My Workshop Decision (Plus, I Almost Got Scammed Out Of $2000)
I’ve finally made a decision on my workshop! And let me tell you, it has been a tough decision, and I have gone full circle with this one. If you’ve been following along over the last two weeks, you know that my biggest priority is to find something to use for storage so that we can move towards getting our kitchen addition started. In order to start on the kitchen, I need to get the sunroom completely cleared out, and I need a place to store the things I want to keep.
My initial idea was to go ahead and build my workshop, which has been in the plans for several years now. You can see it on our landscape plan sitting just behind the carport.
But after looking at those options and getting prices, I thought maybe it would be better to just replace the old rusted storage shed that is in our back yard right now. This thing was here when we bought the house, and while there are a few things in there, I don’t actually use this storage building because (1) it has leaks, and (2) there’s no light in there (no electricity and no natural light) so it’s just dark and creepy.
I thought it would be easier and faster to go that route because that shed sits on a concrete slab. So if I just rip that one down (which can’t be that hard as old and rusty as it is), I could just have a new one built on that slab, right? Quick and easy!
Well, not so fast. I went out and measured the slab (it’s 10′ x 14′), and I also took my framing square out to make sure the slab is square. The local shed company asked me to make sure. It’s not square. It’s not even close to square. So basically, the man at the storage shed company suggested that they could put the shed on that slab, but they’d still use their wood foundation. That means that the finished shed would be about 12 inches above ground. The total cost of a new 10′ x 14′ storage shed was going to run about $5600.
I didn’t love that idea, so I kept searching for other ideas. And then I was scrolling Instagram and saw that on one of the woodworking accounts I follow, they use a shipping container as a spray booth. I loved that idea! Every time I have to spray something, I find myself wishing I had a permanent spray booth set up somewhere to make it easy and to get out of the wind and weather. A little shipping container is a great idea for that!
So that sent me down a rabbit hole looking for a shipping container. The problem is that I wanted a 10-foot shipping container, but those are quite expensive. Until two days ago, I didn’t know that 10-foot shipping containers are generally more expensive than the 20-foot containers because they’re custom made. They take 20-foot containers, cut them in half, and then seal the up. So you’re paying extra for the extra work that goes into them. But there’s no way I want a 20-foot shipping container in our back yard.
After all of that, I went back to the idea of just building the workshop. I found a local company that I really like, and spent lots of time on the phone with the man getting all of the details, asking all of my questions, and getting pricing on various options. I finally decided to go with the 18′ x 32′ garage. I’m still not sure if I want to go with the metal roof or the shingle roof, but the building itself will look like this on the front, minus the shutters…
And then this is the end that will be seen from the carport. It will have a roll-up garage door on this end where I can bring in sheets of plywood and MDF.
And then I’ll have two more windows on the back side…
And then the end opposite the garage door will be solid. I know people suggested having two garage doors, one on each end, but I’m pretty determined to have one solid, uninterrupted wall in there.
I really like this local company. They have been so patient to answer all of my questions and go over all of the options with me. I also like that they’re willing to use my windows. If you’ll remember, way back when I had that misguided notion to turn our carport into my workshop and then build a separate detached garage, I bought four windows that match the windows in our house (same brand, same style, same everything) to use for that. I’ve had them out in the storage building for about two years now, so I’m glad they are willing to use them.
I also decided to have it built on their foundation rather than pouring a concrete foundation for it. I know I’ll get mixed reactions about that, but I told the man what I was going to be using the building for, and asked him his honest opinion. He told me that he ran a cabinet making business out of one of these buildings built on their foundation, and he had every tool I mentioned plus a whole lot more. His building that he used for his cabinet making business was 18 x 50 because he had walled off one end to use as his spray booth to paint the cabinets. But he said he never had a bit of problem with all of his cabinet making tools sitting on their foundation. So I decided to go with that since it will be a savings of several thousands of dollars that I’d rather put towards our kitchen.
So how did I almost get scammed out of almost $2000? Well, I sat down at my computer yesterday morning to write this post and tell y’all all about my workshop decision. And I wanted to include a picture of a cute 10-foot shipping container. So I headed over to Facebook Marketplace to see if I could find a picture of what I was talking about.
And lo and behold, the first result of my search was a cute little gray 10-foot shipping container with a roll-up door that looked to be in GREAT condition for only $1600!!
I couldn’t believe it! Here I was, settled on moving forward with the workshop, and the perfect little shipping container at an unbelievable price landed right in my lap. I was so excited!
So I didn’t want to come here and tell y’all that I had decided on the workshop if I was about to change course. I contacted the seller and asked what the shipping fee would be. The listing said it was in Conroe, Texas, which is about a 2 hour 20 minute drive from Waco. He said it was $225. So the total cost came to $1825. I asked about sales tax, but he said there wasn’t any sales tax. That seemed strange to me. This wasn’t an individual selling his own shipping container. It was a business selling shipping containers. Every for-profit business in Texas has to collect sales tax. It was a little red flag to me, but I thought maybe there was something about shipping containers (since most of them are used) that makes them exempt from sales tax.
Anyway, I said I wanted it, and he said he’d send my info to the billing department. But when I got the bill, it was coming from Florida, not Texas. That in itself is not strange, but it was just another little red flag. So I looked up the business website and it said they were the leading provider for shipping containers, blah, blah, blah. But when I looked up the registrar info for the website, it was only a few months old. The website had been set up in February of this year. How can you be a leading anything in just a few months? And the man selling this shipping container had only joined Facebook in 2024 and had no history and no profile picture.
So I called the number on the invoice, and a man answered. He had a very thick Indian accent. Again, that’s not a strange thing in isolation, but with all of the other little red flags piling up, it just didn’t feel right. But what really sealed it for me was that there was a lot of static on the line. Why would there be so much static on a call from Florida? And interestingly, it seemed to cut out (or he pretended not to hear me) every time I asked where they were located. I finally hung up, and he called right back. Same thing. Lots of static, and conveniently cutting out (or he pretended so) every time I asked where they were located. I asked that several times, and every time (on both calls) he pretended like he couldn’t hear me each time. He never did answer my question about where they were located.
I hung up again, and he called back three more times. I ignored those calls. And then I wrote the guy back on Facebook and said, “Never mind. I don’t want it. This seems like a scam, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to get scammed out of nearly $2000.” To which he responded with a thumbs up emoji. 😀
Interestingly, this morning I looked at Marketplace again for 10-foot containers, and I saw that exact picture in three different listings from three different Texas cities — Conroe, Stephenville, and Dallas. So I’m pretty sure it’s a scam. The ones that seem legit are the ones that ask you to pay a percentage down, and then the balance on delivery. But I’ve yet to find a 10-foot container from one of those places.
*Sigh* My hopes for having a cute little gray shipping container with a roll up door have been dashed. 😀 But that’s okay. I wasn’t scammed out of $2000, and I can now put that money towards a nice workshop with a real local company with very helpful employees who are able to answer all of my questions. Just beware of Facebook Marketplace. For all of the good deals you can find there, you can find an equal amount of creeps and scammers who are just out to separate you from your money. Y’all be careful out there!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Have you considered a large shipping container that you can divide up into 2 or 3 sections & use your windows & install doors /garage doors? You can easily insulate them & pretty them up to suit your garden & house with a porch /awning & even put a sloped roof in for extra storage if needed.
I learned the hard way never to buy anything advertised on FAcebook, unless I already knew of the vendor.
Me too 🙁
My dil got scammed on FB marketplace by a “supposedly local couple” with a great picture of them. She was buying some furniture but they required a $50 deposit to hold it til she could arrange a pickup. She paid on Venmo. She quickly arranged pickup but they would never respond to her. Long story, to the point. No furniture, no response and Venmo did not help her. Beware!
A huge scam on marketplace is patio furniture sets, prices to good to be true …. First red flag! I offered cash but they wanted PayPal or another one. What threw me off was I found it on a private local homesteading page I follow in northern Idaho. They offered to deliver for 30.00. Not unreasonable being it’s close to our town…. But saved us a trip. Then they wanted a percentage to hold it in our name. When you want something so bad, you stop seeing red flags. This was all done in texts. I did send money through PayPal. Within minutes, my son that works with cyber security, did a quick check and knew right away the scam. We contacted PayPal, reported as a scam, and was immediately refunded! The person was not happy they were reported. Like your person…. No profile, no history …. They will cross post but change the stolen profile pic but generally the price and description is nearly the same.
Someone else on marketplace, like me, has been exposing the scammers. Im sure they are making a killing. You can google patio furniture marketplace scam. I contacted the admin of the local homesteaders page and she said they saw it and removed the post because selling is not allowed.
How stupid of me to think a beautiful in perfect condition full patio set would go for 400.00 when new would be 2-3k. So glad you called it a scam and took heed of the red flags.
I really appreciate that you share these kind of things. They help us keep our eyes open. I told my daughter about your dehumidifier and her hubby was like I don’t know how that could possibly be that much help. We are laughing now because she got a medium sized one and put it in their hall and it pulls 2 gallons of water out of their house each day and her air unit has stopped struggling to cool their large home. Now he’s so happy he’s telling everyone in NC about them. Thank you so much for real life experiences!
Image search. Always a nice thing to do, in so many different scenarios! Kudos on checking the registrar info. Glad you didn’t get scammed!
Just for fun I checked our Facebook Marketplace… and you guessed it! Same photo, same price, and offered by someone who joined in 2024 with no profile info. I’m glad you we’re so diligent and paid attention to those red flags!
It looks to me like that 10 ft. container is AI generated. Look at the container to the left and the one behind; they are both a bit beat up. The 10 ft. gray one is too perfect.
That was exactly the first thing I thought, too.
I almost got scammed by FB Marketplace. Right before our meet up she asked if I had Venmo. No I don’t. I was paying cash. Apparently she wanted the. money sent ahead of time. That’s why she never showed up. Lesson learned.
My heart was in my throat reading about you almost getting scammed. I am so glad you spotted those red flags and didn’t ignore them or your gut. Phew!
I think the workshop will be great. It looks really nice. 🙂
Kristi, scam or not, that was God looking out for you. Late hubs and I bought a used 40 ft Hi-Top (9 ft high inside instead of 8) for about 3K some years ago. They are a disaster in areas like FL & TX with high heat/humidity. Had to throw out a bunch of stuff in there because of the condensation from the hot outside/cooler inside. I’m getting ready to unload mine and will be putting it up for sale! CHEAP! Now leaking at one corner and paint is peeling. You do not want to store anything in it that moisture/water will hurt. The water dripping from all the lower ridges was ridiculous. There is actually a company that makes a square of the corrugated metal that can be sealed to the top. You then cut a hole in the container ceiling where you’re going to put the square piece. Then you go buy one of those electric roof fans that pulls heat out of the attic. By this time, you have a fortune invested.
Definitely not the way to go! Never again!
KUDOS! To all of us who expose scammers. I just heard back from the FDA. I asked them to look at an OTC for arthritis relief. I tried it & boy did it work! It was supposed to be Hyaluronic Acid 850 mg. It wasn’t. It was diclofenac (Voltaren) at 3.5 times the prescription dose! NSAIDs can wipe out kidneys. At that dose, it would only take a few months! The stuff was called UMARY. Now it’s off the market. When I notified FDA about it, I also notified WalMart, Amazon & EBay. Nobody listened except FDA. If something medicinal is made in Mexico, it is a scam and probably contains something different than what it says. I did write EBay a second time & they stopped anybody from selling it on that site.
Kristi…Good for you for noticing those red flags. Scammers are everywhere now and I’m so glad you did your research and didn’t fall for it. High five here.
Glad you have found a company that is honest, and answered all of your questions. Sounds like you will have the perfect building to make your workshop. About having big wide doors on each end of the building…I think it is best to have only one end that will open up wide and big to unload your materials. I also think you made the wisest decision of having the door loading end of your building to be visible from your carport, and the closed end toward the back part of your yard.
https://fb.watch/tIc7PP6WPJ
Just a FYI: This FB AD is using your photo. If my memory is correct, you posted about castor oil not Instant Face tightening cream (which I believe is a knock off ad too). file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/40/00/FE68C57E-3FE5-4C4D-97F1-8B5952B958E6/IMG_7615.webp
Here in Australia the shipping containers are a particularly well used
scam too.
So glad your plans are coming together xx
Great ideas! It’s fun to follow you!
FYI, someone from your site sent me an “invite” yesterday, blah! Blab! Blah! His name was “David Williams.” I blocked “him,” but you might want to block “him” from your site, so no one else is contacted by “him.”
Those are bots. Just ignore and block. I get between one and five a day mass commenting on my Facebook page posts. It can sometimes feel like a full-time job keeping up with them, but I block as soon as I see them. But responding is futile since they’re bots.
I’m so tired of the marketplace scams. Hopefully you reported all those you saw too. I’m glad we’re all getting smart at these red flags. Sadly, the honest folks have to jump through high hoops.
We had to deal with Facebook Marketplace trying to sell our mom’s van. She passed away in July 2023, so we were trying to sell her van in September. My sister posted the pictures and information and waited for responses. We knew there would be people wanting something for nothing and were just fishing for more information. What we didn’t know was that people will take your info and post it as their own. It was insane how many times – even lately – that mom’s van was listed as available. We sold it in October to a mechanic who wanted to work on it with their son. That young man has been driving it since late November – and he knows how all of it works. FB Marketplace is a mess.
I’ve found myself on Marketplace recently, helping my mom purge before she downsized to a much smaller home. I’ve come to realize that there are a lot of different people out there…strange, dishonest, snippy, cheap, dishonest, crazy, angry, & did I mention dishonest?
It’s the wild west out there, it’s a full time job, researching the items I wanted to sell, then researching the folks who pushed the button asking if it was still available, only to ghost me when I said it was. I’m almost done with this (unwanted) job, and wish upon the scammers a very unpleasant rash where the sun don’t shine.
I like your future shed…I know you will customize it to your specs.
My brother was a hobbiest who built himself a paint booth in the garage, with an air filter, and had the exhaust eliminated out of a window. Now, he only airbrushed smaller items, so the scale was smaller than you might need, but here is an idea you might want to persue?!
Hmmm….could you just use a little shed like we’ve purchased from HD or Lowes for your spray paint booth? Glad you caught the scam. My husband almost fell for trying to buy a gorgeous puppy. I could tell it was a scam because they weren’t asking enough questions about the kind of home they were going to ship this beautiful creature to. So sad.