A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own

Reasons to Not Be Your Own General Contractor

Maybe there’s no crying in baseball, but tears are shed in construction. Don’t get in over your head by assuming you know the ins and outs of commercial development, and don’t be your own General Contractor! Commercial projects require scheduling precision, hardball deadlines, and sizable risk. Here are some, but not nearly all, considerations that are crucial in commercial building projects:

1. Pre-construction Meetings:

An ace commercial construction firm knows how to ask the right questions to meld a client’s concept and a designer’s ideas into a finished project, so everyone involved is happy with the results. Pre-construction meetings set up the command center for the subs, so they don’t get in each other’s way. To manage architects, designers, engineers, subcontractors, and building supply vendors takes incredible coordination.

2. Identifying The Right Trade Contractors:

Trade contractors picked solely on low-ball bids show their incompetence on the job. You don’t need greasy footprints on newly installed carpeting after they showed up two hours late. Notice the game plan of a good commercial contractor managing a team of excavators, masons, framers, drywallers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, carpet layers, painters, landscapers, and roofers they know and trust. They’ll bat 1.000 on a project.

3. Budgeting:

A commercial contractor will set up a construction budget jointly with the chosen designer to integrate the initial stages of a project. Later, if building supply vendors become problematic or if any unexpected cost surprises pop up initiating a change order, your commercial contractor can suggest alternate materials and adjust another phase of the project. Controls are in place throughout the project to assure a predictable outcome at completion.

4. Facility Maintenance:

Some commercial contractors provide comprehensive facility maintenance services. Who better to fix it than the builder who installed it in the first place? If a general contractor offers facility maintenance and repairs, then the client has no need to search for technicians when something goes awry. Scheduled maintenance for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roof, and fire protection need checking annually, in some cases quarterly, to keep a lid on maintenance costs. As an example, your commercial contractor can come in before a commercial kitchen inspection and address any maintenance issues for an A+ rating. DBG Construction provides its own facility maintenance firm, handling multi-trade repairs and even small renovations to keep clients’ buildings safe and operational.

5. Check Credentials:

Remember, professionals you hire must have completed their education and acquired the proper credentials to earn your trust. Your cardiologist has a Doctor of Medicine degree, your accountant has earned her bachelor’s degree in Finance, and you want to make sure if you have to appear in court that your attorney has passed the bar exam! The alternatives, performing heart surgery on a family member, taking a chance on being your own financial advisor or representing yourself in court would be ludicrous.

 

In essence, you’ll want your builder to know the nuts and bolts of the profession with a portfolio of successful projects and proven experience – an assurance of excellence. When an investment in a commercial building is right for you, save the hammer for hanging pictures and call an accredited commercial contractor.

Sold on our pitch yet? Contact DBG Construction to discuss your next commercial project. We’ll hit it out of the park.

Conserving Construction Cash

Conserving Construction Cash

Tips to Save Money on Your Next Construction Project

Price tags for construction project have a dangerous tendency to run high. Whether the work requires renovation or ground-up construction, expensive costs can be hard to avoid. So what are some tips to save money on construction projects? To provide you with effective, real-life advice, we consulted our firm’s professionals.

DBG Construction’s experts pull from nearly 200 years of combined experience in the construction industry. When asked how they would encourage clients to save money, these were their responses:

Conduct Thorough Price Comparisons

Shop around for the best price and the best services. You’ll save money by holding off on the first offer or the first cost. Invest a little extra time and effort into research until you find the best deal for your money and expectations.

Renovation vs. Ground-up Construction

Consider restoring or renovating an already existing property. Warehouse conversions, build-outs, or remodels are sometimes cost-effective alternatives to ground-up construction. You avoid expensive concrete costs and shorten your project’s timeline, enabling your business to open sooner.

Building Space and Efficiency

More space means more money. Consider your project’s size and determine what elements are and are not necessary. This is particularly important for businesses who are looking to cut-costs by using smaller spaces efficiently.

Business Growth Plan

Have a long-term business growth plan. Company growth is a critical consideration for any company – especially when considering building space. Develop a trajectory of your business growth and share projected growth percentages with your GC and project architect. They will be able to implement a versatile design that accommodates your current and future needs, without tacking on excessive costs.

Details and Vision

Identify the level of finish you want. You have that mental image of how your space will look upon completion. Discuss the details of that vision with your general contractor. They should be able to recommend the best choices or cost-effective alternatives to accomplish the level of finish your project deserves. It saves you time and money to know your options from the beginning.

Building the Wow Factor

Determine your businesses wow-factors. Every business has an aspect of their building that they use to catch potential clients’ attention and draw customers in. It can be an elaborate entryway, a luxury lobby, a critical industrial structure, or vibrant office space for your team. Whatever it is, make sure your general contractor knows how to properly and effectively emphasize your wow-factor.

Efficiency of Eco-Friendly

Take efficiency into account. Go green with eco-friendly options. Find a general contractor that can balance the concerns of economy, environment, utility, durability, and comfort. Water and energy efficient amenities will reduce excessive consumption and you save money in the long run.

Get Started in the Off-Season

Start the project during the off-season. You won’t only save money, you’ll have more one-on-one quality service from your contractors because they will have more time.

Plan Ahead

Go over the project schedule and to-do list line by line. Get rid of any unnecessary or excessive expenditures and/or things that you don’t really want. A reputable general contractor will help you value engineer the finishes to meet both expectations and budget.

Organization is Key

Stay organized throughout the entire project. From paperwork to the budget and from supplies to workers, stay organized. You should work with a general contractor that assists you with robust project cost accounting and construction management software. You have the right to know when and where your money is going at every step of the project’s development.

Knowledge is Power

Use wisdom. Know when to save and know when to spend. Some costs are better left for a later project.

 

 

So if you have a project that needs building or if you have questions about how we can help you save a buck, contact us! We’d love to help you build your savings and maybe even something else!

Saving Money on Your Next Construction Project

Saving Money on Your Next Construction Project

Two Tips to Save Money on Your Next Construction Project

Construction Projects are an exciting time for commercial properties, whether a new building constructed from the ground up, or a major renovation of an existing establishment. Here are the two best tips to save money on your next construction project:

 

1. Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Better

Once you know exactly what you would like to build or renovate, meet with a contractor to have them examine your plans for inconsistencies or improvements. For a credible source, choose a contractor that is reputable, insured, has the proper licenses and certifications; and, more importantly, will provide detailed examples of their past projects.

You can save money by choosing a contractor that meets all of your fundamental criteria, but specializes in middle tier project size and value. This way, you still receive quality construction work without the excessive cost.

 

2. Know Your Budget

Decide on your maximum budget and discuss it in detail with your contractor.

As a general contractor, it is our goal to help you prioritize the essentials and assist with cost-effective redesigns if needed. This approach helps ensure that you are happy with both the physical and financial results of your project. As with every large endeavor, however, keep in mind that unforeseen circumstances may potentially increase your overall project cost; so discuss contingency plans and a buffer amount set within your budget with your contractor.

 

Keep these two money-saving tips in mind when you are selecting a commercial contractor for your next development or renovation. Choose contractor that is in tune with your needs and expectations to result in a project that is delivered promptly and cost-effectively.

Considering a commercial construction project? Let our experts help! Contact us to tell us more about your project.

How to Start a Construction Project: A Realistic Timeline

How to Start a Construction Project: A Realistic Timeline

How Do you Start a Construction Project?

Your business is booming, and you’re looking for a way to physically keep up with your growth. It’s time for a new building, and you know it, but where should you start?

Many business owners and operators know that the need for expansion to a new location or improvements on an existing building are necessary, but few truly understand the time it takes to revamp a whole structure or build a new one from the ground up.

Since your business is different from all the rest, a generic time frame will not be able to accurately predict the time it will take to finish the project. Typically, estimated completion dates can range from 3 months to a year and a half, depending on the type of work and the size of the job.

For any construction project there are several factors to consider:

  • Will you lease an existing structure, or will you be building a new one?
  • Do you have a new general location in mind?
  • If the structure exists, is it in good repair?
  • If you’re building a new structure, does the location you’ve chosen meet the criteria for the type of building you desire?
  • Have you factored in the time it will take for an architect to come up with plans for the building before construction can begin?

Lease vs. Buy

Both the choice to lease an existing structure and to build a new one have their merits and drawbacks. Leasing eliminates to need to build from nothing, but will most likely require modification of the building, especially if extensive repairs are necessary. It’s possible to transform a drive-through fast food restaurant into a satellite bank branch, but is the transformation as desirable as erecting a new building specifically designed to suit the bank’s needs? Building from scratch allows for custom design, but may require significantly more time to complete than remodeling. In this decision, a business should carefully consider all the options available.

For additional help, download our free Lease v. Buy forecasting tool!

Selecting a New Location

Deciding on a new location requires a great deal of time and forethought. Researching demographics, market trends, and traffic past the area are all wise moves when determining where to go. Sandwiching a business space between two busy, one-way streets heading opposite directions and a railway crossing that impedes traffic often doesn’t necessarily make as much sense as relocating somewhere less highly traveled. Building an enormous structure to accommodate more stock can be a great asset, but only if it doesn’t reduce parking space or accessibility to your clientele. Willingness to compromise in one direction or another sometimes becomes the greater asset in those types of situations.

Finding an Architect

Finding and employing an architect who has the skill to translate what you want for your business structure from your vision to the plans can be a daunting task. Researching architectural firms to find the perfect fit takes time, and that’s time spent before anything is laid out on paper. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have recently seen the finished work of a tremendous architect, but chances are you will spend some serious time asking around, searching online, and making phone calls to find the right craftsman for your job. Once that’s accomplished, drawing of the blueprints can begin.

Obviously, the planning required to embark on a major construction project dictates that it won’t happen overnight, but talking to a professional general contracting firm is a great place to start.

Contact us today to learn more about what it takes to realize your construction ideals.

Or call us at 405.601.2700 x 104