I am getting ready to start building a new shop and I need some ideas on what I should build. I want to Bulld it to show my collection and look like a gas station I want to have some different ideas before I meet with my architect.

Thanks for the help
Chad

Build it big with a ton of signs, pumps and nice cars!

50x75 maybe more

Go to garagejournal.com and there are hundreds of shops, quite a few based on gas stations that will set your creative and financial wheels in motion

Chad, first determine how much of a budget you have . Then determine how much land you have . With those factors in hand then you can determine how extravagant of a shop you could realistically have . From there , determine if any Deed restrictions you may have on the property. Ask questions of you're self . Do you want to be having to worry about dirt , grease etc messing up you're collection ? If so, you certainly want a division wall to allow work from a relaxation area .

Not only do I build exhibits , but I also consult with builders myself . I once was in the interior building industry. Let me know how or if I can help . Ed Shaver

I have 60 acres and the area planned on putting the shop is about 300'x300' and can make it bigger. Restrictions? I have always found it easier to ask for forgivness then permission! I dont have any restrictions my place is in the city but zoned agri. I have looked around trying to find a photo or someone else's. The dirt and stuff wont be a big issue might have a car or truck in it but nothing major.
thanks chad

Consider future maintenance. I have a 40 x 60 Metal building ,
it's 35 years old and the paint on the roof is peeling,
starting to rust. I'm 69 , and not looking forward to scrape and paint.
If I would build from scratch , I'd choose a wood building.
Mine was here when I bought the house.
Climate control is a factor when you have a collection to protect.

It will be climate controlled and will have to match my house in some ways. The shop will be stick framed just like a house and have a shingle roof to match the house. I am looking for a example of one somebody has built just to get ideas of the front with a drive thru.
thanks chad

Google (and Google Images) is your friend if you ask the question correctly (or even 20 different ways). It has rarely let me down-except trying to find a picture of that one pesky, elusive Standard Oil Dealer sign.

Did you mean to type 30 x 30 or 300 x 300? Gas station would look more realistic on the smaller scale so if you're building to suite other needs, you may want to have the gas station look like a smaller attached section from the front...like you built the larger building onto an 'original' old station. Or have it as a separate unit if you had wanted it to look like an original country gas station store which some have done on this list.

Architect sounds expensive scares the heck out of me.

Figure out what era gas front you are shooting for. Do you collect a certain time frame you front should reflect that.

the area i have to build on is 300'x300' and the shops main area will be 50'x75' maybe longer.

make it as big as you can, you won't regret it..

I have a friend that took that approach and he was about $15K into the project when the city/county shut him down and then he had to tear($$$) it down. He then did it right and spent a total of $50K for a $30K shop.......Just saying.

wow I was just joking around i own a construction company and deal with permits everyday the permit to build is $100.00 and that is all. I wouldn't get an architect involve if i was trying to cut corners and the permiting is the builders responsibility.
thanks chad

Ok, LOL...good deal. I couldn't tell if you were kidding or not. Best of kuck with your shop...Texaco is always a good one to model....

My biggest regret when I built an additional garage was HEIGHT inside. Need plenty of it for visibles and big signs. Plan for the future, your likes and dislikes may change!
Ed.

Randy is right! My little shop is 30 by 40 with 10 foot side walls and a vaulted ceiling, and I constantly wish I had a cold storage area for boxes and packing and excess parts!
Also, when you're working in the same room as your display, its terribly hard to keep your display items clean! If I could rebuild this one, I'd have 3 separate areas. Display--working shop--cold storage! Make the display area look like a mini gas station front!
One last thing--I don't know your climate, but floor heat is a god send! Good Luck!!

AMEN!!!
I have 3 buildings a 40 X 90' for cars, trailers and big stuff, A 32 X 64 shop for projects (Cars, gas pumps,etc) sandblast cabinets, powder ovens, hoist, a 10'x 32' storage area and all walls are covered with signs. A 24 x 28 building covered in signs that I use as a clean room for assembly of projects and I bought a 53' semi trailer for storing cas pumps.
The more room the more stuff/projects you seem to find and keep!!!
Plus I have a "Pure station" 1 or 2 stall building in my near future.

I built a 40 x 30 with upstairs . All stick built came up with ground floor to 12 ft ceiling and its not high enough. and I have learned you need to have separate areas for work and display seems like all I do is clean up from working on projects and it clutters my display area.

If your ceeling starts to cave in during when it starts to getting warm outside make sure you use some new 2x4s to prop it up. Or make sure the bugs havent got into them. In fact I wish I would have tried to find some bigger props. If you have any holes on your roof make sure the water doesnt run down and fill up the plastic ceeling. If you poke holes in the ceeling every now and then it wont pull out the wood strips holding the ceeling up. Feel free to get ahold of me if there is anything else that comes up. Oh also if the water runs down the road into the shop you can just dig a ditch to the back and throw some wafer board down to walk on.

DITTO, Room to expand in later years.

Doug

We built are first shop for the company at 50x100 and 6. Months later we add another 50x50 on it and figured we would never fill it. Now we have a 50x150 and a 60x120 and we have been talking about building a new shop and office because we have out grown the original building. Last year we built a 150 x 100 for rent for motorhome storage and we kept 4 of the 24 bays for our personal stuff. Now we have one bay and I don't know how long we will have that one!

IN FLOOR HOT WATER HEAT.

I also think it would have been a good thing to skin the bark off the tree before I tamped it in the ground to make the main upright.

Ric, You DID remove ALL Birds Nests including the Spotted Owls & 6 Toed Tree Frogs before moving the tree, CORRECT?

now my brother, he taut me that just because you hear the dog whining and it sounds like it's a comming from the ceeling. That you shouldnt nessasarly tear out the ceeling. But if you do start to tear out the ceeling dont use the foot stool that has the dog trapped in it, to reach up to the ceeling to tear it apart looking for the dog. You see every time you move the foot stool it sounds like the dog is in another place in the ceeling. next thing you know you have no ceeling and the dog is getting hot stuck in the foot stool all after noon. them owls tast good with top romen.

well the shop is getting close to being done just need trim guy to set cabinets and plumber to hookup the sinks. Its about time to start hanging signs.

LMAO!!! You guys really kill me!!!!

BTW, your shop looks very nice!!!

Wow! Beautiful building and great attention to detail. Just curious as to what you used on the concrete floor?

Looks great, what size is it?

nice job on the building...

awesome place!

I agree with most everyone... 3 distinct areas needed. Storage, Work, & Display

I'm moving to a new house... I plan to have a 2-stall garage for everyday parking, detached 3-stall garage for working on stuff, and hopefully another 2-stall for display & storage - with a lean-to that can be used for dirty storage (rough pumps, etc)

The overall size is 100' x 50'. The horse side (girlfriends side) is about 35'x50' and My side is 65'x 50'. I had the floors acid stained and cleared on my side hoping to make it easier to clean the floors. Thanks guys

Those floors look great. My friend did the same. In the 50's diner part of the shop he cleared them and in the display area he didn't. He now wishes he hadn't cleared them for the wet look. The clear scuffs and scratches from dragging tables or moving jukeboxes with seized castors, etc.

Better move into the Wal Mart building as they move out & into a larger building!

Son, it looks awesome !! Now to fill it with signs and pumps and globes and then add on

That is really nice , the stained floors look amazing . Can't wait to see it loaded with signs and pumps . Nice job you did.

Looks really nice!