When companies go in search of a new building, they have two options: rent out an existing commercial building, or contract a builder to construct one from the ground up.
While some business owners would prefer renting an existing commercial space to save time and money, many others prefer the construction of their building to give it more of a personal touch to their office space. Although this is a more costly venture, it could pay off handsomely in the long run.
So if you’re going the building route, here are the things you need to construct your dream commercial building.
Evaluate, Locate, Plan, and Permit
The old saying in the business world is “location, location, location,” and nowhere is this saying important than planning where to place a new commercial building.
Before construction and site selection can begin, however, you should determine what type of building you want to develop. Each industry has a unique commercial footprint that it wants to plant. No two commercial buildings are the same. For example, a 7-11 store will have different standards than a Planet Fitness gym the same goes for other types of commercial properties.
So work with the company that has contracted you to get a sense of what that company wants in its building, and draw up the designs and plans from there. Now that that’s taken care of, you will need to come up with an awesome location for the commercial building.
This is where zoning plays a huge factor in what type of commercial building gets constructed in what location. Most cities across the country (sans Houston) have zoning laws that dictate where certain industries can build their buildings. Checking a market’s zoning ordinances first will allow you to narrow your site search. For example, let’s say that an industrial company has consulted you to select a site for its new building. You will need to go to the City Hall to look up which areas the city allows industrial buildings to be built.
While zoning ordinances can be frustrating, they do cut down on the amount of time a company can spend in site selection, and will also provide yours with an interesting insight into how other businesses have constructed their buildings, which could shape how you design your commercial building.
Once you’ve picked out the land, now it’s time to plan and get the proper permits needed to move forward in the construction of your commercial building.
As we mentioned earlier, each commercial building has its set of needs that will allow it to function the way it’s supposed to. Let’s take apartment buildings, for example. In this day-and-age, many apartment hunters are looking for a suite of amenities that will know their socks off, with one of the major perks being high-speed internet and built-in USB ports. So, as a building constructor, you will want to incorporate the use of technology and other amenities into your building plans. Also, think about putting in bike storage (especially if that building is in a transit heavy area), gyms, and other amenities.
Planning these things amenities out will make it easier for you to determine what your building will need for it to be a functional part of that area. Planning won’t make a difference, however, if you don’t get the permits needed to do the construction. Cities across the country have a permitting process that builders will have to go through to turn a plot of land into a shining commercial masterpiece.
Some will make it easy for the builder, while others will make one go through a lot of hoops to obtain the necessary permits. It can be maddening, but without permits, you can construct. So bring an extra side of calm and you will obtain the permits needed to make your construction dreams turn into reality.
Time to Budget and Finance
Do you know what else you need before you begin construction? A budget.
You can build from nothing, right? So make sure that you are taking the time to budget and obtain financing for your construction project can be a profit dream, not a money-draining nightmare. A budget can help control the costs of the construction process and help you sidestep misfortunes to make it easier for you to do the work.
Stay disciplined, organized, and stick to your budget so that you can bring in a nice profit on the construction.
Lot Clearing Services
Part of the construction process is making sure the plot of land where the new building will be located is cleared of anything that will hinder the construction process.
You should call in a contractor that specializes in clearing lots to ensure that you have the space needed to build the building. Trees are a common issue for lots and hiring a tree removal company will ensure that any trees that are standing on the lot are torn down and cleared off the lot. Next, you’ll need to control weeds. Yes, weeds can pose an issue for construction sites, so you should ensure that your weed control can snuff out any weeds that want to grow on the lot.
Also, you will need to take care of the ground water that will play a very important part in the construction process. The last thing that you will want to do is cause damage to the groundwater, so protect that souse at all cost.
Hire an Architectural Engineering Service
We spoke at length earlier about how it’s important to plan your new commercial building to fit your needs.
To help with the design process, contact a company that specializes in architectural engineering services to help bring your design to life. An architectural engineering service is associated with every aspect of commercial property, from planning to design. Hiring an AES contractor will help you deal with the integrated designs of your property. Say, for example, you’re constructing a commercial property that has to be resilient for the 21st century. What we mean by “resilient” is that it won’t add on a carbon footprint, making the building green and environmentally friendly.
An Architectural engineering service can come in and plan and design the building so that will achieve the resiliency goals that the contractee wants to accomplish in their new building. Architectural engineers are in great demand these days because buildings are under more scrutiny than ever to have a design and functionality needed to be kinder to the environment, which at the same time, being architecturally striking and standing out from the pack.
Make Sure You Have the Industrial Equipment Handy
It’s pretty hard to construct a building without the material needed to make it a reality, so you should have the industrial equipment needed to get this project off the ground.
One important piece of industrial equipment that you need to have on hand is a hydraulic pump. A hydraulic pump compresses fluid, and these pumps can be used to deliver concrete to a construction project. Concrete is needed to build these commercial buildings, and a hydraulic pump can aid in this mission. You’ll also need to bring in air dryers for a construction project. That concrete has to dry somehow, and commercial air dryers can help dry the concrete fast. Before buying (or renting) an air dryer, you will need to know which air dryer you will need on the job.
There are different types of air dryers for all sorts of construction jobs out there, so picking the best will be crucial to determining how effective the dryer will be for your construction project.
Specialized Contractors
While you’ll be the main contractor for the commercial project, you may need to do some sub-contracting to get the work done.
This is where specialized contractors come into play. In the construction world, there are many contractors out there for all sorts of jobs. Need doors installed in your building? A commercial door installation contractor can come in and install the doors needed to make the business function. Of course, you’ll need someone to come in and build the roof, in which you should contract commercial roofers to come in and do the job.
It is a common practice to hire subcontractors for work such as elevator services subcontractors to do a construction job. Normally, the main contractor is the one that oversees the process of the construction, and subcontractors are brought in to do the nitty, gritty things like install telephone lines and plumbing in the building. The main contractor is involved in the planning and design phase, and make sure that the building is being built to the contractee’s standards.
As we mentioned earlier, there are contractors for every job out there, from plumbing to general construction work.
Most of the time, the master contractor only acts as a facilitator of a commercial building’s progress, mainly steering the ship of all of the contractors that are needed to help with the actual constructing of a building. These are called “subcontractors,” companies that are contracted by the construction design company to do the nitty, gritty stuff such as installing wiring and roof installation.
There are two types of subcontractors that a master contractor will use during the construction process. The first is specialized contractors, which we already wrote about in length above. These are your roofers and door installation that will come in and do a specialized task to help see the building’s construction to completion. The second is commercial contractors, who are called upon to do the actual construction of the building. For example, a master contractor will subcontract a forklift contractor to come in and move the material and equipment that’s needed on the project.
General construction workers also fall under the commercial contractor banner. These are the workers who are doing the construction project from the ground up. Numerous general contractors are used for all sorts of projects, and some specialize in commercial projects. General contractors will search and find a good subcontractor who can do the work on the building for a price that will work for all parties involved in the process.
When you’re embarking on a commercial construction project, search for the best commercial contractors that will come in and do the work that you and the contractee expects. The result is a commercial building that not only functional but also stands out from its contemporaries.
In conclusion, building a commercial building is not for the novice contractor.
Building a commercial building is different from building a home. While in new home construction projects you can essentially build the same house over-and-over again in a new neighborhood, commercial projects are not all built the same.
Whether it’s industrial or retail, each commercial building has its own needs and functions, all of which need to figure into the planning and design phase of a construction project. Not only that, but you will have to build the project up to the standards of the company, putting added pressure to construct a building that will be visual and functionally pleasing for all involved.
While you will feel the pressure, following the steps needed during the construction process will make things go smoothly. As mentioned earlier, planning and designing should always be the first step in the construction process. Come up with a design that will be stunning and striking, and make plans such as how long it will take to construct the building. Another aspect that separates commercial construction from home construction is the zoning and permitting process, both of which take more navigation than building a home.
Once you have the permits in hand, it’s time to build. Make sure to bring in an architectural engineering service to help steer the construction and have the right equipment in hand to get the job done.
Last, but not least, hire a great group of contractors who will take pride in the job and do it right. In the end, you’ll have an environmentally friendly commercial building, a marvel on the eyes, and the functions needed to keep a business in operation for years to come.