Creating a Homebased Upholstery Shop

Since we are moving to a new house, this seems like a good time to write about how to set up a shop in your house or garage. Before you get started, check out the Home Occupation Legalities.

Some people build a shop to fit their needs. This article will be written from the viewpoint of fitting my needs within what space I have available. In addition, in complying with the Home Occupation guidelines, I am limited in the space that I'm allowed to use. So, the shop, and my business, will have to be set up to stay within both the physical space and the legal boundaries.

In setting up a shop I often find it advantages to draw a layout. Here is an example of one I drew before I set up my previous shop in my garage. Before I drew the layout I measured the size of my shop and all the tables and fixtures that would be in the shop. Then I drew each piece to scale and moved the pieces around until I was satisfied with it.

Considerations:

1. What is our physical space?
2. What are the different tables and fixtures than need to be in the shop?
3. What types of tools and supplies are necessary, and where will they be stored?

This is a companion article to a Forum message thread located here: Carrs Corner: Setting Up a Home-Based Business.