Do you get enough work to justify it, and do you think you can raise your prices to accomodate the cost without losing all your business? If your shop is $2000 a month, you need to do that that much work just to break even.... Let alone materials cost. You'll need to bump your prices WAY up. I suggest raising your prices first, then see if your work takes a hit.

 

Yes, absolutely. And I actually plan on raising my prices. I'm fairly green, but learning/improving all the time and am ready to ramp things up. I've been getting jobs a very high percentage of the time, and calls keep coming in, which also tells me that I may not be charging enough. Granted, it is certainly busy season where I'm at I know.

I'm not in a rush to do this, but gathering information. And also, as I mentioned the possibility of sharing a shop would greatly reduce the price, though there are certainly may be drawbacks as well.

 

I rent an 800 sq.ft garage. Costs me $700 /month. Perfect for my small business of 3 people. I dedicate 1/3 of it to a spray booth. I do need better ventilation though. Only have a small bathroom fan at the moment. Only using latex products mostly though..
I wouldn't want to share my space with anyone though. Too much on the go at any given time..could get complicated.
I've also thought about maybe buying warehouse space and renting it out and keeping a portion for myself..

 

Legal spray booths are very expensive. I would say north of $30k. You will need to install a make up air unit as you will be pumping the heated air straight outside. You need to make sure you have lots of spray work to get a roi. Raising your prices on painting work not in your spray booth is not considered roi for the spray booth.

A shop is very nice to have. However it also raises your overhead. My shop costs roughly $2500 per month after all the bills. It will cost more then just the rent. You will need insurance, utilities including internet, property taxes, garbage and snow removal, building maintenance, etc. The costs never seem to stop. You really need to make sure your financial secure enough to pay those bills even when there is no work.

Partnering up with someone would be a huge mistake imo. You run the risk of chasing people for rent, tools going missing and/or fighting over floor space.

 

You might be better off using your garage for a spray booth and renting a close by storage shed for your ladders and stuff. Then, see you often you actually use your spray booth. I do cabinets twice a year. Not worth it for me, thats for sure.

 

This is what I do. I have a small sheet metal built spray booth that vents out a window. WB coatings only. Works well and we don’t do a regular spray business but it’s helpful when cabinet jobs come along.

 

If you get cleared to spray lacquers which is sketchy. I would figure that doors and cabinets would be the bread & butter. No pick up or delivery put that on the client. Just spray and wrap up for pick up. Need lots of space for prep, dry & storage in an industrial area zoned for that. Might be a goldmine or magic beans. Good luck.

 

There are housing complexes here that have large 30x60 garages attached to the house that are advertised towards professionals that need a shop space. Less overhead because the utilities and rent are just a minimal addition to the rent.

 

I desperately had to do something last year. I was painting cabinets in a screened room tent, then putting them in my shed to dry. Rent for anything in my town was ridiculous. I decided to look in the next small town over (about 30 minutes) I found a 24x48 shop/garage on 1.75 acres for a fraction of what rent would be. Still haven't set up a good booth yet just plastic and a fan for now.

My other option would have been another shed in the backyard.

 

Thanks for the feedback

Thanks for all the perspectives and feedback everybody! This has really helped me get a feel for what to look for, expect and what is possible. Oddly enough, I recently had a chance encounter with a neighbor of a house I was painting at that wanted to connect me with someone who has a spray booth who is looking for a collaborator, without knowing that was on my mind as well. Putting my intention out in there may be paying dividends already:biggrin: