Shop Size (how many m² needed to work comfortably)
 

Hi, I would like to ask the experienced mechmate builders how much room you consider OK for a full sized shop using a mechmate (3500x2500mm worktable)

I know the obvious answer, my question aims at the whole shop area, that includes:
-machine
-storage for blank sheets
-storage for work done

peripherals such as:
-vacuums
-PCs
-pumps
-Dust collector

-Loading/Unloading area
-Administrative/Design offices/Showroom

etc. In brief, how many sq m² you think make a full fledged shop a comfortable one?

If you want to include more items/areas I forgot, please feel free to comment

Im moving my office to a bigger place, do you guys think 200m² (8.5x23mts) is enough?


Thanks a lot in advance!


Pablo

I just built a new shop in the last year, and my shop size is 36 x 62 feet. In that space I have a single 120" x 60" CNC. On one end I have two material racks, and on the other I have two waste bins and and off loading table.

The rest of the shop includes space for traditional cabinet shop tools- table saw, jointer, planer, etc. In front of that is a bedroom sized spray booth and a staging area in front of that that serves as a receiving area for raw materials and a final production stage for packing/shipping.

Outside, I built a set of covered racks on the side of my building that hold more raw materials and house my compressor and two dust collectors.

This layout has worked really well. To develop this, I laid out a shop in Corel Draw, and created scaled machine sizes, and then a sheet of 4x8 ply. When I was able to move that '4x8' rectangle around easily, I know I had the layout right.

Finally, about the lifespan of shop buildings. Capitalizing a shop buliding, and the costs that go along with moving, is something you need to do as SELDOM as possible. Plan five years of space, including adequate room for growth. The cost to move again because you didn't build in enough storage or can't fit new equipment is VERY expensive. It always happens when your business is growing rapidly, which is a time when expansion costs more because of the interruption of your business.

Whew. I think I have said enough. Good luck with your project! I love my new shop. Great investment, one that will pay me for years and go UP in value over time.

Wayne from White Salmon

Hi Wayne, thanks for the input, let me explain you my situation. I own my office in downtown Buenos Aires, and for the value I sell it I can buy a house/workshop in the neighbors near my home. So its kinda a swap, money received at one end, money spent at the other.

Regarding laying out the shop, I purchased many years ago a software called 3D home architect that is great for this purpose, you do a 2D layout and then automagically its transformed to 3D. Your input will help laying out stuff for sure.

By chance, do you still have this coreldraw file? I have corel10 and maybe I can learn a couple of things about it. Thanks!

cheers from Buenos Aires!