Seven build space
Discussion
You know, this does puzzle me a bit.
Hardly any houses have a "big shed" or a "double garage" nearby but everyone says that such things are required for building a kit car.
Do all kit car owners live in 240K+ houses? That's what a double garage equipped house goes for near me, I've just checked the local estate agents websites.
I suspect that most kits are built in single garages and the owners just wish they had a bit more space but didn't actually need it.
Where do all the new kits get made? They all seem to be made in a "friends barn" or a handy "industrial unit". Have you got one of these handy plus exclusive use for.. um.. three years?
In the US space is a lot cheaper and properties tend to be correspondingly bigger which sort of explains the space required for LaBala and Meerkat.
But what about the UK? Is there some stash of barns, giant sheds and small industrial units out there!!!
Hardly any houses have a "big shed" or a "double garage" nearby but everyone says that such things are required for building a kit car.
Do all kit car owners live in 240K+ houses? That's what a double garage equipped house goes for near me, I've just checked the local estate agents websites.
I suspect that most kits are built in single garages and the owners just wish they had a bit more space but didn't actually need it.
Where do all the new kits get made? They all seem to be made in a "friends barn" or a handy "industrial unit". Have you got one of these handy plus exclusive use for.. um.. three years?
In the US space is a lot cheaper and properties tend to be correspondingly bigger which sort of explains the space required for LaBala and Meerkat.
But what about the UK? Is there some stash of barns, giant sheds and small industrial units out there!!!
If space is at a premium start your build by building a dolly on castors.
This will lift the car to a better working height (24"
and allow you to push it against the wall while you work on the other side. If your drive is flat you can push it out into the sunshine.
Most Ultima are built this way and the dollies get passed on to the next builder. The one I built has it's third Ultima on it now.
Steve
This will lift the car to a better working height (24"
and allow you to push it against the wall while you work on the other side. If your drive is flat you can push it out into the sunshine. Most Ultima are built this way and the dollies get passed on to the next builder. The one I built has it's third Ultima on it now.
Steve
Corpulent Tosser said:
Just nipped out and did a quick measure on my Striker 60" wide X 120" long very approx measurements - Westfield is slightly longer.
CT
CT
Thanks!
cymtriks said:
You know, this does puzzle me a bit.
Hardly any houses have a "big shed" or a "double garage" nearby but everyone says that such things are required for building a kit car.
Do all kit car owners live in 240K+ houses? That's what a double garage equipped house goes for near me, I've just checked the local estate agents websites.
Hardly any houses have a "big shed" or a "double garage" nearby but everyone says that such things are required for building a kit car.
Do all kit car owners live in 240K+ houses? That's what a double garage equipped house goes for near me, I've just checked the local estate agents websites.
Funnily enough that’s the price range we are looking in (actually that’s the max) but its slim pickings. Unfortunately due to my girlfriends work location changing where we are looking is not really practical
and her changing jobs is pointless because her entire industry is in the same place. From the houses we’ve looked at about 50% have a single garage (viewed 8 houses so far) and none bigger then that. steve_d said:
If space is at a premium start your build by building a dolly on castors.
This will lift the car to a better working height (24" and allow you to push it against the wall while you work on the other side. If your drive is flat you can push it out into the sunshine.
This will lift the car to a better working height (24"
and allow you to push it against the wall while you work on the other side. If your drive is flat you can push it out into the sunshine. Seems like the only way after reading a couple of build diaries from people with single garages.
Anyway the girlfriend is going to see aforementioned house so ill get her to take a tape measure
Edited by polus on Sunday 29th April 11:25
I'm looking for a new place at the moment, unfinished kit means I must have a garage space that I can work in and two road cars means pushing it out onto the drive isn't possible.
Everything I've viewed so far is about 8'x18' and that's just about manageable.
The one thing I'm not budging on is that there must be space above to store body panels, wheels, seats, aluminium etc. To avoid risk of damage as much as create space.
My engine fits underneath my (small) workbench and a 5-tier modular shelf holds the rest of my parts, these fit next to each other at the back end of the garage along with the tool cabinet and workshop jack. But there's not a lot of room to move, even then.
The only place I've seen with a double garage was a terraced mid-30s hovel with a crumbling prefab garage at the bottom of the garden. Complete with wooden barn doors and myriad holes, cracks, spiders and draughts. No ta.
Everything I've viewed so far is about 8'x18' and that's just about manageable.
The one thing I'm not budging on is that there must be space above to store body panels, wheels, seats, aluminium etc. To avoid risk of damage as much as create space.
My engine fits underneath my (small) workbench and a 5-tier modular shelf holds the rest of my parts, these fit next to each other at the back end of the garage along with the tool cabinet and workshop jack. But there's not a lot of room to move, even then.
The only place I've seen with a double garage was a terraced mid-30s hovel with a crumbling prefab garage at the bottom of the garden. Complete with wooden barn doors and myriad holes, cracks, spiders and draughts. No ta.
FNG said:
The only place I've seen with a double garage was a terraced mid-30s hovel with a crumbling prefab garage at the bottom of the garden. Complete with wooden barn doors and myriad holes, cracks, spiders and draughts. No ta.
Yes please!!!!
A big crumbling garage will add little to what YOU pay, you may even be able to haggle down because of it, but it will make the planning permission much much easier if you want to put your own even bigger modern garage in its place.
If the house is OK I'd consider a big rubbish shed as a plus for that reason, it probably works out cheaper than paying for a house with a decent one and the end result will be exactly to your spec.
DIY jobs make a huge difference to house prices, often much more than the cost of getting someone to do the jobs for you.
Scruffy decoration is the big win. Talk to any estate agent, paint cost little but an unfashionable colour on the walls can make a house much harder to sell.
Just listen to what prospective buyer say on "house doctor", "I don't like the carpet, I want 10K off... blah blah" or "the back room needs decorating, the house is only worth 15K less...". Seriously. Listen to what they say and think how much it would cost to put right.
cymtriks said:
FNG said:
The only place I've seen with a double garage was a terraced mid-30s hovel with a crumbling prefab garage at the bottom of the garden. Complete with wooden barn doors and myriad holes, cracks, spiders and draughts. No ta.
Yes please!!!!
A big crumbling garage will add little to what YOU pay, you may even be able to haggle down because of it, but it will make the planning permission much much easier if you want to put your own even bigger modern garage in its place.
If the house is OK I'd consider a big rubbish shed as a plus for that reason, it probably works out cheaper than paying for a house with a decent one and the end result will be exactly to your spec.
DIY jobs make a huge difference to house prices, often much more than the cost of getting someone to do the jobs for you.
Scruffy decoration is the big win. Talk to any estate agent, paint cost little but an unfashionable colour on the walls can make a house much harder to sell.
Just listen to what prospective buyer say on "house doctor", "I don't like the carpet, I want 10K off... blah blah" or "the back room needs decorating, the house is only worth 15K less...". Seriously. Listen to what they say and think how much it would cost to put right.
Ooops. Should have mentioned - I'm renting at the moment while I finish the kit and sell it - the money's going towards my house deposit!
Changes the context massively
Completely agree with you, the perfect place to buy and renovate for a petrolhead. If only all that decorating and mortgage payments didn't get in the way of interesting projects, that is
cymtriks said:
I suspect that most kits are built in single garages and the owners just wish they had a bit more space but didn't actually need it.
Yep, ive built 3 sevens in a single garage.. not really a problem due to the fact you can get down the side between the wheels... cant get the rear wheels on and off the dax without pushing it outside tho'..
For the ultima ive knocked down a wall.. just to give a bit more space around the sides.. but its still tight.. The dolly is defo the way to go for a 'rectangular' shaped car.
I do wonder how many ultima's are built in single garages.. most build diaries seem to show huge garages bigger than my house.
Built my Tiger in a fairly narrow single garage which was about 18" wider than the widest part of the car. Before it was on its wheels there was plenty of room either side, and after the wheels were on I needed to shuffle the car from side to side to get enough working space, but that was easy (because the wheels were on ;o)
If I had a double garage, I'd only build a second one ... or an Ultima
)
If I had a double garage, I'd only build a second one ... or an Ultima
) Edited by tigerk on Monday 30th April 12:25
Built my Westy in a single garage, possible but not a great deal of fun. What's hard now is now that it is nearly 7 years since i built it, the garage is full of loads of assorted junk, if I do anything on the car I soon run out of spcae once I take the bonnet off or any other components, I am hampered as I have a steep drive and cannot put the car on it to jack it up/work on it out there
As with others, built my Tiger in a single garage that the previous owner kindly built a work bench down one wall of. Getting from one end of the garage meant climbing over the wheels, and removing the half shafts with the axle in situ was nigh-on impossible, but as long as you can get it through the doors then you'll be alright.
polus said:
Thanks people 
Ok, so just need to drop a large wedge on a house, and then tediously wait while the car fund recovers
Ok, so just need to drop a large wedge on a house, and then tediously wait while the car fund recovers
top tip for you if you are married / with significant other half....
buy a house with exactly enough room for the 2 of you to live in, nothing more - in fact, make it cramped. This will have 2 benefits.
1 - you'll have more money for the garage / workshop.
2 - If you don't - just at that moment you think you are ready to re-start the car funds process that certain someone will start bringing up the subject of children
ricola said:
Bottom line: if the car will fit in you can build it, may not be easy but doable..
I'm building my Aeon in a long, thin garage. If I want to work on the sides, then I push the car out; at the end of the day, it goes back in again.
Because there's a kerb, I'm currently using a winch to get it back in again. I'll use the engine when that's running better.
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