Whether you own a restaurant or an office building, renovations can interrupt production and sales, reducing revenues and impacting the business. Although renovations are sometimes necessary, many businesses struggle to find the best time to remodel, causing the least disruption to their business process.
Whatever time of year you choose to remodel, it's important to take steps to protect your business. It helps to find a flexible contractor that can work around your business schedule. A good Connecticut contractor can help you plan a remodel that will allow your business to continue. If you're a business owner who is soon renovating your commercial space in Connecticut, these tips can help.
Many businesses have slow seasons. On school campuses, the slow season is summer, when students are on break. For some restaurants, it happens in winter after the holidays.
Remodeling during the slow season reduces the impact on your ability to operate. It's just easier to do construction work when fewer people are present.
If your slow season coincides with the construction industry's busy season (spring and summer), book your remodel ahead of time, and make your plans early to ensure that your contractor is ready.
Tax season is a busy time for many businesses. During tax season, finance departments scramble to find receipts, pull together spreadsheets, reconcile books, and file paperwork ahead of a deadline. If this describes your business, tax season (or the end of the fiscal year) may not be a good time for a renovation.
Imagine going through tax season with your paperwork in a box, and your business office vacated to make room for construction workers. If this sounds like a recipe for trouble, then this may not be a good time for your business to remodel.
Many businesses have different departments with competing priorities. Each department needs the opportunity to raise concerns before a remodel is begun.
If this sounds like your business, start planning your remodel by creating a committee involving someone from each division at your company. Having representation from each section can help ensure that everyone has a chance to raise their hand and offer suggestions for the best time to start a remodel.
There are many different ways that your business can continue to operate throughout its remodel. Consider the options carefully before making a choice.
Some businesses choose to continue operations as usual while relocating to another location. The cost is high, because it may mean paying for two locations at once.
This requires a lot of advanced planning and shopping for an affordable location. Maintain good communication with customers to ensure they know your business is operating in a new location and hasn't shut down entirely.
Some companies remodel slowly, going one room at a time while semi-normal operations continue in other parts of the building. This can extend the remodeling process by weeks, months, or longer, and sometimes causes business disruption due to noise. Your contractor can help you determine whether this is an appropriate option for your business.
For modern office buildings with a hybrid workforce, this may be a very realistic option. By shifting teams around and moving some teams to remote work, you can make space for the contractor to do their job while business continues.
Some businesses remodel their premises in phases, turning their remodels into multi-year projects. This can increase the cost of remodeling because it essentially turns one large project into several small projects. For some businesses, this is the best way to spread out the cost while causing the least disruption.
The most important thing you can do to ensure that your project is a success is to plan with a contractor in advance. The best contractors are not available at the last minute. If you're a Connecticut business owner with a remodel in your future, contact a Connecticut contractor you can trust to discuss the process, including timelines, noise levels, and more.
Knowing what's involved in your upcoming remodel will help you start the planning process. Some questions to ask your contractor include:
Asking these questions will help get the conversation started. If your contractor is experienced and has worked with operational businesses in the past, they will have suggestions to help make the renovation a success.
Finding a Connecticut contractor to help with your commercial project can be overwhelming. Knowing where to start and what to prioritize can help.
For nearly 30 years, Litchfield Builders has been a trusted name in commercial construction in Connecticut. To learn more about selecting a contractor, download the Litchfield Builder's guide, or contact us to discuss your upcoming commercial renovation.