Barn Setup (10 Employees)
The Barn is the first property where full automation becomes viable. Buy it from Ray's Realty for $25,000 once you reach Dealer rank.
Optimal Employee Allocation:
| Zone | Employees | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Ground floor - south | 1 Botanist | 5 pots growing base strain |
| Ground floor - center | 2 Chemist | 4 Mixing Stations (daisy chain) |
| Ground floor - north | 3 Handler | Shelf restocking + inter-zone moves |
| Upper floor | 1 Handler + 1 Packer | Output bagging + loading bay |
| Utility | 1 Botanist + 1 Handler | Drying rack management |
Layout Blueprint for Meth 4-Mix:
- Place 4 shelves near the ground floor loading bay. Whitelist 2 ingredients per shelf.
- Set 4 Mixing Stations in a straight line along the center wall. Station 1 output to Station 2, and so on.
- Run a Handler route: Loading bay -> each shelf. Whitelist by ingredient type.
- Run a second Handler route: Station 4 output -> stairwell box.
- On the upper floor: Packer bags from the stairwell box. Handler moves bags to upper loading bay.
The Barn's 2-floor layout introduces a common failure: Handlers get stuck on stairs with large loads. Keep stairwell boxes small (1 shelf, not a rack) and limit each Handler to 4 routes max instead of 6 inside the Barn.
Docks Warehouse Setup (12 Employees)
The Docks Warehouse ($50,000, Hoodlum V rank unlock, 6PM-6AM access) is the largest automation property before the Manor.
Optimal Employee Allocation:
| Zone | Employees | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Main floor - east | 2 Botanist | 10 pots of coca base |
| Main floor - center | 4 Chemist | 8 Mixing Stations (two 4-chains) |
| Main floor - west | 4 Handler | Full logistics coverage |
| Loading bay | 2 Packer | Dual output bagging |
Layout Blueprint for Cocaine 8-Mix:
- Place 6 shelves along the east wall, 3 per side. Whitelist ingredients for 8-mix: OG Kush base + Battery + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Cuke + Paracetamol + Gasoline + Motor Oil.
- Set 8 Mixing Stations in two parallel 4-station chains. Chain A processes ingredients 1-4, Chain B processes 5-8.
- Use clipboard to merge Chain B output into Chain A's final station for the complete 8-mix.
- Two Packer stations at the west loading bay, each bagging different product sizes ($50 and $100 bags).
- Three Handlers on routes: Loading bay <-> Shelves, Shelves <-> Stations, Stations <-> Packer.
| Metric | Barn (Meth 4-mix, approx.) | Warehouse (Coke 8-mix, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | $25K property + $5K equipment | $50K property + $12K equipment |
| Daily employee cost | ~$490 | ~$790 |
| Units per day | ~120 | ~240 |
| Profit per unit (estimated) | $100-130 (Meth) | $250-350 (Cocaine) |
| Daily gross (estimated) | $12K-$18K | $60K-$85K |
| Days to recoup setup | ~2-3 days | ~1 day |
Automation Priority Order
- Bungalow ($6K): Semi-auto, 4 employees. Best for starting Peddler III OG Kush production.
- Barn ($25K): First true automation. Upgrade at Dealer I rank when daily revenue exceeds $10K.
- Docks Warehouse ($50K): Endgame automation. Upgrade when you can sustain $20K/day in ingredient costs.
- Skip the Manor ($250K) unless you are at Kingpin rank with Cocaine 9-mix demand.
Community Verification and Resources
Layouts vary by patch version. Cross-check your property-specific setup against:
See also: Mixing Station Automation Setup for the full guide on configuring Chemist, Handler and Packer routes.