a little ways from you, but not terribly far. Send me a PM and we could get together.
 
Hey Chris- I think 40x60 is gobs of room for building an RV and also being able to get a car in there.

When I was building the 7 we had a 3 car garage, but one of the bays was about 36' deep. I built the plane in that one tandem bay. When the wings were done I racked them vertically along the wall and still had room to build the fuselage next to them. The empty head space at the front of the bay had my shop tables, band saw, tool boxes etc. The only thing I needed to expand into the additional bays for was when I initially installed the wings in the garage and that was only for a day.

When you build your wing and fuselage stands, it's tremendously helpful to put them on castering wheels from harbor freight so you can maneuver them around. You also need to take into account that you're going to need a spot to temporarily keep the engine until you uncrate it, the kit shipping crates until you get them unpacked, etc.

Also, knowing that you just moved to Minnesota, I wouldn't build it any bigger than I could afford to heat. It would be a big motivation killer for me if I couldn't get my shop above freezing in the winter...
 
I’m building in a corner T hangar and have adequate room. But only because it’s a corner unit. Anything much bigger than that will have you doing a lot of walking around to access your stuff. As you can see from the pic, the back left corner is where my storage is.
 

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wirejock said:
Now that has "dog house" written all over it! 🤣
Sorry. Just my sense of humor. I actually had a twin in the loft of my barn. Thankfully, never needed it.
Oops. TMI. Sorry again.
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I forgot to mention, I also built a 24' X 24' carport, closed on 2 sides, just outside the garage.
AND my wife (48 yrs) is a builder also. We've been through 9 builds together.
OTOH, was the "twin" an aircraft or a sibling?
 
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mybombshells said:
I recently relocated and it looks like I’m going to build vs buy in my new location. That said, what size shop would you build if you going to build? First thought is 40x60, but what’s the groups collective recommendation? I’m building an RV-8 and I’m sure a car or 4 wheeler will need some floor space too.

What are some thing you wish you had built into your shop?
Click to expand...
I'm in the middle of a hangar build now. I'm putting in air lines in the walls and lots of light. I'm shooting for about 125 candle foot at the bench top level. Size matters and by that I mean bigger is better.
 
clarenceoveur said:
I'm in the middle of a hangar build now. I'm putting in air lines in the walls and lots of light. I'm shooting for about 125 candle foot at the bench top level. Size matters and by that I mean bigger is better.
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I design hangars for 50 foot candles. I have lit dozens. More than adequate for most tasks. I supplement where needed with task lighting for fine work like wiring harnesses etc…
Uniformity and glare control are more important than raw foot candles.
My 60 x 60 has (9) LED low bays (16k lumens each), and achieves the 50 fc mark with a 3:1 uniformity (no shadows, no glare).
 
Mel said:
I forgot to mention, I also built a 24' X 24' carport, closed on 2 sides, just outside the garage.
AND my wife is a builder also. We've been through 9 builds together.
OTOH, was the "twin" an aircraft or a sibling?
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Congratulations. That's awesome. We will have 41 years in a few days. Sweetie isn't into building. She's a Seamstress and Potter. Her wheel is in the shop so we do work on projects together.
Twin was a twin bed. 😁
 
Bigger is nice, but I'm going to give you one other thing to think about...are you going to install HVAC? If you are, the cost goes up dramatically for a bigger space. Now, if you can swing having a big shop that also has HVAC, you will have the best of both worlds.

I installed a window air conditioning/heat unit in the shop I built in my back yard, and was glad I did. For reference, the shop was about 20'x25' with insulation and sheet rock. It worked just fine, but I had to get creative moving things around at times. Having a comfortable space to work that's always at the right temperature is conducive to going out there and getting an hour or two of work done even when you only have a little bit of time. And that helps keep the momentum going. Here in southeast Texas, the heat is a bigger concern, but in Kansas, I'm guessing the winters are the bigger issue. So think about how you're going to keep your fingers from sticking to tools on those cold days. You may be young and tolerant, but you can be the judge of what you can tolerate.

And yes, absolutely install lots of lighting. Maybe even more than you think you'll need. A fellow pilot/builder who was also an electrician advised me to install tons of lights--and he was right. Think about where your workbenches are going to be; especially things like drill presses. It's inconvenient to move around light stands every time you work on something. I've worked in shops with minimal lighting, and it's not as nice as having a well-lit shop.
 
“Good Lighting” trumps “Lots of Lights”
Our eyes are amazing. You can function in 1/2 FC and navigate a parking lot at night or head out on a bright sunny day with 10,000 FC.
More lights doesn’t mean anything other than more expense, more wiring, more energy, and more opportunity to introduce glare which your eyes adjust to by shutting out that extra light causing fatigue and you may not even be aware.
Most electricians have no clue what good lighting is. Some do, but few. Most folks that think they have good lighting came from a shop that had terrible lighting.
Educate yourself and do it right. Your budget will thank you. Your eyes will thank you.
I’ll get off that soap box now, but I have lit dozens of hangars, was a sustaining member of the Illuminating Engineers Society, and spent my career in lighting. Don’t just throw more lights at it!
Your local electrical distributor or electrical contractor can put you in touch with a rep who will do a layout for you for free.
 
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