I have been thinking alot since i'm on bedrest for a broken foot. I have always planned to have a storefront for my bakery. The overhead of what I would have to borrow is giving me heartburn and sleepless nights,and the burden of will I be able to pay the bills (maybe, maybe not).
The house we are in is maxed out space wise. I would happy to leave this house tonight. We have already been talking about selling this. Would'nt it just be smarter to find a house and convert a space in the house. It might take awhile to find this specific of a house, but in the long run I could save alot of money. I rent space from a local bakery now but I need to move on. Do you think I will lose business being at home.
I'm so sick of working 80 hours away from home and this year really killed me. If I did'nt have a huge overhead I think I would be..
1. Happier
2. Work less hours not paying rent, utilities etc.
3. I would'nt have broken my foot from excessive working
4. I could see my kid more
5. My husband would be happy that he could see me on a daily basis
As you can see I think way to much but since i'm on bed rest this is the time to figure this out. I heard in my county home bakeries are frowned upon, but who knows until I check.
What do you all think?
Andrea
It all depends on whre you live--even down to the house.
I have done alot of research and some associations will not allow it. Even some cities.
I want to basically build a commercial space on my property. It will cost about $30,000- $50,000 I have fugured. Could be less if I cut the range out and save me $15,000 for a hood!
Funny, I was just thinking I need to rent a space ( church kitchen or something) to work out of. I bake at home right now for friends and family, but it's expanding by word of mouth. I think I'd have a steadier client base if I could advertise and if that picked up then I could think about opening a storefront. My decorating skills have lots of room to improve first, though!! However, reading your problems regarding family issues..I may need to rethink that. Why can't we just have it all? 
Is that too much to ask? 
I don't know where you are located but you definately want to check with the city you plan on buying the new house about building a commercial kitchen. I have called my city and although the state will allow me to have a seperate commercial kitchen on my property it is against city ordinance. I even called my zoning board to see if there was anything I could do like petition. So just a heads up make sure where you move you will be able to do that. I'd move in a heart beat to work from home but we just bought this house a year and half ago. Good luck & feel better soon!
$15k for a hood??? I bought my hood for less than $50 at Lowes and then had to make it vent to the outside...about $150 for those materials and actually ran it myself! As long as it covers the entire top of your range and you are not deep frying anything you shouldn't have to have the big expensive ventilation system?
$15k for a hood??? I bought my hood for less than $50 at Lowes and then had to make it vent to the outside...about $150 for those materials and actually ran it myself! As long as it covers the entire top of your range and you are not deep frying anything you shouldn't have to have the big expensive ventilation system?
We have to buy a NSF approved hood--Also it is custom made without fire suppression--with a full air return. They are pretty strict about it. And yes they will require it even without the fryer. I can get a hot plate and go convection but I really want a range.
moydear77, that is insane! That hood will do you no good if you aren't frying...some states/counties/cities just don't think before they write their guidelines about what is actually appropriate! I don't use convection, I like the convential ovens better. I have 1 range and 2 double ovens. So basically, 5 ovens....they take up an entire wall, but I love 'em!
moydear77, that is insane! That hood will do you no good if you aren't frying...some states/counties/cities just don't think before they write their guidelines about what is actually appropriate! I don't use convection, I like the convential ovens better. I have 1 range and 2 double ovens. So basically, 5 ovens....they take up an entire wall, but I love 'em!
When my first deal was going on I had the same thoughts. They wanted proper ventilation and this is what they said was needed. I almost dropped dead when I got the quote from the vendor. So now I am back to square one because deal one fell through! I just need to find a loop hole!
andrea, it's sam. i don't know about jackson county, but cass county really doesn't have too strict rules. check with the health department and see, but i am totally loving our kitchen being at home. i probably wouldn't agree that you would work less hours because i have to take breaks to switch the laundry or talk on the phone to my sister and stuff but hey...at least you get the laundry done right? my vote is for the home, not the store front. in our business i just don't think it's necessary because we aren't really selling retail stuff like cookies and the like. just thought i'd put my two cents in. good luck, hope your foot feels better 
Re. the hood.....here in Ohio there are two distinct kinds.....don't know the proper terminology, but there are hoods required when you're deep frying and ones when you're not. However, the commercial ones required w/out deep frying are still between $3,000-$5,000 and moydear, you're right, the others ARE between $10,000-$15,000. A friend of mine has a cake shop and said the hood was one of her largest expenses and they were going to force her to purchase the expensive one eventhough she wasn't deep frying anything! She worked her way around it, but still had to have a custom one built and it cost about $5,000. She tried to do a "Lowe's" one, but quickly had to rip that out! It may depend on where you live, but hoods are just darn expensive no matter which way you go!
here, you only need a hood if you are using gas. if you have an electric convection oven, you're all good!
Doesn't Ohio have the cottage law? Are people in their own home kitchen required to have such ventilation?
moydear, I would go with double ovens until you get the ball rolling! You can always put in a range and ventilation later. I started with what I could skimp by with to get going...I've been replacing/adding new things the entire time and it really cut my initial investment down. Even my inspector has commented on the changes I've made and how far I've come! 
Doesn't Ohio have the cottage law? Are people in their own home kitchen required to have such ventilation?
moydear, I would go with double ovens until you get the ball rolling! You can always put in a range and ventilation later. I started with what I could skimp by with to get going...I've been replacing/adding new things the entire time and it really cut my initial investment down. Even my inspector has commented on the changes I've made and how far I've come!
Thanks for the tip! I wll check into my numbers again!
Just trying to help you get going... I know what it's like to want this really badly! I found ways around alot of things so I could get my shop open. I knew I had to get "open" so I could make the money I needed!
I have a home based business and love it!! I get to be home all week, every day. I decorate wedding cakes, and that is for the weekend. I have just started getting busier after doing the bid bridal show. I have a separate commercial kitchen in my basement. I had to get a special use permit from the city, and that look a long time...but was easy. with kids at home, I would def. think about a second kitchen at home so you could be home more. we were remodeling our basement anyway to put the teenagers bedrooms down there, so we just built my kitchen when we did that. it has taken over 2 years, but its finally done!!! and since we did the work ourselves (which is why it took over f2 years) I don't have to repay any loans.
melody
You can always put in a range and ventilation later. I started with what I could skimp by with to get going...I've been replacing/adding new things the entire time and it really cut my initial investment down.
That is what we did... just enough to skimp bya and as we get ahead we reinvest in the business and by or replace things we need. We have been debt free since the first year. I only owe on a 4 year mortgage with 2 1/2 years left to pay on that.
You don't have to start out so far in debt!! But you need to make sure your expenses for business and home are covered for at least a year.
mpc
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