We help motor enthusiasts rent DIY workspace

[AuSeeker]

Thanks for the feedback, Skip.

Since we are a new company, it's very possible that we don't have a garage by you yet. Our search function is setup to show the garages nearest your location first, so I'll pass this along to get looked at.

Our map function will give you a quick idea if there is a garage in your area

Cheers,
Andrew

Thanks, yes nothing within 400 miles from me, I didn't see an option for distance to my location when doing the location search, maybe I didn't see it but I did just look again, if not maybe adding that or making it easier to find will help to see the location closest to that of a user of your site, I'll bookmark your site and check back from time to time.

 

[mtbtim]

Yep, have two lifts ready to go in from friends. I'll probably just install the better one but we'll see. I also have two mechanic friends who want to put tools in there because they have no storage. I'd like to keep it strictly Toyota trucks, lifts, offroad stuff but I have some neighbors into hot rods & I've always wanted a 69 Cougar convt.

It's on 1/2 acre next to my house.

Very cool. Maybe one day I'll have a piece of property big enough to do the same thing.

 

[MN4runnerman]

great concerns, when my garage & property are done I'll be renting it out to DIY's also. It will help with the mortgage & property tax.

Can I swing by in my YJ?:couch2::wacko:


Great idea OP!

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

To clarify, we don't have our own shop. We are a platform that allows garages to list their space. Think Airbnb for DIY workspace.

We actually have a shop listed outside of Baltimore, so you may not even need to move here to wrench! you can find here.

I'm moving to get away from this place, lol.

 

[hlpressley]

Pretty neat idea. Especially if you can get more locations.

 

[Scramble]

Can I swing by in my YJ?:couch2::wacko:


Great idea OP!

My first thought is to say no but my mechanic friends races Jeeps in PA on the weekends so I'll have to let them in. :bigok:

Maybe someday I'll get to restore a FJ 40...but I also want a 66 Caddy convt & a 67 gto & a 70 Buick GS. I need to hit lotto. LOL

 

[tvpierce]

At $45/hour, you're still saving but then you have to ask how much your time is worth. I know most DIY mechanics like myself will take longer to do a repair, maintenance job or modification than a shop would take because many times it's our first time doing something and we're learning as we go. So now, the total savings will be even less compared to what a shop will charge.

+1

I like the idea, but price point would be the deal breaker for me. I'm slow and methodical. I do vehicle maintenance because I enjoy it, and because I have to -- or at least because it saves money. If I have to rush, it's no longer fun. In this situation, if I take my time, there's no cost savings.

I'd probably be more interested if it was a membership kind of thing. Monthly dues, book your time, etc..

Good luck with the business -- I really love the idea. I guess I'm just not the target demo.

Thank you for sponsoring T4R!

 

[bookgaragetime]

+1

I like the idea, but price point would be the deal breaker for me. I'm slow and methodical. I do vehicle maintenance because I enjoy it, and because I have to -- or at least because it saves money. If I have to rush, it's no longer fun. In this situation, if I take my time, there's no cost savings.

I'd probably be more interested if it was a membership kind of thing. Monthly dues, book your time, etc..

Good luck with the business -- I really love the idea. I guess I'm just not the target demo.

Thank you for sponsoring T4R!

Thanks for the reply and thoughts! A number of garages on our platform do offer memberships with an unlimited amount of wrench time.

 

[trey99ek]

I agree with the price. Most DIY guys will take twice the time of a shop mechanic. I've done it a dozen times but a brake job still takes me about 2 hours. Time cost would equal the shop rate or surpass it for some things.

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[Scramble]

I agree with the price. Most DIY guys will take twice the time of a shop mechanic. I've done it a dozen times but a brake job still takes me about 2 hours. Time cost would equal the shop rate or surpass it for some things.

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+1

I like the idea, but price point would be the deal breaker for me. I'm slow and methodical. I do vehicle maintenance because I enjoy it, and because I have to -- or at least because it saves money. If I have to rush, it's no longer fun. In this situation, if I take my time, there's no cost savings.

I'd probably be more interested if it was a membership kind of thing. Monthly dues, book your time, etc..

Good luck with the business -- I really love the idea. I guess I'm just not the target demo.

Thank you for sponsoring T4R!

While $45 hr isn't a lot of money I can see where it cuts into saving by DIY. You wont have to buy the tools either if you're an apartment dweller. I lived in apartments for 15 years before I bought my house & had no room for tools. Remember that the owner has a lot of money in the building, tools, insurance, mortgage, property taxes, etc & cant give the space away for free. If you're a regular customer & it takes you 2 hrs to do brakes I might charge you $50 for the job instead of the hourly rate & you'll be hanging at a place with other gear heads willing to help each other out & you can make new friends. Probably more productive than hanging out at your local bar. If you live where there are severe winters you dont want to be working outside when it's 20* especially if it's your only car & need it for work.

 

[Scramble]

Anybody watch "Gear Dogs" on the Velocity Channel? This guy has a restoration shop & then opened a communal work shop next door where locals can come in & work on their cars. He also partners with people with flips where they fix up collectables & sell them. I really like the show but it's not on much. The DVR is set, hopefully they have another season. It's where I got the idea for my garage. Mine will be more of a community gearhead hang out than a straight rental for strangers.

Edit: It looks like it originally aired on Discovery & they showed a few episodes in Velocity.

https://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/gear-dogs/

 

[sleepydad]

I find this interesting so I looked for an available space in my area. There's one in my area (California Bay Area) in San Mateo, 27 miles away from me. They want $45/hour. The guy that runs the place says he will help which is cool, but who knows how good he is. There's also tools there you can use, but again, what if he's lacking a critical tool you need.

That seems pretty steep to me. For that price, you may as well just pay a shop to do it that charges around $100/hour and not have to spend the time wrenching. Another concern is what happens if you run into a snag and can't get your rig running or back together. I guess you'd then be forced to tow it out of there or continue to pay by the hour during their hours of operation.

I feel for people who like to do their own wrenching but don't have the space to do it in. Definitely one of the downsides to apartment living.

I was doing some very high end wood working for myself. friends were trying to convince me to go pro because I was producing better than professional furniture. I did take a couple of pay jobs to try it out. ouch man it took all the fun out of it. the time pressure was on and I had to deliver and try to make it profitable. it absolutely took 100% of the enjoyment out of it.

if I was on the clock, I would not do it.

slow as possible, fast as necessary.

I still think it's a great idea but... yea it seems risky because things come up and things hit the skids. happens almost all the time.

there was also an App ( aka platform) for hooking up woodworkers and shop space/tools. I tried it a couple of time... meh. was a lot more frustrating because most of the shops had crap tools or things were so dull it was dangerous cutting. took more time to get their tools dialed in and working then it was worth it.

this is a pretty standard biz model and lots of people are trying it... cook in our commercial kitchen, do all your meal prep and freeze your 2 weeks worth of dinners... I have seen tons of things like this. they pop and fizzle pretty quickly.

 

[MN4runnerman]

My first thought is to say no but my mechanic friends races Jeeps in PA on the weekends so I'll have to let them in. :bigok:

Maybe someday I'll get to restore a FJ 40...but I also want a 66 Caddy convt & a 67 gto & a 70 Buick GS. I need to hit lotto. LOL

I’ll race your GS against my 442 but first I also need to win the lottery.

 

[lockedlex]

Intriguing idea! This one shop close to me, which looks super clean and has a lot of amenities (welders, etc), charges 175/mo, but that's pretty much it. Apparently it's like a gym membership, so you just book the time you need to be there.

I wonder if there are limits, like for instance, can I work on a project and leave the car there 3-4 days, would that be secure (no one messing with it, since they are after all open bays).

If you don't have a garage, like if you live in an apt or condo, this is really a great resource. I agree the hourly rates of 45 does seem a little off, but a membership setup seems a bit more fair if you can use it as much as you need.

I have a garage/workspace at home with pretty much every specialized tool I'd ever need for all my cars. However, I don't have a lift, so sometimes that can get a bit annoying. I know you can pick up some at-home-lifts, but storing it would be a hassle.

Also, being able to use a welder (and this place has classes too and apparently other experts that would be happy to teach/lend a hand) makes it more of a value proposition.

One thing I'm not a fan of are people renting out garages at home (esp if they live in a condo). That seems to be bad all around. I'm also curious as to what insurance coverage (if any) the garage and renters have.

BookGarageTime, PM me, I'm a moderator for another board and a member of several others, might be able to work something out with you.

 

[spartacus]

A garage with the lift and power tools etc will cut the time of any job by cosiderable amount.. we used to rent garages for our street racers and work on them. depends on the job sawping engines, tranny suspension most guys don't have the budget to buy tools to do the job.for me time is worth the money for others it might not be.

 

[lockedlex]

You know, I had this thought that 45/hr for space AND tools actually isn't that much. For many people that don't have access to a personal garage, they probably aren't sitting on a vault of tools either. Especially if it's specialized. Yes you could rent them from Autozone, but having access to them right there saves so much time.

That definitely increases the value proposition. Plus the comradery, etc. hard to put a price on that.

I might just rent one one day to try it out.

 

[SteveNJ]

Neat idea! Hopefully a few show up close to me one day. Trying to do a power steering hose in my driveway in Jan @ 0 degrees sucked.

 

[Scramble]

I’ll race your GS against my 442 but first I also need to win the lottery.

I love the Olds 442 because they go for less than the rare Chevy's & Fords. Pontiac's are cheaper too. You'll never see me in a Camaro or Mustang, there are so many more unique muscle cars out there.

 

[Scramble]

Neat idea! Hopefully a few show up close to me one day. Trying to do a power steering hose in my driveway in Jan @ 0 degrees sucked.

Hey Steve, we're in a couple of local Toyota FB groups together. Hopefully my garage will be up & running by the end of the summer. You can bring that LC over anytime.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

When I was in the military 1986-1993 those places were called Hobby Shops. And they were priceless.


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