As a commercial business owner, you have your niche, the thing that you excel at above all else, be it serving delicious food, producing or selling useful products, or providing some other service or skill. Chances are good that constructing functional commercial spaces is not one of your areas of expertise, but it doesn’t have to be! Here at DESCCO Design and Construction, commercial building and renovation projects are our bread and butter, and making the process easy and achievable for business owners like you is all in a day’s work for us. Projects like these can be confusing, so this list of commercial construction and renovation FAQs should help you to get started!
How Should I Plan for a Commercial Building Construction Project?
Planning to build a new commercial building completely from scratch is a pretty intense undertaking, and starting the project can be a little daunting. The two most important things you can do to make the process go as smoothly as possible are to have a plan and choose your contractor carefully. When your plan is solid, choosing a contractor will be much easier.
Having a plan doesn’t mean that you need to know every detail of the project, down to the square footage of each room you want. Instead, it means know the specifics of what you want from the building functionally. What kind of commercial building do you need– retail, food and beverage, medical, industrial? What will be the main purpose of the overall space, and of the individual rooms or zones inside the building? Who will use each space the most? What are their most important needs? When are you hoping to have this building usable, and what does your budget look like? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you and your chosen contractor to collaborate on a satisfactory finished project.
What Do I Need Before I Reach Out to Contractors for a Building/Renovation Project?
So, you have your plan in place and you know the outline of your project. What steps do you need to take before you start reaching out to contractors to find the right partner? This is the time where research, reviews, and word of mouth are going to be your best friends. Not only do you want to find a commercial contractor that is reliable, well-regarded, and has a history of quality work, but you want one that has experience in your specific field. If you need a retail storefront built and you’re working with a contractor who specializes in industrial spaces, you’re going to run into some problems.
Asking around with friends and contacts in your industry can be a great way to find contractors who know their stuff and have delivered great work before on similar projects to yours. You can also do plenty of research online, reading about the offerings of different construction companies and looking into their reviews and portfolios. It’s a good idea to have a general understanding of any given contractor before you pick up the phone to speak with them. This way, you know you’re getting what you’re looking for!
What Kinds of Permits/Licenses Do I Need for a Commercial Construction Project?
Commercial construction projects, even basic renovations, aren’t as simple as shaking a hand and signing a paper or two. There’s unfortunately a great deal of red tape involved in any new build or renovation, from permits and licenses to inspections and approvals. Unfortunately, there is no one guide to the official side of commercial construction. Each industry has its own guidelines, and exact methods can vary greatly depending on region.
This is another reason that it helps to ensure you’re working with a commercial contractor who brings plenty of experience in your area and your industry. While you may not be familiar with the legalities of your particular project, your contractor should be, and a good one will be able to assist you with permits and paperwork to ensure that you’re able to use your space without any hindrances.
How Do I Navigate a Specialty Commercial Construction Project?
Beyond the specifications of different fields, like retail versus office construction, there are also smaller, even more specialized project classifications, like clean rooms for medical or produce testing, surgical facilities, laboratories, and more. The needs of these types of spaces are even stricter and more specific, and so your standards for a contractor must be even higher. A construction company that specializes in one of these subtypes should be able to produce portfolios of past work as well as endorsements from previous clients, and you would be wise to ask for evidence of official certifications, compliance, and insurance– any trustworthy company will be ready and willing to provide them. These reassurances can help you to be certain that you’re choosing a partner who knows their stuff!
As you can see, there are many steps to the early stages of a commercial construction or renovation project, but by far the most important is the selection of the commercial contractor that you work with. In the Reading, PA area, DESCCO Design and Construction is one of the leading and most trusted commercial contractors, with over 45 years of experience under our belts and a broad portfolio of specialized work. If you’re interested in discussing an upcoming project with us, don’t hesitate to contact our team today!