|
Barbara’s Favorite Quote
"Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."
-Steve Jobs
|
|
Office Design FAQ
I Want A New Office...Where Do I Begin?
How Much Will My New Office Cost?
Display fixtures: Catalog or Custom?
How Long Will Construction Take?
Do I Need A Building Permit?
What if I do the work anyway without getting a permit?
How Long Does It Take To Get Plans Done?
Want A New Office...Where Do I Begin?
You need to do some business and financial planning before you'll be able to really start down the road to your dream office. Knowing what you can realistically afford is the first step. Otherwise you have no way of evaluating whether a location is a real possibility for you.
I'd suggest speaking to a few different practice consultants about what you want to accomplish. (See our Resources) Then select the one who seems best able to guide you in putting together a business plan for your practice.
You will most likely need a loan to build your new office and the bank will require a good business plan (and the track record of your current practice) in order to approve the loan. In the course of putting together the business plan you can do some preliminary scouting for office space and find out what the rental rates are in your desired area.
Recommended Reading:
Optometric Office Design Process & Pitfalls
How Much Will My New Office Cost?
REMODELING PROJECTS are the most difficult to "guess-timate" before you have actual plans in hand because the amount of work can vary so much. If you are remodeling a small dispensary you probably need to budget at least $25,000. to do enough to make a real difference. Medium to large dispensaries can cost $30,000. to $50,000. or more.
BUILDING OUT AN INTERIOR SPACE varies according to labor costs in your area. Generally it's more expensive to build on the East Coast or West Coast and less expensive in the Midwest and South. The following figures are approximate average cost per square foot for a nice office with good quality materials, custom cabinets and state of the art dispensary lighting.
East & West Coast $100 - $150/sf
Mid West & South $ 75 - $100/sf
BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP starts at about $150 - $250 per square foot (not including the land) for a simple building in a medium or small size town with lower construction costs. You could easily spend $300 per square foot and more for a building in or around a busy metropolitan area.
You can ask contractors in your area what a typical commercial building costs in your area, but the numbers quoted will not include the specialized display fixtures and lighting you'll need in the optical area. Be sure to add on $25,000. to $50,000. more for your optical.
Display fixtures: Catalog or Custom?
There is an upside and a downside to both approaches. You must weigh the choices and decide what is best for your particular situation.
CATALOG FIXTURES - Most fixture manufacturers will do a free dispensary layout for you and give you an exact price for the whole package. Fixtures can go with you if you move to a different location and it's easy to add more pieces in the future by just placing an order from the catalog. However, display fixtures are fairly expensive and some people want their office to have a different look than what can be achieved with pre-made fixtures.
CUSTOM FIXTURES - Your local cabinetmaker can build your dispensary fixtures if he has a well-detailed set of plans from a designer or architect experienced in optical design. The cost of your dispensary can vary greatly depending on how much custom cabinetry is required and you won't know the actual cost until the plans are done and you get the bids.
The quality of the work can vary also. It's up to you to choose the contractor wisely and refuse to accept any sub-par work. With custom fixtures your office will be one-of-kind and could cost less than if you bought all fixtures.
Many offices have a combination of the two. Free-standing showcases with built-in lighting and locking doors are complex pieces best left to a specialty manufacturer who builds them all day long. Your local cabinetmaker may not be able to give you the high quality you need in a showcase. However, much of the other cabinetry in the dispensary can be handled by a good local cabinetmaker without a problem.
How Long Will Construction Take?
Interior build-outs should take about 6 - 8 weeks, but always add another two weeks or more on to whatever date your contractor promises. Contractors rarely finish on time, even the good ones!
For the average small to medium size professional building you'll neede about 6 months for design, building and permits. A good contractor can build it in 6 months or so, but don't be surprised if it takes longer.
Do I Need A Building Permit?
If you are doing minor cosmetic changes without any effect on the structure of the building or changes to the plumbing, heating or electrical systems, you probably don't need a building permit. If you are building walls, adding or moving electrical outlets, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, etc. you DO need a permit.
What if I do the work anyway without getting a permit?
In small towns and rural areas, the building department is usually more lenient than in a big city and you may be just fine. But in larger cities and towns the building department is more likely to come down hard on those who try to get away without a permit.
They can actually shut down your job and stop any work from progressing until you get a permit. They can make you tear out the drywall to see if your electrical outlets have been installed according to code. It simply is not worth the risk and aggravation. If you suspect you need a permit, go to your local building department, discuss your project with one of the planners or inspectors and find out for sure.
The worst case I ever saw a client go through involved having to enlarge and upgrade a restroom to meet current ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) requirements. Against my advice this client did extensive remodeling to an existing office on the second floor in a professional building WITHOUT a permit.
They opened for business and all went well for about 2 months. Then a city official stopped in and asked for their business license, which they did not have. When they applied for the business license, the city figured out that there was no building permit issued for this new business. They were caught!
They had no certificate of occupancy, which you get with your final inspection approval. The city shut down the practice and made them apply for a permit and do the restroom upgrades, which I had included in my plans. I knew the restroom had to be upgraded but they didn't want to believe me.
Don't let this happen to you. Get a permit!
How Long Does It Take To Get Plans Done?
For an interior build-out a complete set of architectural plans the floor plan can take 2-4 weeks and the construction drawings another 6 - 8 weeks for your architect or designer to complete. It can take longer depending on how many revisions it takes to get your approval on the final drawings.
For a building it can take 4 months or more depending on how long it takes to get preliminary approvals on the site plan before the actual construction drawings can be started.
|
|
FREE REPORT:
7 Office Design Blunders
Join Barbara’s mailing list and we’ll send your free report right away. You’ll also receive our Office Design Ideas newsletter monthly with tips and news you can use. See Latest Issue
Call for a Free Consultation
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday 9 - 6 PST
888.422.0361
|
|
