📊 How much would I save restoring an abandoned car wash with used equipment and DIY labor instead of buying brand new?

This calculator helps you decide between a scrappy restoration and a premium overhaul for an abandoned car wash. As The Revestor describes his project, I call it a zombie car wash the thing was dead it had been closed for 15 years I scrapped basically most you know all the equipment. He spent $102,000 total. Compare your estimates below to see how a scrappy approach saves money.

The biggest variable expenses in restoring a zombie car wash are the equipment and the parking lot. You can save tens of thousands by buying a used equipment package. As The Revestor notes, it had this pump stand in it it had this air compressor it had this three thousand dollar bill changer and I bought all that for ten thousand dollars.

Patching and sealing the asphalt lot is also much cheaper than fully replacing it. As The Revestor explains, crack seal sealer all that eighteen thousand dollars huge expense right there I had it bid out to replace and it was about 35 000 to 40 000 at that point.

Specialized car wash labor is expensive. As The Revestor states, the going rate on labor for anybody that knows what they're doing with the car wash is you know at least 100 an hour. Doing your own hose runs and plumbing can save you thousands compared to hiring it all out.

Base facility costs should cover electrical, pits, and critical upgrades. You cannot skip installing credit card readers. As The Revestor breaks it down, I spent on these meter boxes roughly about eleven thousand dollars and then I spent another twenty five hundred to three thousand on the masonry and the brickwork.