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Designing Automotive Workshops in Colorado

What design elements are needed for building automotive workshops?  The details of automotive shop design come into focus as the functions become clarified.  Will the occupants be doing tune-ups and repairs?  Will they be involved with full-scale restorations of antiques or muscle cars?  The answers to these types of questions guide the design process.

Planning Space

Architects address several important design elements when customizing automotive workshops.  Consider the height of the ceiling required for the equipment and vehicles to be repaired.  Two-post lifts require a minimum 12-foot ceiling clearance. The space needed to work on passenger cars and pickup trucks can have a lower ceiling than that working on delivery vehicles or large transport trucks.

How many working bays do you envision?  Will there be a special pay for painting?  Do you need an office, restrooms, a waiting area, storage rooms?  And think about the weight carried by the foundation.  The foundation must be able to support heavy lifts and equipment.  It must be at least four inches thick.  In this cold climate, lifts keep mechanics off the ground and they are heavy duty.

Wall Storage

How do you plan to store tools?  A smaller residential automotive workshop may be able to get by with storage units available at the local Lowe’s or Home Depot.  But to keep order amongst several mechanics, consider organizing wall space with large labels for the tools.  The necessary compressed-air system also needs to be accommodated in the design to prevent it from being a hazard

Other areas of the walls can be partitioned to accommodate parts.  Commercial shelving units are available through Costco and other big-box stores.

Electrical, Computers, Lighting, and Sound

Think of all the aspects that make life under the hood more pleasant.  Good, healthy lighting is a must.  Those bright overhead warehouse lights can be aggravating, and sometimes useless.  The mechanics need specific softer lighting under the hood and under the car or truck – as well as good size overhead doors and windows that let in daylight when needed.  Although it may be a bit more expensive, lighting that simulates sunrays is better for the nervous system.

Electrical outlets that accommodate more amps and voltage must be figured into the equation.  Consider double boxes and sockets with their own breakers.  To access online shop manuals and service bulletins, your outbuilding probably requires dirt-resistant computers and the Internet service to power them.  And possibly sound system that releases music into each location versus the blaring speaker in one corner.
Ventilation and Air Quality

In Central Colorado, auto shops usually require heating and cooling systems—good ventilation at the very least.  Pole building architecture with its large open areas allows for the best air flow.  In addition, the entire building is insulated to withstand Colorado weather patterns.

Builders Colorado Automotive Shops

Please contact Sapphire Construction, Inc. at (303) 619-7213 for information about custom metal buildings, shops, and pole barns.  Our design and building teams utilize three-dimensional electronic renditions to enable clients to see every detail of the project.