Constructing and planning commercial building projects is one of the biggest projects you’ll handle in the course of business. The expense is tremendous, and flaws in your plan can make-or-break your business. You have an endless number of considerations to make, so how do you prioritize and determine which ones are the most important?
At Peak Steel Buildings, we think we’ve got the answer to your problems. Our customers make their decisions largely based on the following. Make sure you give them some thought before finalizing your design for any new construction plan.
How fast will it take to finish your commercial building?
When it comes to business endeavors, we all know our time is money. Unfortunately, big projects like building construction take weeks, if not months, to complete. Really think about how important this aspect of your planning is to you. Certain options speed up build time considerably. They allow you to get to work right away and begin to pay off your big investment. Generally, faster construction allows you to save a big chunk of your budget as well. Not only do you pay a crew for fewer days of work, but you pay interest on a construction loan for a shorter time as well.
These savings of time and money aren’t realized any faster than when you build with steel. From order to completion, your project could last fewer than 8 weeks.
How much will your commercial building cost?
Metal commercial buildings provide other avenues for savings too. Your initial investment could be half of what you would have spent on stick construction. One of the biggest reasons of course is the speed with which your building is completed, but there are other factors at play as well. Materials are less expensive, both because red-iron steel is in ample supply – and therefore, more affordable – and because fewer components are needed to finish a job.
How expensive will your building be to upkeep?
Initial costs aren’t the only budget concerns to keep in mind when planning commercial building projects. Long-term use will have a big impact on your profit margins. From foundation to roof ridge, steel structures are less expensive. With the appropriate insulation packages, indoor environments are highly efficient. The metal panels used for walls and roofing won’t need painting or sealing year after year. In fact, your roof should last 25 years or more without needing replacement. The treatments needed by wood buildings don’t apply to steel construction. Metal is naturally resistant to many types of traditional wear, including mold and rot, fire and damage from pests.
How will you organize your brand new building?
The more use you get from your new commercial space, the more value you get from every dollar spent on construction. Steel buildings have an advantage you can’t find with any competing material. The latest building technology allows for even wide open spaces to be created without the use of metal support beams. Organize your business according to work flow instead of working around practical design annoyances.
If the worst happens and your business goes under, this design feature is also helpful when it comes to reselling your real estate. Your commercial building can be more easily repurposed into a retail outlet, garage or government facility without troublesome columns throwing a wrench in the works.
How difficult will expanding be?
The building you construct today is the building you may be forced to contend with for decades. Staying put has its benefits, even as your business grows. It makes sense to choose building materials like steel that are so easy to modify over time. What’s needed to add an additional wing to your building? Simple disconnect one wall and add on extra panels. What will you need to modify wood or concrete construction?
Maybe you don’t want to make things larger as much as renovate your space, moving doors and windows around to improve functionality? This is an option you may ignore with a traditional commercial building due to the cost and complexity. Those same tasks will be relatively easy with a metal building, and they can have a marked improvement on productivity.
How attractive will new your building look?
Finally, it’s important to discuss one of the obvious problems arising from steel: ignorance. Most business owners are living in the Stone Age – or more accurately, the 80s – and consider metal buildings an ugly option capable of hurting your business. Before you write off all the benefits, take a look at what’s available today.
When construction project planning, today’s technology allows for attractive metal buildings with roofs of various designs. You have access to multiple types of wall panels, doors, windows, skylights, even specialty elements meant only for looks. Paint options extend to a full range of colors, and even popular color combos. Don’t sell metal short because of its ugly past. Move on and consider the aesthetic options you really have available before you make your final decision.
And once you do? Get a head start on your next project.
Call us toll-free at 844-333-7325 to get more information on commercial building plans.
