Your Building Is Part of Your Automotive Business

For an auto repair business, the building isn't simply where the work happens. It can directly affect how efficiently vehicles move through the shop. Poorly positioned doors, inadequate ceiling height and cramped service bays can slow down an otherwise efficient operation. That's why automotive buildings should be planned around workflow from the beginning.

Start With Your Service Bays

Think about how many vehicles you want to work on at one time. Then consider what each bay needs. A typical bay may require room for a vehicle, lift, technician, tools and equipment.
Additional space may be needed for alignment equipment, tire machines, diagnostic equipment or specialty work. Instead of choosing a building first and trying to fit the business inside it, determine your operational requirements and build around them.

Plan for Vehicle Lifts

If your shop will use two-post or four-post lifts, building height becomes extremely important. The building needs sufficient vertical clearance for the vehicle when raised. Different lifts and vehicles have different requirements, so confirm those dimensions before finalizing the eave height.

Overhead Doors Determine Traffic Flow

Door placement can have a major impact on shop efficiency. Some businesses prefer one overhead door for each service bay. Others may use fewer large doors with internal circulation. Drive-through service bays can also be useful for certain operations. Consider how customers arrive, where vehicles wait and how completed vehicles leave the shop. A well-designed building should support that flow.

Include Customer and Office Space

Not every square foot needs to be shop space.

Many auto repair businesses also require:

Reception areas
Customer waiting rooms
Offices
Restrooms
Parts storage
Employee areas
Utility rooms

These areas can be incorporated into the overall building layout while maintaining a large open service area.

Plan for Parts and Tire Storage

Automotive businesses accumulate inventory quickly. Tires, wheels, filters, fluids and replacement parts all need somewhere to go. Vertical storage racks or a properly engineered mezzanine may help keep inventory out of valuable service-bay space.

Think About Expansion Before You Build

If the business grows, will the building be able to grow with it? An expanding repair business may eventually need additional service bays, office space or storage. Discussing future expansion during the initial building design can help you make decisions about property placement and building orientation that leave room for growth.

Build a Better Automotive Facility

Duro Beam designs custom I-beam steel buildings for commercial applications including automotive shops, repair facilities and service businesses. Buildings can be configured around your required service bays, eave height, overhead doors, office areas and local engineering requirements.

Call Duro Beam at 800-445-0412 to discuss your automotive building project.