Commercial Office Renovations - Environmental Aspects

Environmental issues are a hot topic. We all need to try to be greener and to use sustainable processes. If you are considering a commercial office renovation, this is perhaps even more important. It is likely that parts of your old office were true energy drains and that your carbon footprint is sky-high. However, did you know that by choosing to renovate and by taking environmental aspects into consideration, you may find that you will be create something greener than if you were to invest in a brand new building?

Contrary to popular belief, the benefits of reusing and renovating buildings outweighed the benefits of constructing new energy-efficient structures.

Indeed, the construction of a new building will require between 10 and 80 years to counter its negative impact on the environment when compared to an office renovation.

What Makes a Building Green? 

So what sort of things should you think about if you want to turn your commercial office into a green building? Essentially, it is a full package. The main thing is that it uses less fossil fuels, which means a reduction in energy (gas and electricity) and water. Furthermore, it is a building that increases the overall health of employees by thinking about the actual environment in which they work.

Materials that contain fibers such as fiberglass composite materials or insulation can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract when disbursed in the air and/or inhaled.

In ensuring that the actual environment is greener, employee productivity is also increased. This is true not in the least because there will be fewer incidents of sickness. Also, a green building reduces the amount of pollution that it causes. Hence, it should reduce the amount of wastes that are produced as well. There are numerous ways to achieve this, including using recycled or sustainable products in construction, and installing renewable energy sources such as wind turbines or solar panels. It is important to see the bigger picture and to view a building as something that will last for a long time.

A green building is a structure that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout its life-cycle. These objectives expand and complement the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

The benefits of focusing on these environmental aspects are tremendous. It has a positive impact the planet as a whole through the lowering of carbon emissions. As stated, it also helps to improve employee health. Finally, it also helps with the economy, both on a large scale by working together with manufacturers of sustainable products and on a smaller scale, by improving the revenues of your own business. Indeed, because people are so focused on sustainability right now, businesses that can demonstrate their care for the environment tend to see a huge jump in profits.

A Green Contractor 

In order to actually receive all these benefits, it is very important that you work together with a contractor that has a commitment to sustainability and can demonstrate that they have the necessary experience to make this a reality. Look for contractors like www.apollointeriors.com/, for instance.

We acknowledge that the construction industry has a huge impact on the environment but whilst being a part of the problem, with knowledge and care we can be a part of the solution.

Statements of intent towards sustainability are very important in any contractor you choose to work with. Some, for instance, will even be able to give you a green seal of approval, which demonstrates that your commercial office is as green as it can be. The planet is decaying at an alarming rate, but it is possible for us to do something about it.

Home Renovations That Provide A Return On Your Investment

Before you decide to break the bank and get an extension on your property or a brand new kitchen, you have to make sure that you will be able to see a decent return on investment. You may not want to sell your property any time soon, but knowing how much of the money you spend you are likely to come back to you at some point is always an interesting question. Let's take a look at the home renovations that are the best value for money.

The Boring Things

Most of want to do home renovations because we want something new. We want that brand new kitchen or bathroom. We want our living room to be larger and in a different color. We want to have a bedroom worthy of the 1001 Arabian Nights. However, we have to think about the boring things, the things we can't see first. The first thing you should check, therefore, is your roofing.

Make sure the roof does not leak. If leakage is occurring have it fixed immediately. It's probably a result of flashing failure.

There are more of these types of things that you should check, including your chimney, your guttering, your walls, your foundations, your plumbing and your electrical systems. These things all add tremendous value to your home. However, although regular maintenance is absolutely necessary, if you don't intend to sell your house any time soon, you may want to postpone any plans for expensive replacements.

Your Kitchen 

Once the boring stuff is out of your way, you can start looking at those things that give you real enjoyment as well. One of the home renovations that give a high return is changing your kitchen.

The younger buyers, especially the baby boomers, want a modern kitchen with the cooktop stove and nice cabinets, not to mention wine coolers and subzero refrigerators.

Interestingly, if you only have a small budget available, even making small changes can make a huge difference. You do have to make sure you have this work completed by a reputable contractor. Search for companies like ApolloInteriors to make sure your job is completed on time and within budget.

Your Front Door 

If you want to renovate your home on a very small budget but achieve a big return on investment, often above and beyond what you actually spent on it, all you really need to do is change your front door.

The top-ranking home improvement? A new front door, which on average adds 96.6 percent of the amount you spent to the value to your home, according to Remodeling magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report for 2014.

You do have to make sure that you choose a front door that is popular on the market today. It has to fit with the house and with the overall street. It should also be insulating, with most people preferring UPVC and double glazed doors. This is all about curb appeal. When someone comes to view your property with the intention to buy it, the first thing they will see is your front door. They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and this is true for your home as well.

There are various other projects that will give you a good return. Renovating a bathroom is one of them. However, other things will cost you a lot and won't show much of a return at all. A pool, for instance, is seen as a maintenance burden and may actually decrease the overall value of your home. There are many things to think about, and a good renovation company will be able to discuss all these issues with you.

Interior Remodeling For Commercial Establishments - Some Examples

If you have a commercial property, there will come a time when it is no longer fit for its original purpose. In this case, you will have to decide whether you want to sell and move to another property, or whether you want to do up the existing premises to turn them into something better. It is equally possible that you have purchased a property that needs significant work. Whatever the case may be, it is likely that you could use some examples of interior remodeling works that have been previously done to serve as your inspiration. Let's take a look at some ideas that are out there.

Ann Arbor Township Offices

Remodeling is all about keeping the old intact and blending it in with the new in order to improve on this. One commercial property that shows this really well is the Ann Arbor Township Offices. This project was completed by DP Development.

The exterior was remodeled to provide a uniform appearance to what was an assembly of unrelated additions that had occurred over the years. Interior space was remodeled and an addition was added to provide office and residential spaces for the fire fighters.

The building now looks like what it represents. The fire department is, of course, one of the most important community services out there and the building reflects this. It shows the unification between the various offices within the building, which gives the community an enhanced feeling of safety and security.

Lea Vale Health Ltd 

Another great example is found in Lea Vale Health Ltd. This was a project for a health clinic, which requires particular knowledge and expertise. It was completed by ApolloInteriors.com.

We had not used Apollo before but were given their contact details by the NHS dental department at Liverpool Road Health Centre who had used them and were very pleased with the work carried out.

This particular testimonial highlights an important issue, which is that you should only work with contractors that have an excellent reputation. There is no better advertisement than word-of-mouth and if you know a contractor has received numerous recommendations, which you can check up on, you know you have found one that is likely to deal with your project properly.

Springfield Surgery 

Springfield Surgery is an excellent example of a commercial renovation project that was completed by Stockport Kitchens.

A renovation of a Doctors surgery whilst they remained open. With our good planning and management whilst taking health and safety matters into account we completed the project on the forecasted day on predicted budget.

This highlights a number of important issues that you will have to take into consideration when you start to think about your own remodeling project. The first is that it can be very difficult to not experience any service disruption when you are remodeling and working with a company that has processes in place to avoid this is very beneficial.

The second and third issues are around timeliness and budget. Construction companies, unfortunately, are known to go over budget and to not complete jobs on time. Both of these issues can lead to significant loss of income on your organization. Although the usual recommendation is to always add 10% to your original budget just in case it really shouldn't make a massive difference. Timeliness is also hugely important, as the longer a job takes, the more disruption you will experience. Hence, whichever contractor you decide to work with in the end has to be one that has a reputation of delivering work on time and in budget and that they have a number of guarantees in place to ensure this.