Wow - that looks really nice… Many great boards to come out of here no doubt!
fantastic josh !!
Le Chambre is on the move!
I've been seeking factory space all my own for three years - virtually despairing of the mad prices for industrial space I took to letter-dropping nearby farms. Huge swathes of the area are being developed, and many many great old sheds have been or soon will be demolished, but I met the owner of this one, who has to wait years yet before this place meets the bulldozer.It's an original Petrol (Gas) station - There are bowser holes overgrown with grass inside the U-shaped drive.
OK...so It looks like something the Okies left behind, and you might not go near it with a 10ft pole...But what if the said nearby demolitions yielded enough roofing material to re-roof it for free, and your friend "The Tin Man" happened to need a new board. What if it was on the road between home and your favourite break and cut your commute to work to 5 mins? What if the wiring was actually relatively recently re-done already? What if you had enough chipboard and refrigeration wall panels to fit it out, already accumulated in those 3 yrs? What if you could live on the same property in a farm house?
And so cheap its a sin?
This is it, the soon-to-be high-tech surfboard maufacturing facility of JD, with a showroom.
Renovation goes on...
soon-to-be
good luck renovating Josh!
are you going to make several air and moisture - tight rooms?
spray and lamming room side to side?
any drawing of the plans?
cheers
WOW you are a very brave man , I wish you the very best of luck.
Shed looks like a challenge Josh haha!!
There was a 10 year gap between my visits to Bells when I went down this year in June. Must say it has changed a lot, heaps of development has gone on hey? Sad but change is inevitable, I guess all those people need new surfboards though which is good 
Looks perfect to me! Nice scenery for your lunch break. Well ventilated. Nobody around to complain about the noise and smell. Walk outside to take a leak when you need to. Potty with a view(Is that an EPS seat? Careful, I hear that shit soaks up water…er… piss.). Fresh lemon for tequilla shooters at the end of the week. Got rotary hoes( ok, white guys lame ass attempt at African American humor). Mike
Hey Rooster - I think the Rotary Hoeing thing is like, a Swingers club...
But on everything else your'e on the same page as me - I can see a Hammock in my future, out there strung between the lemon trees.
After the work is done.
Meanwhile - 101 uses for EPS offcuts...
JD
Josh, I can see whats possible with that building, I suppose anyone who can make a sleek surfboard from a can of resin and a blob of foam can visualise how cool your new digs are going to be.
EPS offcuts for wall insulation, lined with ply, couple of coats of exterior paint on the floor, fix those pesky roof leaks....
If youve got the room put in a Snooze Room, Cafeteria, International Media Centre...
and maybe a litle roof over the Outdoor Thunder Box. On the plus side you can fart like a horse and not worry about offending anyone !!
How many windows / skylights can you put in to use natural light and save on electriicity ??
Hey Foils - Yes, I'd been driving past this place with wistful wishful thinking for months and months - it was for sale for two years, then suddenly the last tenants were gone. That's when I slipped inside for a proper look and got excited.
The high-pressure water cleaner machine is proving indispensable - amazing - It strips paint! and inches-thick crud on the floor too...
I'm waiting for the word from the contractors at the development across the road - a nearly new house to be demolished has an entertainment/barbeque area entirely roofed in clearlight. I'll add it to my roof later.
JD
Bonus score with the clearlight !
How long is your lease.. if you have one ? So are you looking to make it a 'cheap and cheerful' construction or are you digging in for a few years ???
Keep us all abreast of the progress and especially if the Hoes come back.....
I'm with Rooster Mike. This looks like a place where you can be left alone. Great spot!! Is there an Austrailian equivolent of the State's Environmental Protection Agency? Not to mention the local fire dept. doing their shakedowns with spot inspections.
Good on you Josh...
Josh, even better, you could out up a big “surf report” sign. Every day it’d be 1-2" and onshore
Hey Beery that makes me laugh...yes, I had mind to have a surf report blackboard. What you're suggesting however points to the classic dilemma for a surfer who is a shopkeeper - Keep the surf empty or sell the hodads a board/legrope/deckgrip\/wax/ package.
"6' and Offshore" would keep the punters more excited, but then, would they stop on the way? Adesperate last-minute stop for wax maybe...Hey! Drive-through wax and coffee!!!
On the horns of Dilemma...
Well, as it is, 90% of my customs go interstate, so I'm not doing like, too much instant-crowd at my local!
JD
I am living vicariously through you. Keep us posted.
all the best
Josh
I cant wait to see your shop all done up.
Josh, the coffee shop idea should not be dismissed... does your wife want to be involved?
Just make sure it's good coffee... talking from experience... and I know Melbournites particularly, and Vics in general, know what a good coffee is, just like they (sometimes) know what a good board is!
It's definately not dismissed Mr. Wild - except that I'd be drinking the stock!
A coffee van is a real possibility - the lady from the nearby end-of-the line station could do lunchtimes after her rush-hour commuter shift.
JD