?What If Garage

The Shop

Building the shop
from the ground up

Before the builds, there's the building. Every decision about the shop gets the same treatment as the cars: questioned, engineered and documented, from the slab to the last outlet.

PlanningBusiness formed. Engineering and permits are next. No ground broken yet.
PLAN800 SQ FT40 FT20 FTROOF20 FT SPAN4:12 PITCHTRUSSES 24" ON CENTER
Footprint and roof pitch. Floor plan in progress.

Spec sheet

The building

Footprint
20 × 40 ft, 800 sq ft
Foundation
6" concrete slab with rebar
Framing
2×6 stick frame, 16" on center
Roof
Engineered trusses, 20 ft span, 4:12 pitch, 30-year architectural shingles
Siding
LP SmartSide engineered wood over house wrap
Main door
10 × 12 ft insulated, offset right
Power
Dedicated 200 A service with its own meter
Wiring
Conduit throughout (EMT, rigid, liquid-tight), no Romex
Insulation
Rockwool walls, blown-in ceiling, vented attic
Climate
3-ton HVAC on dedicated 240 V circuits
Lighting
8 ft LED fixtures, 90+ CRI

Construction

What we chose, and why

Stick frame and shingles, not a steel building

Wood-framed walls, engineered trusses, architectural shingles.

Why: Quieter than a steel roof when it rains and easier to insulate. The shop is also a film set, so noise matters.

Engineered for the work

A structural engineer designs and stamps the building before the slab is poured.

Why: The slab has to carry a two-post lift's anchor loads and a welding area, so it's designed for those, not a generic garage.

A 10 × 12 door, offset to one side

One large insulated door instead of a standard garage door.

Why: Clears a forklift mast and gets vehicles in on a trailer or under their own power.

Its own 200 A service

A separate service and meter, not a sub-panel off the house.

Why: Calculated peak demand is about 122 A with the lift, compressor, welder and dust collector. 200 A leaves headroom for whatever comes next.

Conduit everywhere

Every circuit runs in EMT, rigid or liquid-tight conduit.

Why: It stands up to a fabrication shop and can be rewired when equipment moves. Two spare 240 V outlets are built in from day one.

Insulated and conditioned

Rockwool in the 2×6 walls, blown insulation at the ceiling, and a 3-ton HVAC system.

Why: Texas summers. A shop nobody wants to work in doesn't get used, and composite work needs controlled temperatures.

Siding that handles the climate

LP SmartSide engineered wood panels.

Why: Holds up to Texas heat and humidity and comes paint-ready.

Built mostly by hand

The only hired help is the engineer, the concrete crew and a boom truck for one day to set trusses.

Why: Building the shop is part of the content, and the skills carry straight into the builds.

The business owns the shop

Separate tools, batteries, internet and accounts from anything personal.

Why: Clean separation between What If Garage and personal property, down to a dedicated set of cordless batteries.

No paint booth

The space planned for a booth goes to fabrication overflow and the mold library instead.

Why: Molds from the scan-to-mold composite work need a home, and that space earns more as fabrication room.

Layout

What's decided so far

The full floor plan is still being drawn. It'll be published here once it's settled.

Tool selection

Every tool earns its place

Bought in the order the work needs them, starting with the gear to document everything else.

Document and design first

  • Canon EOS R7 and Rode mic

    Bought before anything else, so the shop is documented from the first day.

  • Fusion 360, DaVinci Resolve, Frame3DD

    CAD, video editing and frame analysis for chassis and cage design.

  • Creality CR-Scan Raptor 3D scanner

    Blue-laser scanning accurate enough for automotive body panels.

Lift and air

  • Tuxedo TP9KACX two-post lift

    The core of the shop. Its anchors are part of the slab design.

  • Ingersoll Rand two-stage 60 gal compressor, 14 CFM

    Enough air for continuous tool use, on its own 240 V circuit.

  • Aluminum push-connect air lines and a refrigerated dryer

    Clean, dry air at every station, which matters for finish and composite work.

Welding

  • Lincoln Power MIG 262

    Manual controls with digital meters instead of paying extra for auto-set and pulse. More machine for the money.

  • Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200

    Added when the builds start. TIG on Docol R8 is the long-term chassis standard.

  • Lincoln X-Tractor fume extractor

    Runs every welding session, door open or not. It's the main fume defense, not a backup.

Tube and metal work

  • JD2 Model 32 bender with SWAG hydraulic mount

    A proven manual bender, converted to hydraulic without welding.

  • JD2 RV-3 rotary notcher

    Fully adjustable angle, because no two chassis have the same joint geometry.

  • Grizzly 10" cold saw

    Clean, square cuts on cage tube.

  • JET 15" floor drill press

    Drives the notcher and handles general shop work.

Dust and cordless

  • Grizzly 4 HP dust collector with a shop-built cyclone

    The cyclone strips bulk debris before the filters. Commercial units cost several times what it takes to build one.

  • Milwaukee M18/M12 platform

    One battery system across the shop, owned by the business.

Later: capability expansion

  • Fireball Tool fixture table

    The main surface for tube chassis, cages and suspension. Generational equipment.

  • Langmuir CrossFire PRO with Hypertherm Powermax45

    CNC plasma with a water table that controls dust and fumes at the cut.

  • Used forklift

    Rented until the right one turns up at the right price.

Tools we're building ourselves

Hydraulic Lift Table →Engine Stand →Engine Hoist →

Sequence

Phase by phase

  1. 01

    Business formation

    Done

    LLC, banking, accounting.

  2. 02

    Design inputs

    Next

    Property survey, structural engineering and stamp, permits.

  3. 03

    Documentation and design kit

    Planned

    Camera, audio and design software, so everything after is on record.

  4. 04

    Shop shell

    Planned

    Site prep, slab, framing, trusses, roof, siding and doors. Dried in and weathertight.

  5. 05

    Shop systems

    Planned

    Electrical service, circuits, HVAC, lighting, insulation and internet. Move-in ready.

  6. 06

    Core equipment

    Planned

    Lift, compressor, MIG welder, tube tools, drill press, dust collection, cordless platform.

  7. 07

    Shop-built tools

    Planned

    Engine stand, engine hoist and the hydraulic lift table, built in the new shop.

  8. 08

    First client work

    Planned

    Insurance, contracts and the first small jobs.

  9. 09

    Capability expansion

    Planned

    Fixture table, CNC plasma, forklift, tool storage.

  10. 10

    The builds

    Ongoing

    Camry, Miata, Joker F10 and Rally Van, documented start to finish.

How we buy

  • →Every item is budgeted at full retail, so the plan works even if no sale shows up.
  • →A phase date is when something is needed by, not when it has to be bought. If a known sale window is close, it's worth waiting for.
  • →Each phase is saved for before it starts.

Permits and inspections

The town has no zoning ordinance, and the city confirmed it doesn't expect any issue with the shop's size or business use. Construction permits still apply.

Building permit
Slab, framing, roof, siding and doors, under the 2021 IBC.
Electrical permit
A new 200 A service with its own meter, coordinated with the utility.
Mechanical permit
For the HVAC system.
Inspections
Foundation before the pour, framing, electrical rough-in, service, mechanical and final.

Watch it go up

Construction will be filmed from the first shovel of dirt.

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