More sandblasting q's; doing it at home?

[Canada20]

Hey all. I know blasting cabinets and equipment like that is available for media blasting but I seem to remember having a buddy in school who's dad was really into restorations and he did sandblasting in his driveway. I don't know what preparations he made to do that; maybe he had some $4000 sealed tent that fit over the vehicle that I just never saw or maybe he just loaded up a gun, strapped on a facemask and blasted away. What kind of stuff can a do-it-yourselfer get away with?

Greg