Build Spaces?

[Greg Hainsworth]

Ideally, I think a minimum build space is 1200 square feet (30 by 40). Ideally, something around 2500 feet is better (50 by 50). If you weld, you need a concrete floor and good ventilation. And you will need to be able to move stuff around easily to go from fabricating to clearing out and practicing. 10 foot ceilings are really important. 8 foot ceilings work for building but not much for practicing.

Look for empty retail space. I recall one team (forgot the number) in the upper Midwest was able to get an agreement on empty space in a mall. The mall management company allowed them there for the cost of utilities. I guess the mall was able to take some deduction for allowing a non-profit in there. I think it was an empty Chuck E. Cheese or something. The space was big enough for them to set up a full field… I was so jealous.

Although renting a space is a costly burden on team finances, I know of one other team that rents a space in an industrial park. It’s austere but it has a concrete floor, good lighting, white boards mounted to the walls for brainstorming, benches for working, a roll up door for loading out and in, right next door to a car customization shop so no neighbors to annoy with late night building or loud music. I guess it’s about 30 by 60 feet. It costs about $1K a month. It’s open when a key holder shows up so they could work whenever they wanted as late as they wanted. There’s lots of parking. Maybe the school can help you negotiate something like that.

Can anyone with a school team share if donations to school teams are treated by the IRS the same as donations to 501.c.3 entities? Someone told me last year that the IRS made a rule change making it so school teams could be viewed the same as a 501.c.3 but not being a school team, I can't attest to this.