Am I crazy?
I have a problem I would like to solve. The problem is shop space. I own a 1953 865 SF ranch home in SE michigan. I am in a City.
I have a carport/garage that is currently serving as my shop. I have an OD grinder, Surface grinder, CNC BP, CNC lathe and a 4000lb 7ftx5ft welding/layoht table.
Additionally, I have several smaller shop tools like a drill press and a cold saw. Lots of tooling also.
My carport/garage is only a one car size, the slab is in shit shape and is of dubious construction.
I cannot afford the 10-20K to build a real garage. actually, I would like to have no garage at all. my lot size is TINY, .07Acres the more green space i can have the better.
I think I may have had a flash of genius!
Screw my garage. why dont I tear it off the side of the house and yank the busted up slab. Tear out my shitty ashphalt drive and go with gravel.
I dont currently use my basement for anything. I do laundry there and my furnace and water heater are down there, but really, its 865 SF of potential shop space. the height is workable, and it would double to triple my shop space.
why not just put in a pit, 9x7 or 10x8 that sits more or less where the attached garage currently sits? it can have a large set of doors, like a basement bulkhead entry. it can have stairs OR just a set of rebar rungs. it would only be for occasional movement in or out of large items (machine tools and motorcycles) I can fab a decent sized gantry that has one or two chainfalls.
I might be crazy, but here are the big points-
1. no shitty carport/garage.
2. more green space for my TINY lot.
3. 865 SF of climate controlled, already built, secure shop space- my basement!
4. low/er cost.
I can do the demo myself. have the old garage hauled away for under 500.00 probably have the slab and the ashphalt drive hauled away for another 1000.00
I can dig the new hole, have the basement wall cut 1000.00-1500.00? and have the form made and poured for 3000.00?
Then I just build the cap/doors for another 300.00
total cost? 6,300.00
What am I missing?
is this idea as good as I think it might be?
I have a problem I would like to solve. The problem is shop space. I own a 1953 865 SF ranch home in SE michigan. I am in a City.
I have a carport/garage that is currently serving as my shop. I have an OD grinder, Surface grinder, CNC BP, CNC lathe and a 4000lb 7ftx5ft welding/layoht table.
Additionally, I have several smaller shop tools like a drill press and a cold saw. Lots of tooling also.
My carport/garage is only a one car size, the slab is in shit shape and is of dubious construction.
I cannot afford the 10-20K to build a real garage. actually, I would like to have no garage at all. my lot size is TINY, .07Acres the more green space i can have the better.
I think I may have had a flash of genius!
Screw my garage. why dont I tear it off the side of the house and yank the busted up slab. Tear out my shitty ashphalt drive and go with gravel.
I dont currently use my basement for anything. I do laundry there and my furnace and water heater are down there, but really, its 865 SF of potential shop space. the height is workable, and it would double to triple my shop space.
why not just put in a pit, 9x7 or 10x8 that sits more or less where the attached garage currently sits? it can have a large set of doors, like a basement bulkhead entry. it can have stairs OR just a set of rebar rungs. it would only be for occasional movement in or out of large items (machine tools and motorcycles) I can fab a decent sized gantry that has one or two chainfalls.
I might be crazy, but here are the big points-
1. no shitty carport/garage.
2. more green space for my TINY lot.
3. 865 SF of climate controlled, already built, secure shop space- my basement!
4. low/er cost.
I can do the demo myself. have the old garage hauled away for under 500.00 probably have the slab and the ashphalt drive hauled away for another 1000.00
I can dig the new hole, have the basement wall cut 1000.00-1500.00? and have the form made and poured for 3000.00?
Then I just build the cap/doors for another 300.00
total cost? 6,300.00
What am I missing?
is this idea as good as I think it might be?