I have a bedroom dedicated to my longarm. I have an innova 26" on a 10 ft frame. I can tell you I wish I had gotten a bigger frame. But like you my dedicated space to the machine was small as it is small bedroom. I probably could have squeezed in 12 ft frame and in hindsight I wish I had. The widest quilt I can do on a 10' frame is 100" quilt which most king size are bigger than that. You may regret going with a smaller frame. An 8' frame will only allow you to quilt around 76 to 80" wide quilt which is only a twin. If you are going to make the substantial investment of a longarm on a frame don't go that small, I guarantee you will regret it. Especially if you decide to quilt for others.
As far as front to back my frame is 55" deep. This includes the table at the back for pantos. I have 19" behind the frame which is enough for me to work from the back doing pantos but I stand next to my machine and guide it with one hand. I have 28" in front of the frame for working from the front. That is a grand total of 102" which is 8 1/2 feet. So I would agree with the dealer that you need at least 7 feet width if you plan on working from both sides of the machine, which most people do.
I know of many longarmers who have their setup in a basement. You need to make sure you have good ample lighting. My longarm is in an upstairs bedroom with natural light and overhead lighting. I have added more since getting my machine. I feel you can't have too much light.
Last edited by feline fanatic; 03-19-2016 at 02:35 PM.