Does anyone know of a place around Plano or neighboring cities that rents 250 - 1000 sq ft spaces for a workshop? With COVID sequestering in place, looking to get out of garage and into a more dedicated space. It is probably a long shot but never hurts to ask.
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Some of the storage unit places also have āoffice unitsā available. For example, there is a place down on LBJ in Garland at LaPrada on the north side of the freeway. A framer that I used to work with moved to a setup there for a time.
If there is a mostly-unoccupied strip center nearby with a finished-out(wish) space that looks to be similar to your needs, you could also inquire about leasing space within.
Lastly, while I canāt speak for woodshed setups, Iāve seen many regular storage units used as mechanic-type garages around here. Not sure how they address the power connections, or whether there is always easy access to a restroom facility, butā¦
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If you want to pay something close to the posted (retail) rate and commit to a long lease, sure, that might be an option. But otherwise I gather there are some curious incentives in the commercial real estate market to accept vacancies over short-term/discounted rentals.
Most units feature an overhead light socket that can be repurposed as a non-grounded AC outlet with a cheap adapter in a pinch, however one does risk tripping the breaker with motor startup loads. Alternatively, inverter generators are relatively quiet and can probably run a small woodshop for 8+ hours on a few gallons of gas - just make sure youāre running it safely (CO poisoning is a Bad Thingā¢) and the facility is OK with this.
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If you want the ultimate man cave:
Last time a member looked at that type of product, the price per SF was right up there with a finished house on a residential lot. And I donāt think we ever heard how much the owners association dues would be.
Maybe they have some that target more Bud lite budgets, but I havenāt heard of them
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Iāve know a few individuals that have talked about studio space for artist/makers they could rent as a workshop. Not a makerspace mind you but more like how a salon works (e.g. rent a desk/space for your project on a hourly, monthly, quarterly, yearly basis and one provides own tools/materials).
However, Looper net is going to be your best bet to start looking. https://www.loopnet.com/texas/plano_warehouses-for-lease/
Also if one is not doing any light industrial work or need heavy foot traffic then Regus offices are a good option too. Otherwise check with your local real estate agency.
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Also, tiny homes for just studios exist:
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Those shed prices are obscene. I can have a shed company build me a 10x10 shed for $3k. Finishing its interior would not be another $9k+ (to meet their proposed $12k+). Building it yourself would probably be half the initial $3k.
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Depends on how you build it 
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So is it busting out at the seams yet that you need a 2nd shed? 
I just read the entire thread. I think Iāll buy a pre-made shed now instead and just make improvements. I thought building one would be fun until I read your thread.
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Iāve so carefully rationalized what goes in there to the point that itās got plenty of spare volume. Some might say that the transfer process is the bottleneck.
Iāve considered a class (or more like a presentation) titled How Not to build a shed in a few weekends for less than $1000 to relay my experiences with over-designing and over-building. One surely doesnāt need to go to the lengths I did to build a satisfactory and sturdy structure.
As far as Sheds go, it is far cheaper/quicker to buy one. These manufacturers buy the lumber by the railroad car load. So they get crazy discounts. Plus they kinda know what they are doing for the most part. Ive built 2 or 3 over the years. The last shed I acquired for a whopping $600 for an 8x10 on Craigslist. I picked it up with a trailer & took it to my house. I used 1.5ā pvc to roll it into position. I cribbed the thing up using a hi-lift, cinderblocks & 2x8 or 2x10ās.
However the OP wonāt likely find a shed that big easily transportable or probably have the space for it.
I know over off Beltline & 35 on the North West corner, there used to be advertising for shops about that size. They maybe out of the radius of willing to travel.
So Iām actually looking at a shed to be a mini-workshop for me to house things like my cnc, wood lathe, other tools, plus storage. I want to be able to have one of my bedrooms back and fit my 2nd car in my garage.
I need one that can have electricity, insulation, and at least a window a/c unit. I would either over engineer it like you did or settle/pay more with a pre-made one that I just upgrade myself. 
If I keep it under 120 sqft I donāt need a building permit, but adding electricity would require one anyway. Ugh! I was looking at maybe a 16āx12ā since I have to go through the permit process anyways (I have a huge backyard). Iām looking at Yardline through Costco.
I recall I would have had to apply for a zoning exception to build bigger than 120ftĀ², otherwise all that a permit would get me is 18" more height and the possibility of a slab/utilities. My shed used an 8x14 platform (nominally 108 ftĀ²) but once you deduct for walls itās less than 100 ftĀ² of useful space. Itās also short inside due to pseudo pier-and-beam foundation + 3:12 roof + 10ā 6" maximum height so maneuvering 8ā stock around inside is annoying due to sub- 8ā width and height.
Iām having DFWShedCo come out on Friday to check out my backyard before they build a shed. Thinking of getting either their 10x10 Orchard or 8x14 Lean-To style. Unfortunately the way my backyard is, I cannot have a premade shed delivered so this is one of the few companies I found that build on site. Planoās shed requirements are 120 sqft or less and must be 3ft from your property line as well as 10ft from your home.
like my cnc, wood lathe, other tools, plus storage.
hmmā¦ suspected this would be the case with a few individuals.
Not sure what scale your at or what amount of tools one already has. But for me; Iāve been eyeing the Creality 3d CP-01 or even a modular openbuild based multi tool to save on space for my studio.
Iāve also scaled back on the kinds of tools that would be in that space. Sure itās nice to have large variety of tools; but good woodwrite shop kit would get by for majority of projects (e.g. chisels, good bench, coping saws w/various blade inserts, basic measuring tools, clamps, and drills). And a good dremel gets one fills in several use cases that does not fit the other tools.
Also since work more with aluminum, pewters, bronzes/brasses, abs, plexiglass, and with a little wood work in for few projects. Either Iām creating molds and vacuum forms for lost casting bulk common parts or using things like 80/20 for the builds then filling in with whatās needed to give it a bit of style. Thus only need to have the tools for cutting/melting/casting aluminum. Targeting that also gives me the bulk of the same tools used for 80% other projects with the other 20 being painting, coding, or electronics.
Plus using a good bit of vertical space and movable storage like: https://8020.net/xdiy1801 (but with pegboard instead of textured sheet metal) goes a long ways to making a small space feel big and usable.
mind you use what works for yourself, just thought Iād share a bit of pov on the matter.
Oh wow! Iām lucky here in Flower Mound then. We only have to be 3ft from the house and property line (unless itās attached) and not cross any easements. It can also be as high as 14 feet. I guess because a lot of houses here still have very large lots and acreage, the rules are pretty broad.
https://www.flower-mound.com/DocumentCenter/View/500/Accessory-Building-Information?bidId=
Is you back yard big enough for a storage container? You can get them kinda cheapā¦ they are bigger as well. Plasma out some windows ā¦ boom workshop
https://www.cityoflewisville.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=11541
My takeaways for no-permit construction in Lewisville:
- ā¤ 120ftĀ²
- ā¤ 10ā high
- No slab
- No utilities
- No minimum side/back setback (I setback some 3ā from the side fence and something like 15 feet from the back fence, well out of the utility easement along the property line)
- Front setback āPer Zoning Districtā (which I took to mean āwithin my fenced back yardā like every other shed in the neighborhood)
Adding to Erikās comment on codes:
20ā x 8āW x 8.5āW would be 160 sf would be 40 sf to big.
A 40ā container would be 200 sf over. Unless you live on corner or very wide lot spacings ā¦ not sure how youād get it in back without a crane.