i am in tx so no home baking for me ...i am about to purchase a portable building to set up next to my house as my pastry shop and i am wondering what size i will need. i would hate to invest money in somethign and it turn out to be too small. i mainly just do cake decorating by meyself so it's not a huge thing, but i am also getting an assistant who is going to be in charge of some gourmet deserts, candies, and other fun stuff so it needs to be big enough for 2 people to work cofortably in. i was looking at some used buildings in the 12x14 size range but that sounds like it may be too small.

I'd first do a graph drawing to scale of how much space your equipment will take up. And be sure to leave space for the extra tables and shelves you will need later. (Yes, you WILL need them. I promise you. You will need more workspace and storage than you think.)

12x14 is 168 sq ft. That sounds small to me.

Ten years ago we built a 16x30, I outgrew it 5 years ago. I have had as many as 4 working but it was real tight. I have accumulated so much stuff, I had to have another bldg 10x12 for storage, plus I have one room 10x10 for stuff I use for catering. You need to plan for growth if you can, whether you add on later or do it now. You need to sit down and figure all your equipment, shelving, supplies, refrigerators, freezers, sinks etc. I am wall to wall stuff with not an ounce of free space.

Here's another thread with a similar question.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-6522746-.html#6522746

I just did this! I'm in OK so we had to have a seperate kitchen. Here's a link to info about my place (which I love!!!) It's just me so it may seem small to some, but it's perfect for what I do which is mostly cakes.... http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=644621&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

OP, did you ever find a place? If so, what size place did you end up going with?