Our Van's RV-14A Workshop

Although you can never have too much work space, limited space like a basement or two car garage, if utilized correctly and kept clean, can serve as a good workshop. I have heard stories that people actually build aircrafts in their bedrooms and hallways, so not having space is really not an excuse for not building one. Although you need to be thoughtful on how you will get your completed aircraft out of your workshop without demolishing it.

Van’s recommends a space size of a two-car garage. I would agree with this because it allows sufficient space to build your large parts and have enough space to navigate around them or flip them over and around. One thing that you need to be mindful is where to store the completed parts. Honestly this is my dilemma right now. Since I am done with my empennage kit, it is fairly big and I can’t just shove it under the bed. I know that at some point, once I have most of the parts built, I will need to rent a hanger, but I believe it is too early to do so right now and I don’t want to waste the money. Also, I would like to prolong moving my work to hanger as much as possible. The closest airport, where I can rent one, is about 20 minutes away from us. I usually work evenings after work and it is much easier to step into the garage and work on it versus driving twenty minutes each way just to have an hour of work done. I probably will skip many days of work just because I don’t feel like making that commute at night.

So, I probably will ask my EAA Chapter to store my completed parts in their hanger while I continue working on the rest of the parts in the garage.

One observation I can make is try to keep your workspace clean and free of clutter. Sometimes it is hard to put together tools after you are done with them and clean the area after each work session, but it makes such a difference when you walk in and everything is clean and neatly organized. It does make an enjoyable and safe environment to work in and you don’t have the fear of tripping on something and damaging your aircraft.