Rent A Workshop

[Nicholas Gowrie]

I think it's a great idea and I can think of loads of time when something like that would have been useful before I had my own space.

Fortunately I don't need to do too much typing because @pdg has covered most of my concerns. You need to plan for ********s, in my youth I worked at a kart track and when had some lawyers in, they said that the disclaimer they signed meant absolutely nothing if it could be proved you were negligent.

You would need to be there to allow people in and show them the facilities and before you know it you will get the "Have you got a.." "Can I borrow a.." even if that is in the contract. You may luck out and get customers who just a bit more space for a job but I guarantee you will also get a bus load of dreamers who shouldn't be folding paper let alone metal.

I think your best bet would be find a group of friends who tinker with cars or something like that and rent them an area permanently.

Yea i am having a lot of people say rent it out with ramps, my unit would be the other half and the toilets canteen and offices are on the other side of them, but i agree i wouldn't give people keys unless i trusted them, but we do work 730-330, the only issue is i might have to stay later or pay someone a bit of over time to stay till 5 to lock up, which one lad would love aha

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

I was about to rent out my unit. (Before they flattened it to build houses) the fist guy I let use it was supposed to be in for a day........he had the wrong clutch and was on the ramp for a week.

I think if i was doing it per hour there would have to be a minimum our to rent, like 8 hours, which is a day because you can't do a lot in an hour include bring your hand tools and set upland pack away

 

[cliff366]

Think most points have been covered but will say more money more headache
I'd be hiring to a firm for storage etc on a contract over a few extra ££s for having to babysit joe blogs as they havnt a clue how to use machines safely

 

[CompoSimmonite]

How would you ensure people have the skills to use the equipment as I suspect you would be liable for their "training".
I used to attend hobby engineering at two different colleges. They taught us how to use machines and then we were allowed to do our own projects - but there was always a tutor watching over everybody to make sure nobody did anything silly as well as assistance if we got out of our depth. When I started at the second college the folders, guillotines and welders were in a different department and I was the only one who was allowed to use them as had been "trained" (qualified as an industrial welder in 1981). Everybody else had to either ask me to cut / guillotine / weld or leave it with the tutor to do so when he had a chance.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

How would you ensure people have the skills to use the equipment as I suspect you would be liable for their "training".
I used to attend hobby engineering at two different colleges. They taught us how to use machines and then we were allowed to do our own projects - but there was always a tutor watching over everybody to make sure nobody did anything silly as well as assistance if we got out of our depth. When I started at the second college the folders, guillotines and welders were in a different department and I was the only one who was allowed to use them as had been "trained" (qualified as an industrial welder in 1981). Everybody else had to either ask me to cut / guillotine / weld or leave it with the tutor to do so when he had a chance.

I dont know about that yet, off the top of my head before i let them sign a contract of how many hours they can rent, i would ask them to come in for an hour for a small test on the few bits of equipment, i.e. guillotines, folders, drills, welders, saws and any other equipment like grinders i wouldn't provide

thats what i have in my head anyway, but i dont no the legals yet or even if people would go for this idea.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

Think most points have been covered but will say more money more headache
I'd be hiring to a firm for storage etc on a contract over a few extra ££s for having to babysit joe blogs as they havnt a clue how to use machines safely

Fair point i would pay someone that retired that doesn't want to do the job but likes helping out like we used to have at college on £10 per hour to just watch over people and help them if they want like a labourer, come person that keeps people in check thats a good idea

 

[armalites]

Yea i am having a lot of people say rent it out with ramps, my unit would be the other half and the toilets canteen and offices are on the other side of them, but i agree i wouldn't give people keys unless i trusted them, but we do work 730-330, the only issue is i might have to stay later or pay someone a bit of over time to stay till 5 to lock up, which one lad would love aha

Wish I had a job where staying till 5 was overtime

 

[daleyd]

What happens if you take the negatives all the time?

people already do it, or did do anyway http://www.ovalmotorcyclecentre.co.uk/

That seems to be their entire business though, including this statement...."A mechanic is always on hand to advise and assist if required."

To me that seems a bit different to renting out a portion of a workshop with little/no supervision as a sideline to your main business.

It's not that it's not doable, but you'd want to weigh up the risks and rewards beforehand to make sure it was in your favour. I'd say on balance there was too many risks for too little reward, but of course someone else may see it differently.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

Wish I had a job where staying till 5 was overtime

lol we aren't very busy at the moment so, we are on short hours, its nice start early finish early and if there is overtime its in the week so we dont have to spend petrol travelling in at the weekend

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

That seems to be their entire business though, including this statement...."A mechanic is always on hand to advise and assist if required."

To me that seems a bit different to renting out a portion of a workshop with little/no supervision as a sideline to your main business.

It's not that it's not doable, but you'd want to weigh up the risks and rewards beforehand to make sure it was in your favour. I'd say on balance there was too many risks for too little reward, but of course someone else may see it differently.

Definitely, i literally came up with this idea last night while i was doing my hour commute home aha, i having even put 24h into the idea yet, i just wanted to see peoples opinions on it, plus its always nice to be in a forum.

 

[ukracer]

Definitely, i literally came up with this idea last night while i was doing my hour commute home aha, i having even put 24h into the idea yet, i just wanted to see peoples opinions on it, plus its always nice to be in a forum.

I think you stand chance with a manager........on site.

 

[daleyd]

Definitely, i literally came up with this idea last night while i was doing my hour commute home aha, i having even put 24h into the idea yet, i just wanted to see peoples opinions on it, plus its always nice to be in a forum.

Yeah nothing wrong with throwing out an idea, at the end of the day you are the guy taking any risk so it's your decision and it's good to get other people's views.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

I think you stand chance with a manager........on site.

Yea i think its a good idea to have someone on site, i think it would be a nice job for an older exercised guy that, has the skills to maybe help out while keeping an eye out

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

Yeah nothing wrong with throwing out an idea, at the end of the day you are the guy taking any risk so it's your decision and it's good to get other people's views.

Im only 25 lol and i have done this for 7 years, however its my granddads business, he is retiring soon, and i dont have a dad so it becomes mine, but i dont have a lot of experience to manage it or make it work, i can do the job but not push the paper so I'm just thinking of other ways i can make money out of what we have while we are quiet.

 

[armalites]

I think if you employeed a retired mechanic who would be on hand for tips and advice it could work well.

I think you would need to allow a changover period or do it in whole days, with an overtime rate for anything that goes over. If the day rate was £100 then you should take a £150 deposit as that would focus peoples minds. You should also get a clear outline of what people aiming to achieve and what their contingency plan is if a car is stuck on your ramp or blocking your workshop.

I think after a while you would get repeat business from people you could trust, mobile mechanics who need a ramp for a job etc.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

I think if you employeed a retired mechanic who would be on hand for tips and advice it could work well.

I think you would need to allow a changover period or do it in whole days, with an overtime rate for anything that goes over. If the day rate was £100 then you should take a £150 deposit as that would focus peoples minds. You should also get a clear outline of what people aiming to achieve and what their contingency plan is if a car is stuck on your ramp or blocking your workshop.

I think after a while you would get repeat business from people you could trust, mobile mechanics who need a ramp for a job etc.

in an ideal world i would rather rent it out as little fab shops like 4-6 bays with some communal equipment, but i would do it as a mechanics, i would need to buy some more ramps and i dont know enough about cars for other equipment that would need to be provided, i will keep it in mind though, because its something that works because other companies do it.

 

[steve t]

I really have no idea how this would work but my gut feeling is anyone who is good enough to be let loose on your gear will probobally have access to it some other way for odd jobs etc, I cant see there being a big enough market. I would concentrate on growing your existing fab buisiness and being in the enviable position of having to much gear and space, a rare problem, good old grandad

 

[MattF]

Have you thought to ask your grandad's opinion and advice too?

I'm with most in thinking it'd be far more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Nicholas Gowrie]

Have you thought to ask your grandad's opinion and advice too?

I'm with most in thinking it'd be far more trouble than it's worth.

Yea i have asked him and he said he has come up with the idea before, but when we are busy the space is nice to have but when we aren't busy and trying to reduce over heads its one of those things that the only thing you can do is reduce the size of your work space, so its finding out the way to do that, which draws in the most money with out being so much effort, I'm going to mull it over during the weekend, and come up with a plan I'm leaning towards turning it into several little bays and rent those out with a welding set, keeping all the expensive stuff and charging people for the cuts and folds, then they can't destroy the expensive equipment but they know they can pay a small fee to get someone that knows what they are doing to do it

 

[MattF]

That sounds a more reasonable option, and one less likely to lead to equipment damage or accidents.