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Workshop dimensions???

G

Gthree0239

I'm New Here
Hello all,

I?m a new guy to the forum (still trying to figure out how exactly to follow all of the threads and use the search function effectively), I?m curious what size shop most people use? I know vans suggests a 2 car garage but convincing the wife to park outside for several years is a losing battle from the word go. I have a shed I can add on to currently 12 x 16 I was thinking about adding 4 or 8 foot to the 16 to make it 20 or 24 long and a lean to on the width (but that?d be where all of the contents of the shed would be housed). Is 12 x 20 or 12 by 24 enough space?
I am hoping to get wife approval to start construction on a rv7a.

Thanks for your input.

Also, if anyone can tell me the measurement of the fuselage from the firewall aft that would be appreciated.
 
You can get a temporary garage for her car for about $1500 on e-bay, depending on how big you need. Worked for me. :D
 
Many years ago, I built an RV-8 in a 24x24 2-car garage. I was able to put both wings on simultaneously with the fuselage at an angle. In fact, I bought the house with the project in mind.

More recently, I built an RV-14A in a 22x28 3-car garage. I had to mount one wing at a time, then reverse the fuselage direction to mount the other. Fortunately, the -14A (unlike the -8) doesn't require them both to be mounted simultaneously during the build phase.

In both cases, I utilized the entirety of each garage with benches, toolboxes, and mounted tools around the periphery. In the first case, both of our cars lived on the driveway for the duration - not a lot of fun during the winter in Boston, but we made out OK. In the second case, we've long since downsized to one shared car plus my toy car of the moment - much easier in Orlando - and the shared car lived on the driveway during the project. I sold the toy car to free both space (there was no conceivable way that it could've remained outside) and funds; I'm now looking for another! :D
 
Basic Builder Log

Go to my blog. Link below.
Favorite Links
Download the Basic Builder Log.
One tab is Square Feet. I measured most of the big parts. Fuse dimensions are on it.
Lots of other useful info
Full 7(A) inventory
Epoxy/Paint calculator
Tool list
Tabs for time and expense.

I've seen RVs built in Conex Container. Our garage is 22x24 and I've had both wings on several times.
Build on
 
Welcome to VAF

Gthree0239 said:
Hello all,

I’m a new guy to the forum
Click to expand...

Chad, welcome aboard the good ship VAF:D

A space 12x20 should be enough to build any single component----one wing, fuse etc.

You will need a larger area to put it all together.

What model are you thinking of??
 
I built a 24'X24' carport closed in on the north side and protected by the garage on the west. This allowed parking of 2 cars with plenty of space under the carport and the building of 2 RV-6s simultaneously in the 2 car garage.
 
The most important part is to just get a tail kit ordered. The rest will fall into place as needed.
 
I built a nice shop that is 32' X 56'. I call it the "airplane factory" and so far 3 planes have popped out of it, along with a couple engine overhauls. It has a bathroom, shop sink, furnace, and a 100 gallon air compressor. At this point and time, I wish I had built it a "little" bigger! ;)
 
I'm building my RV-3B, the smallest of Van's kits, in a garage shop that's 19' square. With workbenches, it's tight. I won't be able to assemble it there, of course, and even putting the engine and tailwheel on, both at the same time, will be awkward.

Dave
 
Dimensions

I have a 32 x 48 workshop with an 18 x 30 addition; I am building a -10.

I find that no matter what size building you decide on, your projects and tools will expand to fill it.

"I wish my shop was smaller" said no-one ever...
 
Who the heck parks cars in the garage? For all the years my wife and I have been together I think the car has been in the garage a few times. The garage is mine, just a fact of life like the sun rising. Heck, the plane is done and flying, still no cars in the garage. Now I have room for a proper machine shop.
 
I'm building in a 6m x 9m shed, where one side has my wife's car & my "fixed" tools, some storage and old workbenches. The other side is the aircraft assembly area (though it's shared with my old toy car), with a long 1m x 3.6m flat bench in the middle of it all. Fortunately I have a suspended slab in my shed so the downstairs doubles as my paint booth. I built the empennage with all cars in the garage, but had to move my car out when I started building the wings. Like others have said, the space kind of morphs around depending on what your needs are at the time. I've just taken one wing off the stand, and it's now upside down on my long bench, while the other wing gets assembled on the stand, and I just re-arranged things to suit.

Often what I do now if I need a bit more temporary space, is to move my wife's car out, and set-up a temporary bench on sawhorses. This worked great for assembling things like the tanks & wing leading edges while the rest of the assembly stayed in place on the stand. Soon, when I get the wings complete and I need room for the fuselage I will either dispense with my other little toy car from the garage, or find somewhere to store the wings.

To echo's Scott's comment - just make a start, and you'll find ways to make it all work
 
I?ve built a biplane then a RV8 in 26x36 and had another bldg for storage of parts. Still too small! They have been built in single car garages but I would never have enough room in one.
 
One of the size issues is that the larger parts need storage space somewhere reasonably handy. Right now, the tail and other control surfaces are in the rafters, and the engine, wings and finish kit are in a hangar.

Dave
 
My 24 x 36 wasn?t any to large! It worked out well enough to allow for a spray booth in the back large enough for a wing but very tight! The better organized you are, the smaller space you need.
 
If I Remember Correctly......

Back in the late '80s Martin & Claudia Sutter pulled up the carpet and built their RV-6 in their living room.

1989-1993 Ann and I built 2 RV-6s in our 2-car garage. Biggest problem was storage of completed assemblies. We had to do an inventory...Horizontal stabilizers-middle bedroom under bed, Vertical stabilizers, rudders, and elevators-front bedroom closet, etc.
 
I agree that the best thing you can do is just order a tail kit. When there's a will, there's a way! I remember following the Vlad build thread where he built a bunch of his RV9A in a small city apartment.

Almost every individual component can be accomplished in a single car garage. When you're finished with the component, find a place to store it outside the active workspace. I think this concept is critical... the separation of active workspace and storage. No sense in wasting valuable workspace.

I built most of my first RV-8 tail kit on a small workbench at the front of a slightly oversized 2 car garage. I was able to keep 2 cars in the garage for most of the build.

Best of luck and welcome to the site.
 
I'm building a -10 in a standard 2 car garage. My wife's car is part-time outside depending how organized I can stay. I have wings and fuse both in there right now on rolling stands. I can move everything over for her to park, but its tight. Wings will be moved to a friend's hangar soon and that will help open things up a bit.

But, the tailcone will be marrying the fuse section soon, and that will get pretty tight again. I'll still be able to get the wife's car in, but it will be a lot of in/out rolling around when I need to work. I'm certain once we get to the on-gear phase it will be only an airplane workshop.
 
SUV

Easy fix. Buy the wife a Hummer or similar SUV too big to go in the garage. My wife's SUV never fit so it's never been in the garage. :D
 
Mike S said:
Chad, welcome aboard the good ship VAF:D

A space 12x20 should be enough to build any single component----one wing, fuse etc.

You will need a larger area to put it all together.

What model are you thinking of??
Click to expand...
I'm thinking the 7A. I figured I'd finalize the project in a hangar at the airport. Found hangar for 75 per month thought about doing the whole project there. Except its 30 minutes away. I want to be able to make little bits of progress with any amount of time I can spare.
 
Gthree0239 said:
I'm thinking the 7A. I figured I'd finalize the project in a hangar at the airport. Found hangar for 75 per month thought about doing the whole project there. Except its 30 minutes away. I want to be able to make little bits of progress with any amount of time I can spare.
Click to expand...

$75 a month is a steal in most parts of the country------grab it now if you can.

I second the thought of building at home, your project will go a lot faster if you do. The 30 minute drive WILL get in the way of progress, been there done that.

Jump in, the water is fine:D
 
Hangar

Gthree0239 said:
I'm thinking the 7A. I figured I'd finalize the project in a hangar at the airport. Found hangar for 75 per month thought about doing the whole project there. Except its 30 minutes away. I want to be able to make little bits of progress with any amount of time I can spare.
Click to expand...

That is a steal. Grab the hangar now and use it to store parts till they are needed. A trip once a week or two is no problem. I shouldn't talk. My engjne is sitting in the hangar and we are under "stay at home" orders. Gonna start working fiberglass tips.
 
Gthree0239 said:
I'm thinking the 7A. I figured I'd finalize the project in a hangar at the airport. Found hangar for 75 per month thought about doing the whole project there. Except its 30 minutes away. I want to be able to make little bits of progress with any amount of time I can spare.
Click to expand...

Half of a two car garage is sufficient for building any single component for the 2 seaters. Build something, take it to the airport, lather, rinse, repeat.

When it is time to rig everything, put the car outside for a weekend to do the tail, another weekend to do the wings, etc.

You'll find building at home goes MUCH faster because you'll have all of your tools in one place, you'll have a restroom, you'll have more control over HVAC, and you won't have that half hour drive. Even better, if you have 15 spare minutes, you can go get something done.
 
That's a fact!

"...DO NOT get so wrapped up in building the plane that your family suffers..."

I know of two different rv-10 builders who worked on the projects non stop. They finished in record time but found that they didn't need those four seats after all...

Sad...

Family ALWAYS comes first!
 
Thanks for all the input everyone. I think I?m gonna do it. I?ll start the build and just chug along with what space I have. I?ll make things work and learn as I go. Excited to start my dream project, 20 years in the making. Got the preview plans for Christmas in 2003. She was my girl friend back then. Now, she?s my wife of 14 years in 4 days. Hope the kids are excited to help.
 
I was complaining about building in a two car garage without a/c (and sharing space with a few non-airplane items.) Then I met a guy into woodworking who builds furniture on the balcony of his condo 20 stories or so up. Things could always be worse....
 
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