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Sean Wells Fargo
As a building owner, you pick your investments wisely. With a commercial remodeling project, lack of planning, knowledge, and careful thought is equal to losing money.
Some of the biggest commercial remodeling blunders we see end up being time-consuming and costly. Before you invest in commercial renovation, ensure to cover all your bases.
We have compiled a list of common remodeling mistakes that you can learn from or avoid altogether.
Hiring the Wrong Contractor
With the number of commercial remodeling contractors in the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. Before reaching out to a remodeling contractor for an estimate, do your research.
During the meeting with the contractor, considering estimates and the project’s term will give you an idea of their professionalism and their working methodology.
Not Evaluating the Current Property Condition Properly
Before finalizing the contractor, it’s advisable to reduce change orders by conducting a thorough inspection of the property, including a site visit to get a grip with the site’s condition, in addition to evaluating as-built drawings.
Unlike original construction drawings, which partially indicate how the property was designed, as-built drawings give a clear view of how the property was actually built.
Therefore, it will give your architect and engineering teams a clear idea as to what’s behind the walls before the remodeling project begins. The site visit also lets your team assess actual site conditions and cross-check any changes from the drawings.
Ignoring the Hazardous Materials
Some older Commercial Properties contain dangerous materials such as industrial chemicals, asbestos, mercury, and lead. The local ordinances regulate the use of these materials.
A material-survey may be needed to identify and remove them safely, legally, and professionally (and dodge massive fines for non-compliance). By closing this early in the pre-design step, you can come to more accurate calculations, factoring in remediation costs, and plan solutions that reduce those costs.
Tight Budget
It doesn’t matter how thoroughly you plan; surprises are unavoidable during renovation, so be prepared for them!
Include an allowance of 5-10% of the entire design cost for contingencies (or more elaborate projects or old buildings that need repair). By anticipating the unexpected, your project is expected to stay on budget.
Collecting Incomplete Project Requirements
To get a precise cost estimate, it is important to plan and communicate all project requirements clearly. If you are renovating the property’s spatial layout, think through all potential applications of the space.
When discussing with an architect, expect them to ask specific questions regarding space utilization, technology usage, occupant communication, anticipated growth, current usage challenges, and more.
Undermining Building Systems Life Cycles
Your building systems such as electrical, plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning have natural life cycles, known as their Expected Useful Life (EUL).
You can save capital in the long-term by replacing systems nearing the end of their EUL during planned remodeling. This enables you to make the changes while the walls are already down.
Wrapping Up
If done properly, commercial renovation can give you good returns in many forms. However, the process is also susceptible to mistakes; that is why getting it done via commercial property maintenance companies is the way to go.