Im about to lease a 2000 sf shop/office next month. I would love to see how everyone keeps theirs organized and set up. Im super exited about it but still a little nervous. Ill post some pictures as well. Trying to get some ideas of how to set it up.
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Think very few have shops.
Need to have more than a handful of employees for it to be worth it.
Would like to see what you decide to do with yours though, exciting move for sure.
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He’s right unfortunately.
I will have my small shop soon but it’ll just be a 400sf garage lol
Congratulations though, I am so incredibly jealous!!
What’s your fleet like? How many employees?
Congrats. Stay as organized as possible it matters a lot!
Our shop is about 2,000 sq. ft. Too small for us but it works.
I’d love to see some detailed pictures of @Mulchtank shop! 
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congratulations as well, hey some is better than none. How many employees and vehicles for you?
Our shop. Offices and conference room are on mezzanine. Basically a bay for each truck and trailer, one receiving dock, a small welding/fab area, racking, a crew area with lockers and restroom, laundry area, chemical storage area, fire cabinets, decking rack, fuel storage, package receiving area, and a small general repair shop area. Sometimes we even clean it.
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This is inspiring for someone just starting off like me. How much do y’all net per crew if you mind me asking & window cleaning only?
the other questions would be. whats the population and med income for your market.
big commercial is probably where the big bucks are at i would think
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Thank you @Mulchtank @dgalkin Both of these areas give me a lot to think about as I start my shop plans. I would like to keep at much as i can up off the ground and on shelves and closets if possible. I tend to sort things in a “organized” way but not a very visually neat way. So thats a big goal with this one. Also I want to be able to still store a few of the truck inside if needed so not over filling it if possible. Ill keep things posted.
Not sure if this question was directed towards me @CSteez but right now a residential crew of 2 guys does about $800-$1,000 a day of work. Those are trained guys with almost a year of experience, less if newer guys. I make sure that new guys work with experienced guys so the crews are balanced. This way the trained guys help the newer guys.
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Makes sense, does each crew have a WFP?
Definitely spend the money on Plenty of racking. Get more than you think you need. Sometimes you can get good deals on Craigslist, from a warehouse shutting down. We tried a few things, but I recommend storing your extra ladders vertically if you have the heights. Put in some LED lighting now while it’s empty. We use an office printer in the locked offices, and Another Printer out in the shop. They’re both networked to our phones and laptops. It seems like a little thing, but it’s been very helpful to remotelt print any needed paperwork quickly for a departing crew.
Have a master key that will open your office and the shop, but you can give your crews shop door only keys. Btw, that office and storefront looks great, lotsa potential.
Do you have laundry hookups?
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Here is an update on the shop. I got a few shelves to keep everything off the floor. Still trying to get everything nice and organized. We are having one of the bathrooms remodeled into a room with a mop sink and washer/dryer. I’ll post some pictures of the offices after I get those finished as well. We got a few desks and a conference table in the other room.
Open to any suggestions that you guys might see. At this point I like having the open floor space to park a few trucks inside and work on things as needed.
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How many employees do you have?
At what point is it worth having a shop?
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So at this time there are 6 people in the company if you include me. I have 2 trucks out cleaning with 2 guys per truck. 1 guy that goes out and does in person estimates and answers phones and does the scheduling. He also is trained as a window cleaner so he cleans as well when needed and has a realistic understanding of whats involved when bidding. Then I do the softwashing and roof cleaning when we get requests as well as when we get backed up i am able to take on important jobs last minute when the schedule is full. I do very little cleaning anymore.
I think it is different for each person but for me it was necessary to get a shop. My rental house has parking for 2 cars and i have 3 work trucks and my wife’s car. It was just too crowded. Also i had to do a ton of extra work each night and weekend loading trucks and getting all the gear ready for the guys. Since I didn’t really want people going in and out of my garage when i wasn’t there it left me to do a lot. The whole idea for my business is to have something that operates for a week or 2 with out me even needing to be there. Thats what having a shop accomplished for me. The guys can just come in and grab all the things they need to get the jobs done. As long as i keep the supplies stocked they don’t really need much from me. We meet every Monday for a weekly safety meeting and then i’m usually just in and out for the rest of the week. They call me if they have questions or if they need help on a job but for the most part they just do their job and are good to go. I really wanted a company that doesn’t rely on me to be there to operate. Having a shop was vital to making that happen. I would never go back after seeing how much it has helped me and how much stress its taken away from my day to day schedule.
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FVery well said. For us, it allows us to buy sundrys in bulk (i.e, 55 gallon drums or pallets of common chemicals). Keeping vehicles out of the weather greatly extends their lifespan, especially pressure washing truck/trailer. We make money off our lifts, but that’s only possible with dry storage and a place to repair them. Although we had a large home based shop before, the man hours saved in efficient storage/loading/unloading is significant, as is having a heated shop; pull in, close the door, and leave. No more winterizing all the time, or worse, forgetting something that then froze. It’s much easier to know inventory levels at a glance. Provides a better environment for hiring, training, even vendor interaction (no more job interviews at the kitchen table).
It provides a firewall for life/work balance. I don’t work full time in the business and am often away, but the shop is “open” 24/7. This makes life much easier for our ops manager and crews.
It’s also an investment for us, as we formed a property holding company to purchase our building, and then we lease it back to our company, which provides tax advantages. It is also a dry run for commercial property investment, and can outlast our involvement in the WC business, should we ever sell. We choose a location where an additional building or two can be built on the property in the future, and we didn’t want to be located in any city or village with income tax or zoning.
I agree, should have done it long ago. That being said, I’ve seen services companies in more expensive property markets become slaves to their building, or have to move often. We’re fortunate to be located in an inexpensive area. I dont know if we could do it in pricier areas, or if we needed to serve/be close to a large residential market.
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Great info, I never really thought about purchasing a building and leasing back to company. I am going to check into that.
