What should minimum size of bus garage be?

[belfert]

Brian, I commuted a lot over the years.  I went from 30 miles of hell which took an hour to 55 miles of good road which took 50 minutes.  In my estimation the quality of the drive is much more important than the distance.

There are plenty of cities I simply won't consider because the roads into the metro area are so congested.  The area I am considering really isn't too bad right now for traffic, but not sure what will happen over the next 10 to 20 years.  Congestion keeps worse getting because road funding is 1/3 what it needs to be to keep up with growth.  The city of Minneapolis won't allow the interstates within city boundaries to be be expanded, yet the city wants to keep businesses downtown and have them expand.

My plan before buying any lot is to drive up there early in the morning on a work day and then drive from there to work to see how the commute is.  Also do it on the way home.  I would probably do this multiple times before buying anything.

Brian Elfert

[Brill-o]

Hello-

Since this topic has split in to two different topics relating to the same thing, I can add a bit to this:

First off, we'd planned ahead. We bought a lot out in the far reaches of the state to provide land and room for expansion. On this, we had our home built.

Now here is where it gets dicey:

We didn't plan for the excessive mileage and wear/tear on the vehicles.
We didn't plan on the risk being involved with traffic for such a long daily commute.
We didn't plan on the measure of time we wouldn't be home because of the commute.
We didn't plan on how little we could accomplish after such a tiring drive.
We didn't expect the fuel prices to go through the roof.

I was commuting about 75 miles a day (each way), and stopped when our first child was born.

My wife still commutes (and has been applying for a transfer for years), to the tune of 97 miles. This is also one-way.

I still would not give up (nor will she) the privacy or comfort of this living style as opposed to the convenience and variety the city (or now suburbs) has to offer. We've alleviated the major vehicle issues and only make combined trips to the shops.

On the shop/garage:

I had a concrete pad poured for a 26x47 shop/garage, and cleared a lot approx. 100 yards from the house for a parking/storage area- across from a pond I'd dug, to help out the nature I might have uprooted from the clearing.

My original plan was to put up a metal building with four bays and room for cabinets and shelves, with one bay reserved for a lift.
After purchasing one new that was heavily discounted, I found that putting up shelves, or running wire and plumbing would require some sort of framing inside- so as not to let the anchors protrude through the outside skin, and I would still have to frame it to insulate it.

I then realized I would be building two structures to make one.

With this "revelation" I promptly sold the metal building (luckily at cost) and started rethinking my plans.
Then, some more construction equipment and bus(es) came into my life-

So, the plans for the shop remain- except it will be build out of wood and be a two-story, instead.
But, in addition I will be adding another (pole) building with metal siding to house the buses, the backhoe, and our old dump truck.

Since we've lived here for about 15 years, we decided to refinance to lower our monthly payments and have the cash outlay for said projects

We are waiting for the check now, and will start on the buildings this spring.

Although we still suffer the long drive for simple sundries, and Susan has a statistically higher risk at having an accident for the miles she travels, we both are very satisfied with our original plan.

And it was a strategic plan after-all. Our property has appreciated over 300%.
Plus, we still have the neighbors' 40 acre lot on one side with no house or improvements.

I can put anything I want on our property, as it's zoned farm/rural, and nobody can see anything, because I had my drive (1510ft) designed with curves, so you can't see straight up it.
Our lot is fully wooded (as is the adjacent 40 acres) with just the drive and house area cleared.

In closing, the distance to travel and the type of structure to be built should be closely examined and all points considered.


This was a long read, but our story has been told...

Cheers,
Barry&Susan

[belfert]

Hello-

Since this topic has split in to two different topics relating to the same thing, I can add a bit to this:

First off, we'd planned ahead. We bought a lot out in the far reaches of the state to provide land and room for expansion. On this, we had our home built.

Now here is where it gets dicey:

We didn't plan for the excessive mileage and wear/tear on the vehicles.
We didn't plan on the risk being involved with traffic for such a long daily commute.
We didn't plan on the measure of time we wouldn't be home because of the commute.
We didn't plan on how little we could accomplish after such a tiring drive.
We didn't expect the fuel prices to go through the roof.

I've already thought about the fuel costs and the wear and tear on my vehicle.  I'm looking at 100 miles a day round trip.  I do 25 miles a day round trip right now.

My job is flexible in that I can get in before rush hour gets heavy and leave before rush hour gets heavy.  I may also be able to do four 10 hour days.

Commuting is the single biggest issue with my plan and a big part of why land further out is cheap.  I plan to study the commuting issue very closely before doing anything.  A guy at work lives out that way and I will talk to him about the commute.

Brian Elfert