Showing posts with label commercial refurbishments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commercial refurbishments. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

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.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

How To Determine When To Renovate Your Dental Clinic

When people think of dental offices or other medical offices it can be difficult for them to think of such as businesses. Such establishments are there for taking care of patients' health and dental needs but many people don't realize that without regular patients and money coming in such clinics would not be able to offer such services. Without these patients and the money coming in not only will they not be able to offer the medical services but also on the surface they will struggle to keep the premises looking as professional as they should. For this reason it can be hard to know when a dental clinic should be renovated and so the first place to start looking for information regarding this should be commercial interior designers and specialists who renovate medical and dental settings. You can click on this to give you a good starting point on your search for information. Here are some signs that it might be time to renovate your clinic.

Outdated

Your premises look outdated if the walls that haven't been painted or papered in years, the flooring is in need of replacement, the furniture belong to a different decade, and so on. It that is so, then it could be time to replace and renovate. Modernizing your office will help to bring in more patients to your clinics and the more people that walk though the doors, the more revenue you make. Old and outdated decoration and furniture will only turn people away meaning you lose money in the long run.

Structural Damage

This is a biggie, because obviously if there is structural damage to your premises such as cracks in the walls, holes in the roof or floor, ceiling tiles missing and so on, then you are in desperate need of a renovation. Aside from the fact that a property like this will give off the impression that you are cheap, poor and don't care for your patients you will also need to consider the safety of patients, clients, staff and anyone else who enters your building. A small problem may not seem like much but small problems which are ignored lead to bigger and bigger problems and you end up completely out of your depth. When it comes to structural damage, you do not want to wait.

"Now a small roof leak is obviously easily repairable. But without the proper professional, you could easily mistake a big problem for a small leak that you think at that time is only in one place. Poor construction, building leaks in roofing, siding, and other areas, and various other things can play into this"

Eco Friendly

A lot of the focus nowadays is on protecting the environment and making the world a healthier place for future generations. In order to do this, many residential, commercial and health based settings are taking steps to become more eco friendly. Recycling and reducing the amount of paper used is a good start. Placing recycling trash cans in your setting will show patients that you care about the environment, as well as using the energy saving light bulbs, fixing solar panels on to the roof and placing lots of plants in all the rooms in your dental office. Ask patients to make sure the taps are turned off in the restrooms to conserve water too. All these tips are very good for the environment.

"Use natural lighting wherever possible. Lighting from open windows will not only save on your electricity bill but it will also draw patients' attentions towards the windows. Natural lighting is brighter, and patients adjust to it better."

At the end of the day it is always good practice to think about when to refurbish a practice's premises.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

What To Consider When Upgrading Your Commercial Office Space

Upgrading and renovating an office space is something that you as an office manager will need to consider more than once in your career. It can be difficult knowing exactly how to do this and several things need to be considered if you are to extract the absolute best from your environment. When considering your initial design you need to pay extra attention to the functionality of the space. Any business will only be as good as the people who work there so if you want the maximum possible level of productivity then you need to ensure that they have an adequate working space. It needs to be properly lit, well ventilated, uncluttered and be able to provide convenient work surfaces and storage. Here are some ideas on how you can achieve this.

Painting

Nothing brightens up a tired looking office like a fresh coat of paint on the walls. However, you need to pay attention to the colors you choose. Dark colors may look nice but they have the ability to make any space look small and enclosed. You will want to choose a brighter shade so as to open up the room a little. A bright office area will be much more appealing to employees and clients, therefore, improving on productivity and revenue. Sometimes adding little extra touches to the wall can be a great idea too.

"Contact local artists about painting a wall mural on the walls. A wall mural sets a positive mood for the working environment. Using local artists is a great way to improve the design of a small office space."

Furniture

You wouldn't think it but choosing the type of furniture to have in your commercial office space can also be the most difficult task of all and for something like this it may be worthwhile searching some of the many websites, which offer tips and advice, such as ApolloInteriors. When it comes to furniture you should be looking for smart and clean items which all match as nothing looks worse than a mismatched office. You could also improve the functionality of your office by purchasing desks which have built in storage space. This ensures that you will use up minimal amounts of floor space and that your employees can store everything they need with in them, therefore improving productivity also. Another similar option is to purchase corner desks, which is a particularly good idea if your space is limited.

Lighting

How you light an office area has a big impact on the feel of the surroundings for clients and employees. A poorly lit office is going to cause workers to have to strain their eyes when completing tasks. Natural light is the best option so try to add as much of it as possible by using large windows and/or installing a skylight in the ceiling. If you are not in a position to be able to do this then ceiling lights are the best option as they take up much no floor space and can be hung above every single workspace to ensure that they are sufficiently lit, combine this with desk lamps for extra light.

"Lighting throughout the workspace is no longer uniform, but fits the individual needs of the tasks being performed and even of the workers. Some of the ways to place individual lights are to use can light fixtures, spotlights and lamps in various work spaces."

Of course, there are many other design ideas which could be implemented in your commercial office space when upgrading. It is recommended that you consult with an interior designer before taking on any of the projects yourself, especially if you have no previous experience in this particular field.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Step By Step Guidelines For A Commercial Space Refurbishment

Refurbishing a commercial space of any kind can be a complicated matter. This is in part due to the fact that, most of the time, some of this space will continue to be in use. However, there are a number of things you can do to make this process as painless as possible. Let's take a look at some step by step guidelines for a commercial space refurbishment project.

1 - Why Are You Refurbishing?

The first thing you have to do is have a really good understanding of why you are engaging in this process.

"Identifying the reasons for refurbishing your office space is critical in ensuring that the finished result meets all of your company's needs. If you think about the 'why' early on, you're well prepared to identify the 'what' when you come to writing up your brief and discussing your new space with your chosen office refurbishment partner."

For instance, you may find that your old office had insufficient light, or too much storage space. Once you know that you will be able to make sure that your new commercial space is actually fit for purpose. This is the first and most important step you will have to complete.

2 - What Is the Building's Condition?

Once you are clear on why you want to refurbish, you need to figure out what you want to refurbish as well. This has to start with determining what sort of condition the building is actually in. If it is in very poor condition, it is likely that you will have to close the whole thing down for the duration of the refurbishment. However, the opposite is also true. Hence, spend some time inspecting your building by getting an expert to help you.

"The first stage of any renovation project is to get a detailed assessment of the current condition of the property. Those buying to renovate should always commission a chartered surveyor to undertake a building report which will identify any essential repairs needed and will recommend further investigation by specialist surveyors into any other aspects that arouse suspicion."

Additionally, this report will highlight the materials that have been used in the construction of the property itself. This sort of information is very important for contractors, who will determine their costs and workload based that info. You may also require a measured survey of the property itself.

3 - Interview and Select Your Refurbishment Partner

Once you have completed these steps, it is time to enlist the help of refurbishment experts. Spend some time reviewing the various companies that are out there for more information. It is recommended to always have at least three independent quotations, which should be without obligation. This will give you a greater opportunity to truly compare the market and find out which company is best for you.

It is generally recommended to have an in-house refurbishment team as well, who should be able to go over the quotations you have received. As a commercial property, it is likely that you have a large staff group as well. They should be included in these types of decisions, because it will affect them greatly as well. Having this team together means you will be able to understand the needs of everybody across the board, which also means that your refurbishment will be far more likely to be a success in terms of functionality.

4 - Your Budget

Finally, you have to consider your budget. Refurbishments are never going to be cheap, and they shouldn't be either, since you should be looking for quality. However, you do have a budget to stick to, and you must work with a company that is able to work within those constraints.