Shops, Shops and more shops - Lateral-g Forums

sevillaz28 · #1 08-09-2012, 09:26 PM

So, I'm wondering what is going on with prices in the Bay Area. I just finished a garage addition for a guy that is tired of paying people in my area for work on his car. I turned a 450sqft garage into a 1500sqft shop at his home, Now I'm working on another garage addition going from 380sqft to 1085sqft and I have two more coming up and a 40k sqft shop to build soon.

Are the prices for auto repair and alterations so dam high out here people are wanting to spend the money and set them selfs up for their own repair work?

I have been so busy with shop building that i dont have time to finish my new toy or even hit the track in the black rat.

How is it for you guys in the central and East states? What good car builders really exist and where are they?

LSX67 · #2 08-09-2012, 11:10 PM

I live in North Louisiana and I have more cars than I can handle right now. I am a small shop (just 2 of us, very hard to find quality people) but we have 4 full builds along with 1 to 2 day upgrade jobs. I guess I charge a fair price because a lot are return customers.

fesler · #3 08-10-2012, 11:23 AM

We get calls daily from people that are tired of being taken advantage of. For every 1 good shop there are probably 20 that aren’t worth going to. We get so many fix jobs that were just done half ass to get the money and didn’t realize they were in it over their head. If people going to the shops would do their research you would hear less about this stuff it really is frustrating in our world. I feel for these guys and that’s why we say do it right the first time, do your research and know your builder. If you get to know them and look at their work you will know you are in the right place if you just go to a shop and drop off a car be prepared to get screwed. Shops that screw people should be shut down because they give us all a bad name.

On another note I am looking at doing a similar shop size at my house for overflow from work. If you don’t mind what is the going rate for something in that size so I have something to gauge from. Do you have any pics of what you have done. I am really looking at building a 40X60 but not sure the price range on that.

Thanks

EBMC · #4 08-10-2012, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fesler

We get calls daily from people that are tired of being taken advantage of. For every 1 good shop there are probably 20 that aren’t worth going to. We get so many fix jobs that were just done half ass to get the money and didn’t realize they were in it over their head. If people going to the shops would do their research you would hear less about this stuff it really is frustrating in our world. I feel for these guys and that’s why we say do it right the first time, do your research and know your builder. If you get to know them and look at their work you will know you are in the right place if you just go to a shop and drop off a car be prepared to get screwed. Shops that screw people should be shut down because they give us all a bad name.

I looked around our shop after reading this and realized out of 12 cars, 4 were yanked from other shops. They got the "easy" money. Our Tenacity Camaro being the most extreme example! Those cheap, too good to be true, quotes rarely end well.

**Revved** · #5 08-10-2012, 03:44 PM

I think the forementioned reasons are a major contributor... 80% of the cars I've got in the shop have been in at least 2 other shops prior. Clients are tired of getting raped by guys with big shiny shops and no talent so they would rather trust their money with someone operating a respectable business from a smaller facility... even if it is in their backyard.

Gitomer made the statement that "All things being equal people want to do business with someone they know... and all things being unequal people still want to do business with someone they know."

Another major contributor is the fact that I think a lot of smaller builders are going underground. With the cost of doing business nowadays I think a lot of guys are building shops on their on property where their money stays home instead of renting a shop and paying someone elses mortgage. With as thin as the margins can be in this business sometimes it takes off the pressure of having a high overhead facility, and the cost of employees. Alot of guys don't have the $$ or business sense to open a large shop with employees / work to feed the animal it becomes to keep the lights on and doors open so this is a safe way to live the life.

**GregWeld** · #6 08-11-2012, 10:06 AM

There's several factors going on IMHO...

People earning $35 or $40 an hour can't afford to pay people $80 and $95 and hour.... It takes 2000 hours or more to build a nice car... and I don't care if you're building a simple 32 Ford -- it's a 100 grand in parts....

Lots of people were using their houses as ATMs to build this stuff - when that got shut down - so did the builds...

As far as decent shops go... there are just too many horror stories in both directions. There's the guys that take their car to a body shop or so called "builder"... drop the car off... 2000 miles from their house... and then find out 3 years later the car hasn't been touched / or it's done hackeymotto.... OR the other scenario is - you go to a good shop - and have no friggin' idea what this stuff REALLY costs to do... that's when it's the OWNERS fault not the shops. People let their ego out spend their wallet then blame the shop.

I remember walking into a shop (nameless) in Huntington Beach when I was doing the Nomad... and after a big discussion -- and a shop tour -- I turned to the guy and said... "do any of these cars ever leave here?" The reason I asked is that there were 10+ cars sitting around that had 1/4" of bondo dust on them... parts strewn all over the place... and you could tell that they hadn't been touched in a very long time... He starts pointing to various cars - with a story about each one... "that guy hasn't paid for 6 months"... "that guy can only afford $2500 a month so we wait til we get 10 grand and do some work".... "that guy got cancer"... "that guy got a divorce"....

The big shops with the biggest names --- you see the cars built at some show -- and the rumors start flying.... "I heard that cost 1.2 million to build"... etc. So with that kind of "reputation" what NORMAL guy that could maybe afford a 250K car is going to even bother to call them!

**GregWeld** · #7 08-11-2012, 10:24 AM

I forgot to finish my "thoughts" before going to get another cup of coffee...

For the guy with enough "skills" and experience to do it himself.... having a nice space to work in at home is paramount. It adds some value to the house (to the right buyer)... and certainly adds value to the guy living there and building it!

Personally - I actually moved to my current house - just so I could have room to build a shop (30 X 50). And I still have things done professionally. The '32 was built at Steve's Auto Restoration (a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE)... and then taken to BRIZIO to get it sorted out (a FABULOUS EXPERIENCE)... In the meantime my shop has allowed me to help my Sister and Brother in Law completely rebuild their '69 Camaro... work that they could NEVER afford to pay someone to do. If they could build a shop/garage on their property it would be the very first priority for them.

sevillaz28 · #8 08-11-2012, 10:55 PM

I hear you guys. People have been ripped off and let down by many of the shops in the bay area and are getting tired of it. There are so "few" good shops around that can produce nice to excelent work in a timely manner.

I have built many cars for myself and other people as a hobby for the past 25 years and I have never heard so many complaints. Shops saying they can do a job and then hacking up a car or not knowing what they are doing so it takes forever to do a simple swap of some kind or the worst of it, taking a deposite on a project and never doing the work.

EBMC, your not to far from me and I know of a couple of people that have brought their cars to you and have been very happy.

Fesler, I think you are right on with the ratio of good "vs" bad. I think out here it might be even higher due to the ammount of shops that exist. As for the cost of building a 40x60 shop, There are a bunch of variables that can and will change the price of a building that size. I would guess in your area if you build a standard slab on grade pad and foundation, 2x4 walls 13 feet high, clear span truss roof frame, stucco and comp roof your in the 45k range and thats if its a free standing building. Sorry I don't have very many pics. I'm not much of a picture taker but i can get some for you next week if you like?

Mr Weld, Hope that second cup of coffee did some good. The ATM comment is unfortunately true. It not only helped the auto industry but also the consturction side as well and when the ATM broke, so did the rest of it. Roy Brizio is a top notch builder and has been from day one. Like you had said, your helping build a car that most likely could not be built because this sh!t's expensive to have quality work done. There are so few people that can afford a 250k car to be built and most people with that kind of money are investing, not spending.

I have a little spot I work on my cars at and I'm getting people in my area asking me to do work on their cars for them but its a hobby for me and I'm almost considering making it a career move just because I'm getting a little tired of construction. After 25 years of doing the same thing " Mind you I'm hands on all day and don't use many subs" It might be a nice change from the 14hr days to maybe a 9hr dy.

SLO_Z28 · #9 08-11-2012, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevillaz28

. I would guess in your area if you build a standard slab on grade pad and foundation, 2x4 walls 13 feet high, clear span truss roof frame, stucco and comp roof your in the 45k range and thats if its a free standing building. Sorry I don't have very many pics.

I was just talking about building a shop today, is that price with the foundation already laid, or including the foundation? I was talking to my friend(hes a framer in the 9109), and he thought we could get it done for around $22,000. We were looking at a 24x40 with 10 foot walls. This is for a friend of mine, we built his house pretty inexpensively and this seems like the next logical step.

**John510** · #10 08-12-2012, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregWeld

The reason I asked is that there were 10+ cars sitting around that had 1/4" of bondo dust on them... parts strewn all over the place... and you could tell that they hadn't been touched in a very long time... He starts pointing to various cars - with a story about each one... "that guy hasn't paid for 6 months"... "that guy can only afford $2500 a month so we wait til we get 10 grand and do some work".... "that guy got cancer"... "that guy got a divorce"....
!

This is so true! I have experienced this with my shop. Each car that is there forever has a story.