Small shop clearances

[IHDiesel73L]

We live on a small old farm property. There are three different outbuildings-an old 16' x 25' haybarn, the former summer kitchen which was converted to a toolshed/small workshop (about 10' x 12'), and a 16' x 22' run-in shed. There's also a chicken coop, but it's currently occupied by chickens. Between the three buildings I have plenty of weather protected space to store all of my outdoor equipment (tractor, log splitter, mowers, generator, trailer, etc...) but I just want to build one small metal building with electric, heat, and a concrete floor that I swear on my grandmother's grave I will not fill with junk!!! This building will house all of my mechanics tools, floor jacks, fluids, spare parts, etc...and will serve as my "service bay" for my truck, my wife's minivan, and any other equipment that needs regular service or repair. I want to keep it on the small side given its intended purpose and to save some money, but I want to make sure I'm not making it too cramped. Our largest vehicle is my 2012 F250 Supercab Shortbed which is 19'-6" bumper to bumper and 9'-2" wide (mirrors out - 6'-8" wide mirrors in), so I'm designing around that. I figure I want to be able to pull in far enough that the rear bumper is 5' in from the door, and have about 8' clear in front of the truck, and then a work bench running the length of the rear wall. On either side of the truck I figured on about 7' of walk-around space. This gives me a building dimension of 20' x 36'. Does this seem adequate for what I'm looking to do with it? Finally, before someone suggests it, no I am not willing to tear the rest of the buildings down and/or just build one large building for a variety of reasons including the history and aesthetics associated with the existing buildings, and the fact that our land is very uneven and level areas are hard to come by without bringing in or moving a lot of dirt.

 

[MossRoad]

Now that you have your dimensions figures out, add 4' on each side, front and back for a 24x44.

Look at it this way. Can you get past the truck if the door is open all the way on either side with out squeezing or shutting the door? If you roll out a mechanic's creeper at the front, you'll have to step over it rather than walking around it. 2' workbench at rear is nice. But are you really going to build a 4 sided building and not put anything on the side walls? No. You're going to have tools hanging, tool boxes, parts, etc... and you don't want to bang into them while walking around your side mirrors.

I have a 1993 Suburban. It's a tad under 19' long. To work on it happily, to be able to roll, say, an engine hoist, or even something smaller, like a welding cart or rolling toolbox, I'd like to have at least 8' on all sides.

 

[CobyRupert]

It's easy to spend other people's money so....
As Moss noted, you'll most likely want work benches, or racks, cabinets, shelves along the side walls.... and still have enough space to move equipment, carts, etc.. along side of vehicle.

But having 5'-5" (from mirrors) or 7-11" (from vehicle body) is a good start....

 

[bigtiller]

I swear on my grandmother's grave I will not fill with junk!!!

This is a nice size shop and I like the 16' door, but if this is your "for ever" shop, I can make a promise also. There will come a day you wish it was bigger. So if the budget is there, Moss' suggestion is worth some thought.