new shop in historic building

Al killian

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1,940
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Floydada, Tx
I have decided to buy the property from my MIL and it comes with the towns first fire hall/community center. It is a three stroy brick building built around 1860. When the town built the fire hall in 1970 or so, the old shop was closed up and left to rot.:( My MIL bought this place around 1998 and spent most of her fund fixing up the resturaunt and left the building alone. Three years ago I couldnt stand to seeing the place falling apart, so I had a metal room put on. The historic snobs where up in arms that I was not putting a cedar shake back on. Put they did not want to help pay for it.:huh: :dunno: Anyhow the building is know dry and the windows ar next on the list to replace. There is one beam that is cracked from haveing 6' deep snow on the third floor. Other then this it is soild and just needs some tlc. Did I mention the second floor is solid red oak flooring srips around 2" wide covering the floors, walls and ceiling.:eek: Anybody want to help sand?
Sideveiw.jpg

Secondfloorveiwfromfront-1.jpg

Secondfloorceiling.jpg

Stairstoattic.jpg
 
now thats a shop to be seen!

al you got lots of room and history too:thumb: that should make a real nice space for a shop. and you could rent out the upstirs to recoup some of your expense.
 
Looks like that ought to be a neat old building to fix up

Lots of room :thumb:
 
Forgot to put up the size. First floor is 30'wx65'lx9'h,second floor is 71'lx'30'wx12'h, third floor is 30'wx65'lx12'h in the center. Total building is over 4200 sqft.:D The second floor will be my shop.
 
It looks like a great building for a shop. But, isn't having a shop on the second floor going to be a hassle when you want to get stuff into and out of it? What will the rest of the building be used for.
 
Great old building Al! If anyone gives you grief, let them know new shakes can be installed anytime they are ready. Until then, the building is stabilized and usable!:D :thumb:

Keep us apprised of your progress.

Wes
 
Very cool place for a shop, Al. That's a lot of square feet, too. As Frank mentioned, the second floor location might involve some extra work, but there are enough basement and dungeon shops around to prove it can be overcome.
 
You are living my dream! I want to buy an old building like that, in a small community (where are you in New York - I was raised there?), but I dream of the shop on the first floor, and converting the second floor to living space, loft style.
 
The first floor will be used for rental storage of cars and a part for the kids go-cart, minibike and other toys. And one bay will be for the tractor. I can easaly get six cars into the first floor.

Yes, It will be a pain to get stuff up and down the stairs, but I came up with a great idea for that. The stairs are 5' wide, so I am going to make a platform that will ride on to pieces of angle and raised and lowerd by a electric winch system.:thumb:

Charlie, I live in North Java. Between Attica,Warsaw and Arcade. We where toying with the idea of converting the building into apartments put town would not let us do it. Sometimes I hate living in a small town.
 
Al,,
Not to steal your thread, but I know all too well of what you speak. I am from a notoriously small town out in western Chautauqua County, and they have had their collective heads buried in the proverbial sand for over a century. Anytime anyone comes to the town fathers with a new idea for something, other than another antique shop, they get shot down. It took near 30 years to get a small MacDonalds. Incidently, I moved out here to Hawaii nearly 20 years ago and other than the new MacDonalds and a few burned out skeletons of former business establishments, the town looks just about as I left it. Even the local Ford dealer closed its doors.

I sure wish I had a place like yours to build a shop in. It will be interesting to watch your progress.

Aloha, Tony
 
Al, looks great, your idea of a lift of sorts sounds good but a freight elevator in one corner would be even better, this you can make with a winch as well, and it would be much better to use.

Would not take much to build it, and as it is NOT for people, the rules and regs are much easier ;)

Can't wait to see it all come together!

Cheers!
 
Yes, It will be a pain to get stuff up and down the stairs, but I came up with a great idea for that. The stairs are 5' wide, so I am going to make a platform that will ride on to pieces of angle and raised and lowerd by a electric winch system.:thumb:

al, i had this exact set up in an old two story shop building i owned...worked well...what i did was make the section of floor at the bottom of the stairs the traveling platform, when not in use the cable was out of the way, flush with the top riser.....the most dificult part of the whole set up was needing to be at both ends of the stairs when moving stuff up-n-down, if you`re on the first floor then to unload the platform you need to climb over the raised platform and its load if you`re up top you can`t steady the load.....kind of a work around deal but functional....
 
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