LMS: Renting/Buying a Work/Storage Space

Alright y'all. I live just outside Washington DC and it's tough to be a car enthusiast here if you're looking to do what we all do, which is to say own multiple cars and work on stuff ourselves and store at least one trailer. 

Right now, I rent two parking spaces in my apartment's underground garage, for my truck and a press car that I often have on loan. I also currently own a Volvo, which means something gets street-parked. It's a safe enough area but I do have to walk to get to that car.

I also rent a storage space in an RV lot to park my enclosed trailer, with my racecar inside.

TLDR: I'm spending a good bit of money each month to rent three disjointed parking spots, and I can't work on anything because they're all shared and/or outside.

SO THEN... I'm trying to figure out how to rent or ultimately buy a space that would allow me to park 2-3 cars and a small enclosed trailer, and work out of the space. That would let me buy or rent an apartment/condo in a cool, hip part of the city (because I am Very Hip) and not worry about the parking situation, because most of my stuff is handled and secured elsewhere.

Where do I even start looking for a space like this? I don't mind driving 30 minutes or so to access it.

Daytona Beach is a way different market than D.C., but around here most of that stuff is listed on Facebook or Craigslist. $5-800/month gets you a shop space that's barely two cars wide about 2-4 cars deep with a bathroom in the corner, meaning it would work pretty well for you.

Your mileage may vary, but most of these come in groups of 5-10 units and are aimed at mechanics, carpenters, etc. just getting their businesses started. 

I split workshop space with my brother.  We started with 2 10x30 storage garages at a self storage lot with half of the wall taken down between the two.  It was cheap, but limited in power, no bathroom, and pretty tight.  After a year, we found a guy who had a few buildings and we got 1400sqft with a 12ft high garage door, tall ceilings, bathroom, office, and heat. 

I saw some other spaces on Craigslist that were listed as well.  Calling local commercial realtors was a total bust - they didn't want to deal with under 10k sqft and/or sub-$1000/month leases.

Back in the day I found such a space on Dorkiphus, a DMV focused Porsche/BMW forum. I'd put an ad in straightpipe (the local SCCA publication) and post in local SCCA/racing/autocross groups. There's strength in numbers and getting a larger space and subletting is likely the answer. 

I also expect 30 minutes from DC to be a no go, I suspect that you'll be looking at Winchester/thurmont/lucketts/Brunswick to the west, and southern PGC to the east/southeast. 

Also, check with OG racing in Sterling and MachV to see if they know of any spaces or people that may be looking to sublet or join into a potential sublet situation. 

This is exactly why I turn down every job offer I get from DC. 

This thread is very relevant to my interests.  Around here, there is no such thing as a non-commercial property that fits my needs, and commercial property is at least 5 times more expensive than residential.

Last year I had been eyeballing a commercial house with a 2-car garage a few miles down the road.  The house was no bigger than my $87k house, but it sold for $475k.  I went to an auction at an automotive glass shop a few years ago.  The shop was a 1-bay and a tiny office with very little property and I left when they got to $650k.  It sold for $1.2M.  MILLION.  In bum-berkeley PA in a town with only 25,000 people.  Last time I drove past it, it was still empty, so I'm guessing some developer bought it for a Burger King or something.

I looked at one other 2-car commercial property a few miles from me, and the taxes alone would have been $500/mo on top of whatever crazy mortgage payment would be associated with whatever crack-smoking price they would have put on the sale.

My only hope seems to be to drive 30 miles to a county/municipality that doesn't care about zoning, buying a piece of land, and building a shop on it.

I hope I learn something here that gives me a wee bit of hope.

I'm having the same exact issue here in San Antonio. My gf and I will be joining houses (I'm moving into her house lol) . The problem is we don't want to move into something with a bigger garage because she just bought the house 2 years ago and we're probably leaving for DC two years from now. 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised. Topically the cost is $1 per sq ft per month. I have a Porsche 924, XJS (coming), XJR, Honda Accord, and an Excursion. She has a new Honda Accord that she likes to keep in the garage. I'd like to store the XJS and 924 somewhere that I can work on it. I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

Currently the 924 and XJR are at my house while I keep the Excursion at hers and dd my Honda accord. 

yupididit said:

I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

 

Sounds like a fly-n-drive opportunity.

yupididit said:

I'm having the same exact issue here in San Antonio. My gf and I will be joining houses (I'm moving into her house lol) . The problem is we don't want to move into something with a bigger garage because she just bought the house 2 years ago and we're probably leaving for DC two years from now. 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised. Topically the cost is $1 per sq ft per month. I have a Porsche 924, XJS (coming), XJR, Honda Accord, and an Excursion. She has a new Honda Accord that she likes to keep in the garage. I'd like to store the XJS and 924 somewhere that I can work on it. I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

Currently the 924 and XJR are at my house while I keep the Excursion at hers and dd my Honda accord. 

I kinda-sorta want your XJR once I sell this Volvo.

captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

Also, check with OG racing in Sterling and MachV to see if they know of any spaces or people that may be looking to sublet or join into a potential sublet situation. 

That is definitely a good option! I am close to some of the guys at OG so I'll have to reach out.

I've debated something in Winchester-ish because then I'd at least be close to Summit Point, but that'd likely mean I only did anything on the cars on weekends, which are already precious. 

Snowdoggie said:

This is exactly why I turn down every job offer I get from DC. 

It's not for everyone but I do really enjoy it here. I grew up about 45 minutes west. It's an area rife with job opportunities in the technology sector (what I do), good pay, a ton of great/smart/well-educated people, excellent food from nearly any culture, easy access to beaches/lakes/mountains, lots of bike trails, full support for basic equality, and ability to walk to most basic needs. 

There is also a decent car scene. Just hard to have garage space unless you purchase a place and I'm not quite there yet. 

Craigslist is the best option.

Its going to be a ways out for sure.  I don't think 30 minutes will be plausible without costing an obscene amount of money.

When I lived in Oakton/Reston, my garage was like 100ft from the house and that was enough of a deterrent to keep me from using it.  Having a garage 30 mins away sounds terrible.

I only see a few reasonable options:  Move to where your garage and your house are on the same piece of land, or re-evaluate your hobbies and choose something other than cars.

I've been in DC since '09 dealing with similar. Pretty sure I lived in the "hip" parts you reference for a big chunk of that before moving to a NE neighborhood when we bought our house (and 2-car garage!) at the end of '16. 

Depending on how much you want to set down roots and your budget, a house in a closer neighborhood may be a better life-balance. What does the math for the condo/apt + whatever you were thinking for this shop space purchase look like vs. a house with a garage in a closer DC neighborhood? The 30 minute's from the downtown place will drive available areas to look pretty quickly since you have to account for at least half that to get from the geographic center to outside DC. I don't mind talking a little bit more specific if you'd think it helpful (send me an email through the board).

bluej (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been in DC since '09 dealing with similar. Pretty sure I lived in the "hip" parts you reference for a big chunk of that before moving to a NE neighborhood when we bought our house (and 2-car garage!) at the end of '16. 

Depending on how much you want to set down roots and your budget, a house in a closer neighborhood may be a better life-balance. What does the math for the condo/apt + whatever you were thinking for this shop space purchase look like vs. a house with a garage in a closer DC neighborhood? The 30 minute's from the downtown place will drive available areas to look pretty quickly since you have to account for at least half that to get from the geographic center to outside DC. I don't mind talking a little bit more specific if you'd think it helpful (send me an email through the board).

I can see Don Tito and Spider Kelly's from my living room right now, so you can probably guess where I am!

I've definitely thought about a house in a part of DC proper that's not Northwest. Seems like a lot of options there for similar total outlay or even less - I am not ready for that quite yet (down payment being the biggest hurdle) but could be in a year or so. Only questions really are how walkable the area can be outside of NW and how things are zoned to allow trailer parking on the property. 

Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:

Snowdoggie said:

This is exactly why I turn down every job offer I get from DC. 

It's not for everyone but I do really enjoy it here. I grew up about 45 minutes west. It's an area rife with job opportunities in the technology sector (what I do), good pay, a ton of great/smart/well-educated people, excellent food from nearly any culture, easy access to beaches/lakes/mountains, lots of bike trails, full support for basic equality, and ability to walk to most basic needs. 

There is also a decent car scene. Just hard to have garage space unless you purchase a place and I'm not quite there yet. 

When I was working for the Government they really wanted to move me to DC. I also have the kind of experience the big law firms there really want. 

My problem is that most big organizations want you to go where they want you when they want you there. I want to stay put. Also, my house is almost paid for and I hate to rent. In less than 5 years my mortgage payment will be zero. If I did make the move the bigger salary I get would all go to the landlord anyway. 

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and could not afford to rent a place there after College. I lived in Denver as a renter and watched the place go from affordable to stupid expensive. When I got to Dallas I was amazed at how cheap houses were and I bought a fixer upper with a small loan and a high down payment. My house has tripled in value and my phone rings off the hook with flippers trying to fast talk me. The whole real estate flippy move thing creeps me out. 

Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:

bluej (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been in DC since '09 dealing with similar. Pretty sure I lived in the "hip" parts you reference for a big chunk of that before moving to a NE neighborhood when we bought our house (and 2-car garage!) at the end of '16. 

Depending on how much you want to set down roots and your budget, a house in a closer neighborhood may be a better life-balance. What does the math for the condo/apt + whatever you were thinking for this shop space purchase look like vs. a house with a garage in a closer DC neighborhood? The 30 minute's from the downtown place will drive available areas to look pretty quickly since you have to account for at least half that to get from the geographic center to outside DC. I don't mind talking a little bit more specific if you'd think it helpful (send me an email through the board).

I can see Don Tito and Spider Kelly's from my living room right now, so you can probably guess where I am!

I've definitely thought about a house in a part of DC proper that's not Northwest. Seems like a lot of options there for similar total outlay or even less - I am not ready for that quite yet (down payment being the biggest hurdle) but could be in a year or so. Only questions really are how walkable the area can be outside of NW and how things are zoned to allow trailer parking on the property. 

Yeah... you should me an email :)

Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:

yupididit said:

I'm having the same exact issue here in San Antonio. My gf and I will be joining houses (I'm moving into her house lol) . The problem is we don't want to move into something with a bigger garage because she just bought the house 2 years ago and we're probably leaving for DC two years from now. 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised. Topically the cost is $1 per sq ft per month. I have a Porsche 924, XJS (coming), XJR, Honda Accord, and an Excursion. She has a new Honda Accord that she likes to keep in the garage. I'd like to store the XJS and 924 somewhere that I can work on it. I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

Currently the 924 and XJR are at my house while I keep the Excursion at hers and dd my Honda accord. 

I kinda-sorta want your XJR once I sell this Volvo.

And where would you put it?  lmfao 

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

yupididit said:

I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

 

Sounds like a fly-n-drive opportunity.

Buy both for 10k. I'm tired of them and don't feel like putting money into the Excursion 

yupididit said:

Brake_L8 (Forum Supporter) said:

yupididit said:

I'm having the same exact issue here in San Antonio. My gf and I will be joining houses (I'm moving into her house lol) . The problem is we don't want to move into something with a bigger garage because she just bought the house 2 years ago and we're probably leaving for DC two years from now. 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised. Topically the cost is $1 per sq ft per month. I have a Porsche 924, XJS (coming), XJR, Honda Accord, and an Excursion. She has a new Honda Accord that she likes to keep in the garage. I'd like to store the XJS and 924 somewhere that I can work on it. I'll eventually sell the XJR and replace the Excursion. 

Currently the 924 and XJR are at my house while I keep the Excursion at hers and dd my Honda accord. 

I kinda-sorta want your XJR once I sell this Volvo.

 

And where would you put it?  lmfao 

Where the Volvo lives now!

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Even though it's the wrong direction from work and an hour from home, I'm still tempted to purchase that murder shop. 

yupididit said:

 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised.

 

I would suggest becoming very proactive and asking on relevant social medial platforms.  You want to find the opportunity that isn't listed.  Someone that wants some cash flow but is too afraid of general online weirdos to post an ad or someone else that wants to do it but doesn't have a buddy to share costs.  As a singular, well spoken person seeking, you might find someone that reaches out.

glueguy (Forum Supporter) said:

yupididit said:

 

I've been looking on Craigslist, LoopNet, she Facebook Marketplace. Everything I find is either very expensive (and as a mortgage + tax) or they go within a few hours of getting advertised.

 

 

I would suggest becoming very proactive and asking on relevant social medial platforms.  You want to find the opportunity that isn't listed.  Someone that wants some cash flow but is too afraid of general online weirdos to post an ad or someone else that wants to do it but doesn't have a buddy to share costs.  As a singular, well spoken person seeking, you might find someone that reaches out.

 

Only social media I have is Instagram 

Years ago we bought a hanger at a private airport.  40x50 with 12' ceilings.  Might be worth looking to see if there is anything like that around.  For the size they were a good deal.  About 20k 20 years ago about 40 now.  It is Michigan so property is pretty cheap.

I commute about an hour each way to southeast from Waldorf.  This is why. 

Waldorf having a Bojangles also makes that drive worthwhile.