Would you rent your shop to strangers?

I have a half-hatched plan for retirement. We will be buying a property in the heart of a car/bike mecca.

My plan is to put my shop up with an RV hookup on both sides and we are thinking of some of the cheap mini-homes from Amazon and the like to rent out. Fire pit, BBQ area, host that will probably go for the drive with you and have a beer or two after with you (if invited of course).

I am wondering if the use of a lift/tools/etc for $XXX/day would be a safe, marketable idea.

My initial thought is my tools would grow legs. Maybe have a set of hammer store set of tools with shadow boards or something.

Thoughts?

absolutely not.  I share a space with 3 dudes who have a key to my house and we still have issues busting tools, misplacing a socket, treating others tools like crap.  Not buying toilet paper.

Would you rent your shop to strangers?

No.

No. 

I can count the people who are allowed to use my shop unsupervised on one hand, and most of them are my kids.

Yeah.

What about an outdoor, but covered, lift rental? Tow service back to the BnB? Free bottle of Atkins' Sauce per week rental?

Insurance nightmare? Liability waiver?

Just trying to add to a plan. Cabins/hook-ups will rent during hunting season too.

In reply to preach :

I mean, there's a reason these aren't commonplace.  

My 1st thought is no. 

My 2nd thought is you likely wouldn't make any money.

My 3rd thought was if you could get someone to write liability coverage it would likely be crazy expensive. 

No f'ing way.

I wouldn't do it unsupervised, especially with a lift.

The DIY places that rent bays with tools by the hour always have staff on site to make sure people aren't under unsupported vehicles.

Any thoughts on any addition that would add attraction?

I would do it without hesitation if I wanted to replenish my tools weekly, have to clean the place daily, and get suit semi-monthly. 
Seriously bad idea, at least the shop part.  

My workshop in my large backyard has 2 RV hookups. After hurricane Ian came through, I offered it up for free to volunteers that came to help. These were volunteers that were traveling at their own (considerable) expense to help people for free. It went well. People were respectful and we count them as friends. BUT, this is a very different situation than renters that are there to party. 

This is worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet. TL;DR, dude builds a bike workshop at his rental property. Supposedly the tools are treated respectfully and people tend to leave more stuff there than he started with.

Would I do it, though? Absolutely not. Like Seth's bike shop, I think it would only work as a rental-only shop without any of your personal stuff in the way. Shadow board for tools and a healthy inventory list to keep track of things.

I don't know how you'd handle the liability with a lift/jacks/power tools. Maybe have basic hand tools but nothing else? And have a clear plan for the first time somebody pulls the subframes off their car, then disappears/runs out of money/can't get parts/etc. 

There are a few garage/shop/lift rental places around here that seem to be booming financially. Would I do it with my own stuff? Hell no. Would I put money towards a per-bay rental shop with tools you can check out? 100% yes.

I used to share rental shop space in NoVa for many years.  There are too many reasons to list for saying no.

Check local ordinances and codes before installing rental RV hook-ups. Some areas have restrictive rules about them that can make your plan difficult if not impossible.  

The only plus I can see for renting out part of your shop space would be it would force you to clean up after every wrenching session.  Your tool storage setup would basically need to be the same as a professional tech where everything has a home that is locked and secure.  Even parts would need to be in locked cabinets.  An alternative would be every wrenching bay has a separate work room with a locked door. 

Second the comment about getting liability insurance. 

Budget in a cleaning service for the restroom(s). 

No. 

Waste fluids disposal both human and automotive would deter me.

If you are in a place where people come to play on bikes and cars, the addition of a  well lit ( maybe a few lights in the pad itself) cement working surface next to the camper-trailer and your  willingness to let them work on that surface, should be enough of a business attractor to your camping spot.

How do you manage noise concerns between patrons, say one open header tuning session needs to happen at 12 am and the other campers are trying to sleep off a good day?

Nope

I dont even trust my wife with my tools. 

So no from me.

Hell is other people.

In reply to Pushrod :

I actually have a tattoo that means 'people suck'.

I think youre trying to put too much together. Yes, relatable, at times, but just a lot going on.

Tools will be broken, tools will be stolen.

You'll have to clean up someone elses mess all the time unless you have a safety deposit and statement where they have to clean up after themselves...then youre on monitoring duty to make sure they do it correctly.

Lift seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

And while I like wrenching, Ive been in the pits too many times after a long, hard day - I dont want to hear all the racket while Im trying to get some shuteye

On the flip - want to make a campground for people? Sure. It'll make money, more than likely, and be much simpler.

I would not. We would occasionally borrow shop space with the stock car if we were running consecutive events far from home and even under the best circumstances things would occasionally break. To turn someone with unknown skills loose with lifts, welders, etc sounds like a problem waiting to happen.  

Risky plan: Starting a business providing a service you are experienced with.

Dangerous plan: Starting a business providing a service you are not experienced with.

Terrible plan: Starting a business combining multiple services that you are not experienced with.

This is a terrible plan. Having a shop and knowing how to turn wrenches is not the same as running a shop where you rent out space. That's like the difference between knowing how to mix a cocktail vs. understanding how to operate a bar.

In reply to Beer Barron:

I agree with all that it's a bad idea. Seems a cement pad offering is the best idea and I like it.

As far as my qualifications:

I have mechanic-ed since 8 years old, I helped my dad run his shop until about 20, I was a property manager for over 400 units, I bartended in the Caribbean and was a kitchen manager as well as a bar manager for years.

Kinda weird that you hit almost my whole resume. Haha.

Got a submarine that needs to be fixed? I got that too.