Potential new office (Layout advice)

[Gilligan]

So I'm looking at the bays next door.

We have the key and went over there and measured and measured some more.

It's cramped, 1500 sqft (but that's double what I have now in my storefront location) and I would be running the computer shop as well as screen printing/embroidery in there.

I'm attaching the current layout.  (obviously not to scale)

The red walls are "solid" but not all the way to the ceiling, they were built by previous tenants... I would think I could (and will) pull those out easily.

So... my thoughts right now are Take the walls down between F,G and J to make one large room for the press and dryer.  "I" would be where I'd put my washout booth (on the back wall) and maybe my exposure unit across from it.  I'd make C the embroidery room, B would be the "show room" and A would be the store front for the computer repair shop.  E would be our offices, there is a small window from E to B that I could conduct some business from but I'd probably have to come around anyway.  H would be the work bench for the computer repair shop as well as a "playroom" for the baby (2 year old).

Some of the rational is that from B on through A and up that hall is all pretty wood floors and C is some funky old thin carpet with F,G,I and J being crappy linoleum.

The back wall is metal and I could pop holes in it for plumbing (in and out) and ventilation very easy... in fact there is a drain of some sort that isn't being used inside the wall of "I" now.

Obviously this is all open for suggestions and I'm not tied to anything.  I'm hoping to get the place for a steal... only $250 more than we pay now.

One other question... is it possible to get an auto through a 36" (actually measured at 35") door?     I don't have one now but I'm always on the prowl and would need to know my limitations.

[beanie357]

We have done 7 commercial industrial buildings over the last 15 years. I gut to the walls and build back what I need. Has made a world of difference in designing any form of work flow, office, storage or whatever. We tried to make do the first two we bought, and gave up after that. Sometimes it's actually cheaper as well, as I tend to like open space with designated task areas. I find people too often make a hamster maze to negotiate on a daily basis. Open areas allows for machinery placement and position changes as well. Bathrooms should be enclosed, but if open staff would spend way less time in there. hee hee hee

[mooseman]

when we do similar we like to lay everything out in corel to proportion if not actual scale. Then you can move work bencehes, press, dryer etc around and around in corel even making passage way  sitting and elbow room, think about your movements while working etc.
We make several layouts and just play around until it looks good in corel...then go to the tools.
just a thought.
mooseman

[Gilligan]

Yeah, I'm planning on doing that... we just mocked this up real quick to put on here and talk about amongst ourselves.

[bimmridder]

M&R has a nice piece of software for floor lay outs. They have their equipment in a menu so you can place and move it around and look at different plans. Even if you don't use their equipment, you can get a good idea. Tear out walls, build walls, whatever you want to do. It's made my life easier a few times.

[Gilligan]

I have the software... Meh.  I'd rather do it manually.

I did some playing around in Illustrator last night.  It's doable in there... will definitely be cramped and the wife won't be happy with the compromises that I'll be making her make.

I guess I just can't see giving up 200 sqft just for the baby and a small work bench.  That room will have to be more than that.

[Gilligan]

Here is a little mock up of what I could do.

I was thinking about it and I bet they would let me put in a metal double door in the back. (which might have to happen SOON as I hadn't thought of how to get my dryer in that place!

I also attached the AI file so people can play with if they want.  The scale is close now, I used 1 cm = 1 foot.  The spaces between walls are to compensate for just that.

[Gilligan]

I just realized that unless I pull the legs off my dryer (Chaparral 2412) I have no way of even getting that thing in there.

If I pull the legs off, which I briefly looked at that when I got the dryer and it didn't seem easy.  Then, I can put the dryer in there by going in a window where the sorting table would be. LOL

Looked at putting in double metal doors in the back... BEST I can find for hollow metal doors is $700 and that is just door and frame, not installed.  (also that was just some random googling).