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How to Get Started on Your New Commercial Building

Constructing a commercial building is an exciting yet stressful time for business owners. Business owners are busy people, and while it’s amazing to see your business take the next steps in its growth, it can be overwhelming from a time and money perspective. Let’s take a step back and make a plan.

Step 1: Assess the Needs of Your Business

Every business is different. Determining the facilities that your business will need is important. Whether it’s finding your ideal location, budget, or contractor, create a list of must-haves you can’t run your company without. If you are a car repair shop, how big does the garage need to be and what additions are crucial? If you are building a restaurant, keep in mind what additions are important to have such as a patio. Consider the number of employees that will be working at your building. 

Step 2: Create a Budget

Price is important to keep in mind for any construction project. Assess what is necessary for your new building, calculate the cost of land, labor, building materials, time, moving, taxes, and furnishing your new building. As with any budget, set aside a little extra in case an issue comes up, such as damage from storms or price increases in materials. 

Step 3: Find an Ideal Location to Build

This part of the process can be tricky, depending on your location and other factors. Below is a list of things to consider before you pick a plot of land to build your business on. 

• Price: Price is a factor in nearly every aspect of the construction process. It determines what you can and can’t do. Finding an area that fits your price point is crucial during the planning process. Factor in price differences between rural vs. urban areas or new builds vs. shared office spaces.

• Other Businesses in the area: It might not be wise to settle in an area with lots of competing businesses. At the same time, you don’t want to be in an area where your business is very out of place.
• Distance from residential areas: This factor is more important for some businesses than others. If you are building a restaurant, being close to a residential area is a good thing since you are close to your customer base. If you’re building a manufacturing space that’s noisy than being near residential areas might not be a great thing. Consider the zoning codes associated with being near a residential area, and assess if it would pose a problem to your business. 
• Accessibility: If your business relies on customers traveling to your location to receive a service, consider parking and how easy it is to access the location 

Step 4: Consider Future Growth

If there is one thing that all business owners know, it’s that the future is unpredictable. If you’re looking at building a physical location, it’s reasonable to assume that more growth will happen in the future. Consider the type of business you have. Do you work with multiple locations, or is it important to keep everything in one location? Does your business need lots of space to store things or can your business work in a compact space? When planning your commercial build, consider employee growth and the workspace they will need. 

Step 5: Find a Contractor

Similar to finding a new employee, it’s important to examine different contractors and find one who can meet your expectations. Check out your potential contractor’s portfolio, ask them questions, and articulate your needs. Good contractors can help you in every step of the building process and the steps listed above. If you’re in the Des Moines area, feel free to take a peek at our high-quality commercial builds.  

Call Premier for Your Commercial Construction Needs

Premiere Construction is Des Moines’ top builder of commercial, residential properties, and things in between. Quality is the name of our game, and we are dedicated to making your build our best one yet. Check out the variety of commercial services we offer and give us a call at (515) 669-4905 to get started on your build or renovation project.