Would you use a Self-Help DIY Garage?

I've been building a business plan for a do-it-yourself garage. You military guys will know this idea as the "Auto Hobby Shop". I live and work in the Denver area where the nearest Auto Hobby Shop is an hour or more away in Colorado Springs.

The basic idea is to make the garage everyone wishes they had at home available for rent by the hour. It should have everything from vehicle lifts, a complete collection of tools, welding equipment, and maybe even some fabrication equipment.

So who would be willing to pay $15 to $20 per hour to use a fully equipped garage to work on their projects? Do you think there would be enough market to keep the bays full on a shop like this?

 

for 15 to 20 an hour i would do it if i didnt already have somewhere to wrench

 

If that is your ONLY business-You might have a hard time.
Selling parts like an AutoZone with some DIY bays in the back is more likely to keep a roof over your head.

 

I would hate to see what the commercial / business insurance would be having people coming in off the streets to work on their own vehicles....

 

There's a couple of DIY garages down here in Phoenix and they're great for people like me that live in apartments. they charge $15 an hour and give hourly discounts if your doing an engine or tranny swap. They have high lifts and a tool box at every port.

 

Might be interesting for a project. Sounds like it would be cheaper in the long run to do this rather than buy all the tools you need.

 

I would love to have an attached parts store. Not only for the income, but for the convenience in the shop. But the only way I see to be able to have a successful parts store is by franchising (such as NAPA).

This is the number one response I get when I tell people what I am thinking of doing. I think I have a plan for handling that, but I need to work directly with a good business insurance firm to make sure that the numbers will actually work.

 

I've often thought of this as a business as well, so it must be a good idea.

 

I'd like to offer classes for people to learn new repair or fabrication skills as well.

 

There was a motorcycle shop that worked like this on Tampa. Buy your parts there and they had tools there for you to install it...No qualified techs on staff so you were "on your own" if something didn't work...but everyone was helpful.

 

What makes you think that?

 

My friend ran one for about a year, it was located right slam nextdoor to a Napa store (attached to the same building). He did pretty good and he also ran a U-Haul and stuff to get people to stop in and stuff you know. His downfall was that he used a pirated copy of some auto mechanic software and somehow was caught, his shop was featured in the newspaper and had its own website and stuff so I guess someone with the software company ratted on him.

I think it can be successful in the right situation and if ran right. One downfall though was that the military bases here built a HUGE garage with like 15 bays for the military guys to use to work on their cars, so that would of took alot of his business away I think.

 

Yes, yes I would

 

I just use the auto hobby shop on base for the big jobs but it's a pain in the ass getting on unless im with my uncle.

i think it's a great idea for civilians with no garage.

 

Being in my field I have all kinds of connections to use people's shops I just gotta "bring the beer" but I think this is an awesome idea. I think you'd need some form of waiver for the customer to sign and at least someone to monitor them and maybe position the vehicles on the lifts properly.

 

The base here was turned over from a National Guard base within the last 15 years, so it doesn't have a lot of the typical Air Force Base amenities. Including there is no plan in the near future to build an auto hobby shop. So I think if I can get a shop up and running very near the base then they would have no reason to invest the money in an on base shop.

 

Hate to be negative, but you will have competition in the Denver are as there is already a business model like what you're describing in Denver. Check out Club Workshop: http://www.clubworkshop.com/

 

That's not negative, that is the kind of feedback I am looking for. I have seen their website and shop and like what they have created. But I am not sure that I would really be competing with them. I think they serve a different market.

Given the opportunity though, I would love to talk with the Club Workshop owners and get a feel for how they feel people respond to that kind of shop.

 

+1

There used to be a few in Orange County. They didn't last longer than a couple of years.