List the jobs you take on and how long vehicles stay in the shop. Cars waiting for parts need somewhere to go without tying up every working bay.
Map a busy day
List the vehicles you expect to service, including the largest and the most awkward to maneuver. Note which jobs require a lift, which remain at floor level and which may occupy a bay overnight. Add any vehicles waiting for diagnosis, customer approval or parts.
Sketch the route from arrival to service and collection. Identify where a technician retrieves tools, where parts are delivered, and where customers should go. Separate customer circulation from the working-shop discussion so an office is not simply squeezed into unused space later.
Measure each working station
Collect selected lift and equipment information from suppliers. Mark the vehicle envelope, doors opened for access, tool carts and technician working areas. Use these as discussion items for the designer, not as a substitute for supplier installation instructions.
Include less obvious needs: tire storage, removed components, waste collection, diagnostic equipment and a place to keep an unfinished job organized. If tools move between bays, show their route.
Distinguish capacity from flexibility
An extra bay and a flexible work area solve different problems. Describe whether your bottleneck is vehicle storage, technician access, equipment sharing or customer turnover. Ask the contractor to discuss layouts that respond to that specific constraint.
Plan future work honestly. If you expect larger fleet vehicles or a new service, identify the equipment and extra working room they will need.
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