A DIY Garage and Winter storage/ work space

Roomie said:
I remember this idea starting up in Calgary long before I came back in 2008. I guess it must be a horrid idea if they're still in business. :rolleyes:

This is one... there are others. There was even one in Edmonton with a paint booth and everything needed to use it.

[url]http://www.u-wrench.ca/u-wrench.asp [/URL]
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i don't think that is the same formula. This seems to be a shop that does work and has spaces for people to work on their own as well. I'm betting the actual work they do pays the bills and when someone brings in a DIY project they probably end up hiring the shop to do all or part of the work anyway.
 
carboncat said:
Have you looked into insurance ? You might not be able to get coverage. I would look into that first, then get all your legal stuff in order so you don't get sued.
A simple job someone cleaning there chain in your facility using a rag while bike is in gear , looses his hand and your responsible.
When I had my shop NO customers were insured in the workshop area, office only.
Your going to spend a lot of money first few years and you need to take a big step back and think if the potential to turn a profit is there, you need to make sure you and your partner can get payed and make a living.

I started my shop from scratch after 5 years ,had 4 employes and repaired and painted over 15 cars per week. It took 3 years before I made more then 25k a year. It was tough. But when I sold it I was making a lot of money.
Talk to ANYONE who has gone into business for themselves, rule number 1 to ANY business is no partners. They don't work, they never will. I had one for 3 years and when he left business boomed. FRIENDS are the worst partners because when it goes south (and it will) you loose your friendship along with your business.


I've seen all kinda of do it yourself shops come and go. There simply just too much overhead and your pretty much dealing with people who can't afford to have a licensed guy do the job. Hence why they go to shops like that.
There's also serious bills that come with a shop
Heat
Water
Hydro
Rent
taxes
Suppliers
My overhead with only 2 guys before I got payed was 12 k per month.
Another thing, don't ever EVER put your house on any loans or business debts, keep it all separate.
Sorry about my long post
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Hi! Thank you for the comments given your experience running a shop. We are likely not catering to the same market so our results may vary. Our main focus is on enthusiasts that have no other place to do work on their car/ bike in comfort and with the support of other hobbyists around. The age bracket that includes most motoring enthusiasts has now been mostly pushed into condo living.
 
carboncat said:
Doesn't mean you won't get sued. Insurance might decide what "happened under those circumstances are not covered"
they find loopholes and screw you at any givin time, hell some business policy's have 30k deductable lol
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Yes we might get sued, and unfortunately that is the risk of operating any business. But the most you can do is reduce the risk as much as possible. That’s why we will insure ourselves and the shop. The point of insurance is that the insurer pays for the lawyer and legal fees in the case of a lawsuit.
 
phil_si said:
What about people people bringing in scrap, making a mess, breaking tools/parts and taking forever to do a job or parts to come in, or "I don't have the money right now" but the bike doesn't have wheels, forks or a swingarm on and is strapped to a bench. Complaining when you show them the hourly bill or refusing to pay and leaving their junk there. Not to mention that they're probably going to make something much worse (expensive) before calling in the mechanic, then if they had left it alone in the first place. Do you know much the tools in a shop cost to not have to say "we can't to that here"? Its going to take a loooong time to pay just those off, if you ever do. In short, its a bad idea.
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For sure there will come up scenarios when someone can’t finish a job, and we plan to work around that. First we will take a credit card deposit before any job, mostly for undue damage/theft prevention. This DIY idea runs on the basis of taking responsibility for what you do. If you use a lot of hours, you are responsible for them, but for sure we will try to work with people who get stuck – we are not here to make money off their backs and we try to be fair and understanding.
 
sonnythebull said:
I Love your entrepreneurial spirit. But , bad idea. Take your smarts and money and come up with an alternate idea. This will not fly and will not make you money. Go back to the drawing board.
i have a bit of a car and bike collection and I would never use this. I can't imagine who your target customer is.
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Hey, thanks for throwing this out! For sure this is not for everyone, but we have had a tremendous response from people all over the GTA. Car guys who love to do it themselves, car clubs who wish to use the space, pre and post track days modifications and tune-ups, mobile dyno tuning, etc. Even people who want to do a simple brake change for 1/3 the price of a mechanic and coming out knowing they’ve done it themselves. There are many people who wish to do work themselves but do not have the required equipment or space to do the work in. And there are many who wish to learn from others with more experience or a shared interest in tinkering with their toys.
 
Roomie said:
I remember this idea starting up in Calgary long before I came back in 2008. I guess it must be a horrid idea if they're still in business. :rolleyes:

This is one... there are others. There was even one in Edmonton with a paint booth and everything needed to use it.

[url]http://www.u-wrench.ca/u-wrench.asp [/URL]
Click to expand...

:) yea these places exist all over the US and have a huge following and client base. They have been operational for many years and are thriving. Some have come and gone and that is just the reality of doing business. We are trying an approach which will strive to integrate the community and the social aspect of being a motorcycle/car enthusiast with the joy of working on your own baby, all alongside others who share your own interests. Help each other out, talk about the latest and greatest and just get to know one another. This will be a shared experience, and one which we hope everyone taking part in it will come out knowing more and making friends.
Looking forward to having you around!
 
zeniceguy said:
People gonna get hurt, equipment gonna get lost/stolen/broke. Most people shouldt work on there bikes. 1 mistake could kill you or your buddy
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There is no reason why people should not work on their own vehicles. If you are safe and follow steps, there is no reason you should be injured unless it is a complete accident. We have been part of a community which has been working on our own cars and motorcycle for over 15 years now, with nothing more than a scratch here and there.
We will always have someone in the shop to ensure that cars and bikes are hoisted and tied down properly to ensure that no one will get hurt as much as possible. We will also show every new customer the safe and proper use of all the tools provided.
Thanks!
 
sonnythebull said:
i don't think that is the same formula. This seems to be a shop that does work and has spaces for people to work on their own as well. I'm betting the actual work they do pays the bills and when someone brings in a DIY project they probably end up hiring the shop to do all or part of the work anyway.
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With respect to bikes especially, we know some people are forced to store their motorcycle at cost over the winter. We can provide the same storage monthly with the added benefit of the owner being able to pay an extra hourly rate should they want to install/ mod/ maintain their ride in anticipation for the next season.
 
Any idea on rough hourly rates? Changing brakes in the driveway sucks, but if your rates are more than $20 or 25/hr, it becomes not worth it (for me) to use the shop. If you are thinking $10/hr and were located within 30 minutes of me, I would use you for sure (but I can't see how you'd make any money), as the distance or price climbs, I quickly lose any interest.
 
My 2 cents and ideas, take feedback with lots of salt.

- Keep overhead as low as possible to start. No need to supply media devices, just provide WIFI for smart phones and tablets. (or open next to a Timmies!)
- If you have a car float and a truck, solves moving both cars and bikes if needed. Car float shouldn't be too costly.
- talk to a school, maybe ask student mechanics if they want to answer basic question a few day/nights a week. They get experience, your clients get assistance, costs you little to nothing.
- Hooters style refreshment girls. Lady's you have all us hot bikers as eye candy! ;)
- Workshop/How to nights

Would be good if business could be a "hangout" and get revenue from not just the shop, but hard to promote a bar in a Bike shop. It's like selling cigarettes at a hospital. Conflict of interest. Location will be critical, but at best you will never please everyone.

Define your target market. Estimate volume and access to population in that market. Could be best shop ever, but if need is not there it's not going to work.
 
People who know what there doung normally have the tools. Im a mechanic and fix peoples mistakes all the time. The problem with bikes is this.
A guy who knows a bit, wouldnt normally take on a complex job. You give him tools and locatuon, you give him/her confidence when it could kill them. 1 forgotten bolt, a sqid is skidding down the dvp. If you have a liscenceed mechanic then he is responsible for everyone (not a good idea) theres a lot more to look at then just helping people. I think its great, but be very very carefull. People who can do the job have the tools.
 
Lets say you help a guy who pays to use your shop to change a chain and a month later a guys engine blows up he can sue you its cost nothing for someone to sue, and what do you have to do? lost time, pay for lawyer, headaches.
Not worth it.

if anything just do a DIY guide night where you teach people how to do things and they go home and do it on their own.
if you have a machine and know how to do something im going to buy my own tools so i can do this job for the rest of my life, i would not rent tools to do a job that i know how to do or even pay hourly. I can pay 350$ a month for rent and get unlimited work done in my garage

lets say a rebuild job and you charge 20/H your looking at, at least 10 hour job. no way im paying 200$ for 1 days work in your garage. thats just for hourly, what about all the specialty tools i will need for my rebuild.
 
There is a DIY shop in Barrie, rent a bay with hoist, all the tools etc, $40 an hour. Techs(licensed?) are there to assist and answer questions. It's been in business a long time now, but I wouldn't go there for simple things that I can do in my driveway.
Edit: I've never actually used it at all, just aware of its existence. :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
GreyGhost said:
Any idea on rough hourly rates? Changing brakes in the driveway sucks, but if your rates are more than $20 or 25/hr, it becomes not worth it (for me) to use the shop. If you are thinking $10/hr and were located within 30 minutes of me, I would use you for sure (but I can't see how you'd make any money), as the distance or price climbs, I quickly lose any interest.
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Actually in order for us to have some sort of chance to make a profit, we settled on $25/hr for the motorcycle bay. Versus the cheapest of GTA bike mechanics' fees of $89, We can provide you with a cheaper and likely more satisfying experience for a regular brake job/ oil change/ chain tightening and all other straight forward maintenance.

Thanks!
 
Maxdar said:
My 2 cents and ideas, take feedback with lots of salt.

- Keep overhead as low as possible to start. No need to supply media devices, just provide WIFI for smart phones and tablets. (or open next to a Timmies!)
- If you have a car float and a truck, solves moving both cars and bikes if needed. Car float shouldn't be too costly.
- talk to a school, maybe ask student mechanics if they want to answer basic question a few day/nights a week. They get experience, your clients get assistance, costs you little to nothing.
- Hooters style refreshment girls. Lady's you have all us hot bikers as eye candy! ;)
- Workshop/How to nights

Would be good if business could be a "hangout" and get revenue from not just the shop, but hard to promote a bar in a Bike shop. It's like selling cigarettes at a hospital. Conflict of interest. Location will be critical, but at best you will never please everyone.

Define your target market. Estimate volume and access to population in that market. Could be best shop ever, but if need is not there it's not going to work.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment! And I can't say I disagree with the lady touch around the place (affording such luxuries is a different "tail" though ;). The instructional classes are a great idea and we've been bouncing ideas on how to integrate them. Your suggestion for students is a great option to consider.
 
YZFer said:
Lets say you help a guy who pays to use your shop to change a chain and a month later a guys engine blows up he can sue you its cost nothing for someone to sue, and what do you have to do? lost time, pay for lawyer, headaches.
Not worth it.

if anything just do a DIY guide night where you teach people how to do things and they go home and do it on their own.
if you have a machine and know how to do something im going to buy my own tools so i can do this job for the rest of my life, i would not rent tools to do a job that i know how to do or even pay hourly. I can pay 350$ a month for rent and get unlimited work done in my garage

lets say a rebuild job and you charge 20/H your looking at, at least 10 hour job. no way im paying 200$ for 1 days work in your garage. thats just for hourly, what about all the specialty tools i will need for my rebuild.
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The waivers signed by customers will include no coverage or guarantee on the work performed. The customer assumes full responsibility for both work and safety while on premises. This is not to say that we won't educate and enforce safety rules.

We will offer different and more attractive rates for longer term rentals. Both weekly and daily. Also not excluding monthly on a case by case basis. We will strive to accommodate any project that you guys bring us.
 
Iceman said:
There is a DIY shop in Barrie, rent a bay with hoist, all the tools etc, $40 an hour. Techs(licensed?) are there to assist and answer questions. It's been in business a long time now, but I wouldn't go there for simple things that I can do in my driveway.
Edit: I've never actually used it at all, just aware of its existence. :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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50% off shop rate to do it myself? Nahhhhhh
 
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