Large Expedition Vehicle Self Build Location?

[C p weinberger]

You are correct concerning repairing vehicles in residential areas in USA, Many cities in America have ordinances regarding the Legality of repairing vehicles on residential property in the city limits, but more limiting is HOA’s ( Home owners association) Here near Washington DC, the suburbs, not all, but many prohibit commercial vehicles being parked within the HOA jurisdiction, In our neighborhood you can’t even park your own pick up truck with commercial decals on it in your driveway.

 

[NatersXJ6]

While the HOA thing is true, and living is commercial zones is often frowned upon,
many cities do allow a live-in or full time “security guard” to live on-site in an RV. If you really hit a home run you might find someone to pay you to live near their shop and use their compressed air! Don’t expect much.

I would target a small town (flexible zoning laws?) on the outskirts of a large city (plenty of sources for stuff) in a relatively mild climate (southwest at elevation or generally mid-south). I would offer to work for cheap + exchange of services like tools, forklift, welders, and security presence, at something like a small manufacturer, fabricator, repair shop, ranch, quarry, junkyard or agricultural business of some sort. I’ve seen these types of deals before, and they usually seem like fun.

Remember that the more industrial a city, the more suppliers there are. Being in zero sales tax won’t matter if everything has to be shipped long distance and you can’t buy raw materials locally.

I would bet that you spend more on tools than the materials unless you develop a lot of local friends.

And, last but not least, working for the business helping you means you can be covered by their insurance and leverage their supplier relationships.

Have fun.

 

[polomasta]

Recently heard about Colorado Custom Coachworks and they apparently have space where they let DIY builders use for free

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[Pinnacle Campers]

Recently heard about Colorado Custom Coachworks and they apparently have space where they let DIY builders use for free

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I have my doubts that this is free. Coming from an owner/property developer standpoint, property isn't free. Coming from an employer standpoint I wouldn't want a bunch of DIY'rs bothering my crew all day without compensation. Maybe this is a business driver for them, project comes in, flops, they take over, make $.
That said, I think the concept is really cool and it would be nice if there was a network of them across the country and around the globe. Equipped with an office, bathroom facilities, shipping and receiving (freight) options, BAR, the list goes on.

 

[Inline6]

might try the redmond/bend area of oregon for your build. There are quite a few companies there making this type of vehicle and should be some decent talent avail to help on projects. Not to mention a nice place to live.

sounds like a fun project.

 

[ozymandias.ii]

I am heavily involved with the Burning Man art car community- another group of DIY fabricators who have produced a sizable number of large custom vehicles. Coming from that perspective, I can say one thing- the vast majority of projects are built outdoors.

Indoor build sites are the exception rather than the norm. Yard space is an order of magnitude cheaper by the square foot to rent. When it comes to large vehicles, I would absolutely consider an outdoor lot before an indoor one to keep rental costs under control, especially if you have no need to live in an urban area. And with enough land at your disposal, it's quite reasonable to repurpose a shipping container into an office/workshop/tool shed to get some of the benefits of a covered space. But don't go too rural! As others have mentioned, proximity to a city is important.

Factor in good (warm/dry year round) weather for building outdoors, and I'd narrow the list down smaller cities in the Western states. Reno definitely comes to mind, and maybe Denver and Salt Lake as well? Go south of that and summer becomes too hot for my tastes. Oregon is nice but personally I think the PNW is too cloudy/rainy to be a top tier spot.

Oh, and one last thing to consider- it might be worth it to break the project into multiple locations. Rent a dirt-cheap spot to get started and build a shell during summer, and then do the finish work during winter at a more expensive/better equipped locale. The bonus is you'll have a few months by then to look for a better spot, and you'll also have a much better idea of what the rest of the project schedule looks like.

 

[Badmiker]

might try the redmond/bend area of oregon for your build. There are quite a few companies there making this type of vehicle and should be some decent talent avail to help on projects. Not to mention a nice place to live.

sounds like a fun project.

My wife grew up in Oregon and we both love the Portland area, the lack of sales tax is a bonus too. We will keep saving and looking for the next 4 years. Good news is we just started the CAD for the sub-frame and hab!