Well Guys, Got another question for you'all. I am interested in building a hangar or set of T-hangars at my home airport in South Carolina. I am not living in the U.S. now, but plan to return to SC in a couple years or sooner. My understanding is that there is a long list for the current shelter's, and the local economy is picking up faster than average. The Airport is undergoing a big runway expansion courtesy of the FAA.

I would like to build, because I know there is room and the County had previously approved a builder a few years ago, but backed out due to the economy and the fact it was related to a aircraft manufacturer company.

I have been able to find lots of builder/dealers. I can find no real info on estimated material costs or labor costs, short of calling each company. Which i dont want to call and talk with salesman at this point. All I want to do is make a spreadsheet and run numbers to see what my estimated costs are going to be and how much profit potential there is , if any in renting/leasing the units.

I know it varies on location, but anyone have rough numbers on T-hangar costs per unit?

Lownslow.

Over the years, I did a lot of "hangar building budgeting" for my place. The cost to build and get it paid for with a 10 year loan, was always more then the hangar rental income would generate in my area.

This is one way it would work however, if your airport would allow this. Have your row of T hangars only face the runway, and have the wasted space around the tails then be facing the highway/street, with two mini storage units per plane. If I remember correctly, those two mini storage spaces would bring in twice what the hangar area did, but the building would be a profit generator then.

If you were where there were no building codes, the fast and easy money idea is this: Buy 9 or 10 shipping containers and line them up 40 feet apart and put trusses over them. Instant hangars and mini storage between each one! And they would be portable too.

patrol guy wrote:Lownslow.

Over the years, I did a lot of "hangar building budgeting" for my place. The cost to build and get it paid for with a 10 year loan, was always more then the hangar rental income would generate in my area.

This is one way it would work however, if your airport would allow this. Have your row of T hangars only face the runway, and have the wasted space around the tails then be facing the highway/street, with two mini storage units per plane. If I remember correctly, those two mini storage spaces would bring in twice what the hangar area did, but the building would be a profit generator then.

If you were where there were no building codes, the fast and easy money idea is this: Buy 9 or 10 shipping containers and line them up 40 feet apart and put trusses over them. Instant hangars and mini storage between each one! And they would be portable too.

Yes, The storage idea is good and valid fit. The airport is semi-rural and has many storage facility's nearby already. Since Charleston is a Shipping port, lots of cargo containers are available. Thought of having cargo containers anchored tot he ground then have fabric spans with walls. The existing county owned hangars are open bay type built of wood and steel roof/sides and offer no door's or storage.

I have lots of time to think, but not being on site is killer for me, because I am so far away. just trying to think of ways to leverage my money that I am working to save in a investment, that would produce a long term secondary income. I know the ramp is full and the waiting list is full for a hangar, but no hangar building in the works as of yet. I know the county is all about improvements ond have be cooperate in the land lease and building of several corporate hangars.

I think the county paid their hangars off in 9 years.

In 07 I was going to do the same thing. The cost for a building 10 T Hangers was just over $420K. Even though the land lease was less then I would pay for property tax alone if I owned the land, it just didn't work out on paper. By the time you add in the power, permits, fees and in my case the asphalt around the hangers, it was almost equal to the cost to build. I would have needed 100% occupancy to make it work.

I was going to do it just to get a free hanger but if you want it for your income I would put my money elsewhere. I'd put my money into a storage facility and then buy or lease a hanger. The only reason the city's can make it work so well is because they don't pay interest. They use their land and your money.

If the airport has or is receiving money from the FAA, the FAA is probably not going to be real happy to have someone build a mini-storage setup on airport property, whether or not it's accessible from air side.

Talk to whomever manages your airport. There is AIP funding out there, and contrary to what a LOT of folks say, AIP funding CAN be used to build rental hangars. We just built a ten unit T-Hangar here, and the City's share of that project was $26 K. These are big hangars, as well, though not heated.

If you build it yourself, you're going to have to meet all the building codes, etc on your own. And, at MOST municipal airports, if you build on their property, you not only sign a contract to pay their lease fees, but there is GENERALLY a clause in that contract that says the airport owns YOUR building after so many years. Then you can lease it from them. Explore the fine print before you commit.

MTV

If your airport has enough land available to where you do not need to "nest" the T-hangars together due to space considerations, look into Quonset Hut type corrugated arched buildings. I think they're cheaper and quicker to build than standard square buildings, and they meet all the engineering snow/wind codes. The cost difference might tip the balance in your favor.

You can put up Quonset buildings 60 feet long and put a hangar door on each end, then a light duty wall or even a tent fabric partition in the middle. This would theoretically save (eliminate) one structural wall from each aircraft hangar, which would add up to some amount of savings if you're building 10 or 20 hangars.

Our city owned T-hangars at my local airport were simply staked down right onto the existing asphalt, no slab. SO if you are negotiating with your airport, you may be able to take advantage of any asphalt or concrete they have. Another option is to put half of the Quonset huts on the existing asphalt with walls and doors, and half of them out on the grass with no walls. They will keep rain and sun off of airplanes, which is enough for some people who don't want an enclosed "workshop".

If you build it yourself, you're going to have to meet all the building codes, etc on your own. And, at MOST municipal airports, if you build on their property, you not only sign a contract to pay their lease fees, but there is GENERALLY a clause in that contract that says the airport owns YOUR building after so many years. Then you can lease it from them. Explore the fine print before you commit.

This would be the first consideration in my opinion. I ran into this in Missouri. I can't imagine spending all that time and $ building and then handing it over to the airport after so many years. Unless you build something specifically for yourself or your business you would want to be able to recoup your investment quickly. Cause in many cases when you want to get out or the term expires the airport gets the buildings. Also, some airports stipulate that only aircraft can be stored in a hangar. This limits your ability to rent as a storage unit if you can't find tenants. You DO know how to make a million $ in aviation don't you?

The hanger is $$$$ . We've got several and hangers and building itself is depending on size is maybe 1/4-1/3 of cost.Metal buildings will run 4-8 dollars a sq. ft. assembled with no improvements . Add Floors and doors and easily add 10 bucks a sq. ft. Lights/electricity and water will add another 6-10 bucks a sq. ft. 4200 sq. ft.(50 wide x 72 long) hanger ate up $62,000 bucks not counting ground lease. It took 4 months to do. I've seen them done for less but it's not much. Suggest you look into a http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/home building plastic vinyl cover over lightweight frame .
There easy to put up and can be moved to other locations -Anchor arch supports in concrete tubs -roll up doors are about the only option -lights ? other stuff ? I've seen several of these in Az. http://www.teksupply.com/farm/supplies/ ... 7562T.html
with roll up doors > big enoungh for 2 small (172 size) airplanes .

lownslow79 wrote:.....All I want to do is make a spreadsheet and run numbers to see what my estimated costs are going to be and how much profit potential there is , if any in renting/leasing the units.....

The return oin investment is gonna be pretty slow for rentals, and with the economy the way it is now, hangars for sale are a glut on the market- at least around my area. There have been several for sale at my airport (which is a pretty popular place to be based) for several months with no takers.
You know how to make a small fortune in aviation? Start out with a large one. Funny but unortunately true. If it was me, I'd find something to invest my hard-earned bucks in besides aviation.

mtv wrote: ....And, at MOST municipal airports, if you build on their property, you not only sign a contract to pay their lease fees, but there is GENERALLY a clause in that contract that says the airport owns YOUR building after so many years. Then you can lease it from them. Explore the fine print before you commit. .......

This is the case at my public airport, pretty common. The ground lease period for private hangars here is generally 40 or 50 years, after which the building reverts to the property owner. For commercial hangars (FBO), I believe it might be 30 years. Seems like a rip off, but from what I've heard this is not too uncommon for building on leased ground.
In some cases, the airport owner will extend the lease- but not always. A large complex of hangars (the "Cedar River hangars") at the Renton WA airport were taken at the end of their ground lease a few years ago, when the city decided not to renew the lease again. I believe they had 10-year leases, renewable "by mutual consent" (key words).