When looking at a new location for your business, a critical detail that will determine the complexity and cost of your build out will be the type of previous use, if any. If the commercial space is a new building, then it is considered a first gen space.
Finish out of a first generation space or “first gen” space can be easier since you are building on a blank canvas, but you are also starting from zero. First gen spaces allow you to select where you place walls, power and phone outlets, and duct work, but all these items require work and cost money.
If your business has very specific room or office needs, say like a beauty salon with multiple half walls between stations or a massage company with separate private rooms, then starting from a blank canvas can be beneficial.
However sometimes there is efficiency in repurposing a previously occupied commercial space, otherwise known as a second generation or second gen space. Good examples for this would be restaurants, convenience stores, and offices. Most times these tenant build outs can be limited to tailoring a very specific need, like finishing out a front reception area or installing doors on open areas, while utilizing the pre-existing walls and duct work with minimal work.
When the previous occupant had a similar operation and you can utilize a large portion of the existing construction, this is what is known as a “Quick Turnaround” space. This allows for minimal permitting and build out time which helps keep costs in check. However, sometimes there aren’t any similar previous use spaces in your target area and you have no choice but to refinish a pre-existing space for a completely new use.
This is not the end of the world and there are steps that your architect and builder can take to ensure that the demo and rebuild are as efficient as possible. The biggest of those would be maintaining the existing electrical service (i.e. where the main breaker panel is), the existing plumbing if at all possible, and minimizing changes to the HVAC. Those three trades can add considerable cost and if at all possible keeping as much of the pre-existing finish out can save a lot of your build out budget.
Do you have a project that you are considering? Call us today and let us show you what CapitalTexas Construction can do for you!
