I know I've been talking and thinking of getting out of the city again for over a year, and recently I managed to get my saving to a place where I can do it comfortably. (Hence going out an buying a truck)
I've looked at a bunch of places and NONE of them have a garage, the best I can do is a shipping container or a temporary garage My goal is to set up my old woodworking shop from the 90's again. It's basically rustic home decor items that there is GOOD money in doing. I don't HAVE to, per se, but I really don't want to spend the next 15 years staring at a computer screen and after 3 years of "being the boss" at this gig (100% freelance) I am really not that interested in "A JOB" anymore, or anything to do with the service industries. I can now afford to set up a decent shop without needing credit.
I've come across some nicely renovated wartime properties about an hour north of here. VERY affordable in a sleepy little hamlet right on an old WW2 airfield (They were originally built as officer/ family housing). 3 bedrooms. living room, kitchen, and a full basement (none of this slab or crawl-space junk--I can find plenty of those). I'd have a small town of 5,000 about 10 minutes up the road and be about 40 minutes from the outskirts of this city.
The limitation is, working in a basement cuts down on the size of the project I can build and still be able to haul up the stairs. Mirrors, shelves, dog feeders, smaller items like that OK and don't get me wrong, there is a good buck to be had there. I can use a 12x12 mirror tile to make an entrance way key rack that sells for $75 and I'l into it under 10....BUT, the real money is in furniture dog crates, deacons benches, Adirondack chairs, deck coolers--bigger stuff that costs $50-100 or so to make and sells for $5-600+ (check these out)
https://www.wayfair.ca/pet/...=30991884%2C30991885https://www.wayfair.ca/furn...C31132822%2C31132826I's still be close enough to this city to keep some of my admin work clients and slowly transition away from that kind of thing.
I dunno, go for one of these places, or keep looking and hoping I can find a place with a garage or shop ? (I know what will happen, as soon as I sign the contract for this place one with EXACTLY what I want will go on the market for the same cost
).
Mulling it over is enough to drive ya crazy.