How do you decide that the time has come to remodel your commercial space? This is a baffling question for businessmen all across the world. Workspaces that are old might not have been originally designed for the purpose they are being used at present and can even appear unattractive, discouraging, gloomy and cramped to the employees. Such unattractive features can actually result in a negative growth in productivity and employee morale. Moreover, many times it has been observed that buildings that are relatively older have often made compromises with electrical and plumbing systems. Energy is often wasted in these older buildings putting a strain on the resources and hiking the utility costs. If your workspace is not well-laid, looks unattractive or inefficient, the merits of commercial remodeling can be limitless.

1. Cost-effective: One of the most attractive merits of a commercial remodeling is reduction in business costs. By remodeling a commercial space, the efficiency of the workspace can increase that in turn can bring down your energy bill by 65%. Moreover, a newer space requires less maintenance leading to reduction in repair and maintenance costs. Over a long period of time, these reduced costs can add up to big savings that can be used for developing your products or increase the employee salaries.

2. Enhanced productivity: Cramped, unhygienic, dark or enclosed work spaces can actually have a negative impact the morale of the workers and can also have a detrimental effect on the productivity of the workers. This is one of the major reasons why several new office or commercial remodeling projects continuously come up letting in more light to foster working relationships. Promoting camaraderie and employee collaboration are often the targets of open work spaces. When workers interact more with each other, sharing of ideas can happen and plans can be converted to effective action. An open workspace can also have an impact on the flexibility of operations that many proprietors will find extremely useful for their business. Uninhibited and big work spaces can be remodeled as the business requirements change from time to time.

3. Going Green: There have been recent surges in the number of commercial remodeling projects that may be due to the various innovations and advances related to plumbing, fixtures of lighting system, insulation and temperature regulation methodologies. These methods have all transformed drastically over the last couple of decades. More and more organizations are engaging in green business practices while remodeling their spaces thus contributing in protection of the environment. Organizations that give high preference to green business spaces and green business practices demonstrate that they have a responsible, contemporary and relevant business.

 

Silicon X Construction provides all types of commercial construction – from ground-up to simple tenant improvements. Contact us for more information and to talk about your project.

Every business owner who operates a retail space is aware that even though it is possible to buy and sell commercial properties like residential ones, the investment needed to ensure that the store is operating efficiently is quite significant.

Contrary to residential spaces, where building owners repair broken fixtures, plumbing etc., commercial property leasers only guarantee that the utilities in the building are working. Besides this aspect, if anything goes awry and requires fixing or replacement, it will be the responsibility of the individual renting the commercial retail space.

Why remodeling is necessary

It is necessary to remodel your commercial retail space if you wish the store to be in a condition that fulfills the business needs of a renter. There are times when leasers formulate an agreement where they take care of a part or the entire remodeling expense. Alternatively, the remodeling costs may be taken up solely by the renter of the commercial retail space. This particularly holds true if somebody opts to renovate an existing place halfway through the lease.

1. Identify areas that need work

The remodeling of an existing commercial retail space could require a complete demolition, but you still need to check and figure out what parts of the current framework and infrastructure of the building can be used.

Remodeling expenses can often be trimmed by retaining existing plumbing fixtures, gas lines, electrical panels, load-carrying beams and phone and cable wiring. These might not require a complete replacement.

2. Hire professionals

When thinking of remodeling your commercial retail space, consider consulting commercial contractors. They can give suggestions and guide you with regards to the latest approaches, trends strategies with respect to retail space renovation. Look for a reliable contractor with a good reputation who will be able to meet deadlines. Also ensure you hire someone who has a license and insurance.

3. Get your staff involved

Remodeling can be an intimidating project which necessitates moving several pieces and parts. Feel free to involve your staff in the process by asking them for ideas for the store and merchandise layout. You could also bring in a professional facilitator who could successfully channel and collect feedback. This can in turn be used by the contractors.

4. Time-line establishment

It is crucial to hire somebody who promises to meet deadlines and completes the project keeping the budget in mind. You can motivate the contractor by negotiating an incentive for early completion of the project.

Silicon X Construction specializes in commercial space remodeling, tenant improvements, and ground-up construction. Contact us today to talk about your project.

Tenant improvements’ essentially refers to the changes that an owner makes to a commercial/industrial property for accommodating the requirements of its tenant. These could include wall and floor coverings, partitions, ceilings, fire protection, air-conditioning and security. The amount of the Tenants Improvements (TI) expense borne by the lessor and the tenant is typically documented in a lease agreement. So the allowance for tenant improvement is a major component of all lease agreements. Both TI allowance and duration of lease period have a significant bearing on the negotiation of the rental rate.

Accurate expense forecast

It is important for the tenants to sit for negotiation with a proper estimation of the cost of renovation planned. The other scenario would be accepting a fixed TI allowance (say $10) per square foot. This fixed amount would perhaps end up covering only the plumbing, air conditioning and electricity.  The remaining expenses that need to incurred, in order to render the space usable, will then be extracted from the tenant’s pocket.

If you wish to avoid any kind of unpleasant surprises, it is best to consult space designers/ planners in advance so as to have exact cost estimation in hand.

Turnkey build-outs

A situation where the landlord decides to take charge of the entire construction process, promising to deliver the fully renovated space to a tenant, it is termed as turnkey build-out.

In the case of turnkey build-outs, tenants might be concerned that the landlords would have no incentive to purchase the best quality products for the best price. Rather he/she would think about finishing the renovation project by spending minimally. The contractor hired by the landlord might or might not be ideal for the build-out. In such a situation, tenants end up compromising and losing out on the opportunity to seek competitive bids.

Tenant control for TI allowance

In certain cases, particularly for larger projects, tenants would like to oversee construction themselves. It would mean more work for the tenant; however it helps in yielding huge benefits since the pick the contractor on their own, make changes to the construction plan so that it fits into the budget or requirements better, and use better quality materials when desired. Tenants would also end up being in better control of time-lines and can avoid paying holdover fee (from the space being vacated by them).

Contact us today to find out how we can build the perfect “TI” for your new commercial space.

Purchasing a residential or commercial property and improving it for resale is a common business practice that realtors follow to make money. But management of rental property until you find buyer for it or find tenants to rent it or lease it out for a specific period of time, is not an easy task. You have to find tenants, organize lease agreements, handle requests of renters to make improvements on the property and then make profits from the deal. The easiest way to control expenses on rental property before reselling is to have a trusted contractor that specializes in maintaining residential properties, but here are some smart ways to control these expenses.

Electrical and plumbing systems

If you have little knowledge about electric and plumbing systems, then take an expert with you when you want to buy a property for resale. Ensure that required repairs are at a minimum and you can resell the house at a good profit keeping in mind local real estate market conditions. Most houses need basic repairs especially plumbing, but some may be extensive so be careful.

Managing maintenance expenses

If the house has a large lawn around the property which has to be maintained, then get it mowed just before you take a prospective buyer to the place instead of wasting money on a regular basis. Try to dispose of this kind of high maintenance properties at the earliest by putting up a sign board on the lawn and also advertising heavily on real estate websites including your own.

Keep the repainting neutral

No one wants to walk into a drab looking house, so get the house repainted once the previous owner moves out. Paint everything from walls to ceiling including doors, windows and closets with neutral colors like beige or cream, which will make give the interiors a warm glow and increase its appeal. Having a single color all through the house saves money if you are dealing in low cost properties and will make the property look good as new.

Fixtures and flooring

Buy a property only if it has minimal flooring repairs as these are expensive. If the property has fancy tiling it may be expensive to replace. While replacing broken fixtures like taps, door stops, handles look for nickel ones as these are hard and do not require regular polishing or high grade maintenance.

Ensure that your house complies with local standards of safety and building codes with regard to security alarms and smoke detectors, which will protect your investment until you get a good buyer.

Once you do buy a property and are ready to renovate, contact us for a free construction estimate.

The lighting market is undergoing a period of rapid technological changes with new techniques like LED, OLED that are providing new possibilities for customers for lighting up their homes and commercial spaces. In both small and large offices all work depends on teamwork of perfect illumination, color reproduction and efficiency of energy. Today’s offices are a mix of open and closed floor plans, wherein the managerial staffs have cabins and rest of the staff works in an open office with individual cubicles and workstations. Other closed areas of an office are conference areas and meeting rooms which have projectors, boards and other paraphernalia and are usually lighted up only on specific occasions.

Lighting system in an open plan office

Open plan office allows optimum dispersion of light and intelligent light system can be used to manage its requirements in an energy efficient manner. Light management using a mixture of recessed light fixtures, track lights and natural light can be used to complement the layout and structure of the office. Lighting installation in the open area can be a mix of track lights above workstations to provide pleasant work atmosphere and increase productivity. If the office is on a top floor then try to install skylights to allow natural light on bright days which are inexpensive and save energy.

The areas that are used less like corridors between open spaces to the managerial cabins can be energy saving halogen lights or fluorescent lamps.

Conference rooms are the power zones of every office, where customers are welcomed and presentations are made for teams, hence the layout should be kept as flexible as possible.

Recessed lighting on the far edges will ensure sufficient brightness with white light applications in the center section above the display area and conference table, which will create a holistic approach to lighting.

Lighting in a closed office

In a closed office with small cubicles, glass or fiber separators usually cut off natural light from windows, so ceiling lighting will be ideally suited to keep the place bright and cheerful throughout the day. Recessed lighting is possible only when the ceiling is low as light can be directed to workspace. At every office, the entrance and reception area create the first impression for prospective customers and these have to be warmly and brightly lit, without being too garish. Efficient LED with brightness controls are best suited for this area as it can be dimmed during daytime and increased during the late evening hours.

Contact SiliconX Construction today to inquire about our services.  We’ll give a quick and free estimate on any size construction project.