Starting a commercial construction project involves a lot of moving parts, but some of the most important work happens before construction ever begins.
The more information an owner can bring to the table early, the easier it is for the contractor and design team to identify potential issues, develop realistic pricing and build a schedule that reflects what the project will actually require.
That doesn’t mean you need to have every detail figured out before contacting a contractor. In fact, bringing a contractor into the conversation early can help shape many of those decisions. But having the following information ready can make those early conversations much more productive.
A Clear Understanding of How the Space Will Be Used
Before getting too far into layouts or finishes, start with the actual use of the building or space.
What will happen there day to day? How many employees, customers, patients, tenants or visitors will typically be in the space? Will the business need specialized equipment, additional electrical capacity, ventilation, plumbing, refrigeration, commercial kitchen equipment or other systems?
These details can have a much bigger impact on a project than the appearance of the finished space.
A change in use can also trigger building-code requirements that an owner may not initially expect. Turning an existing retail space into a restaurant, medical office or another use with different occupancy requirements, for example, can affect everything from fire and life-safety systems to accessibility, mechanical systems and parking.
For projects in Tacoma, the City specifically recommends pre-development review for larger commercial projects, additions and changes of occupancy because these projects can involve several different areas of review.
Defining the intended use early gives the project team a much better starting point.
Property and Existing-Building Information
If you already own or lease the property, gather as much existing information as you can before design begins.
Useful documents can include previous construction drawings, surveys, site plans, utility information, existing permits, environmental reports and records of previous renovations.
For existing buildings, original plans are especially helpful, but they should not automatically be assumed to reflect current conditions. Commercial buildings often accumulate decades of remodels, tenant improvements and undocumented field changes.
That is why verifying existing conditions early is important. Discovering during construction that a wall, utility, structural component or mechanical system is different from what the drawings showed can create unnecessary redesign and schedule impacts.
For ground-up projects, a current survey and accurate site information become even more important. Pierce County notes that site plans used during permitting need information such as the parcel boundaries, dimensions and locations of existing and proposed improvements, and incomplete or inaccurate site plans can delay permitting.
Your Parcel Number and an Early Understanding of the Site
For projects in Pierce County, the parcel itself can tell you quite a bit about what may be required.
Before investing heavily in design, it is worth confirming zoning, allowed uses and any known development constraints associated with the property.
Depending on the site, the project team may need to account for critical areas, shorelines, stormwater requirements, access, utilities or other land-use considerations.
Pierce County provides an Online Development Guide specifically for this early research. With a parcel number or property address, owners can begin identifying potential site constraints, permitting requirements and documentation that may be needed later.
This is particularly valuable when evaluating a property for a new commercial use. A building may look suitable from the street while still having site or zoning conditions that significantly affect the scope of the project.
A Realistic Project Budget, Including More Than Construction
Owners should have a working budget before design progresses too far, but that budget should account for more than the contractor’s construction cost.
Depending on the project, additional costs may include architectural and engineering fees, surveys, permitting and utility fees, specialty consultants, testing and inspections, furniture, equipment, technology, signage and temporary operations during construction.
There also needs to be some room for the unexpected, particularly when renovating an existing building.
Opening walls in an older commercial property can reveal conditions that were impossible to fully identify beforehand. Existing electrical service may need to be upgraded. Plumbing may be located somewhere other than expected. Structural modifications may be required once existing framing is exposed.
Having an established project budget allows the design and construction teams to evaluate options with that number in mind rather than developing a project first and trying to make the cost fit afterward.
Your Priorities When the Budget Requires Tradeoffs
Almost every commercial project involves decisions about where to spend money.
Knowing your priorities before those decisions come up can save a considerable amount of time.
For one owner, keeping the opening date may be the priority. For another, it might be long-term durability, energy performance or protecting a particular design feature. Another owner may be willing to phase portions of the project to keep the initial investment within budget.
Those priorities help the project team make better recommendations.
Value engineering is much more effective when it is based on the owner’s actual goals rather than simply looking for the least expensive material or system.
A Target Opening Date and the Reason Behind It
There is a difference between saying, “We would like to be open in March,” and saying, “Our current lease ends March 1 and we need to be operational in the new space immediately afterward.”
The second tells the project team how much flexibility actually exists.
A desired completion date should account for design, permitting, procurement and construction, not just the time crews will be working on site.
Some equipment and materials may also require significantly more lead time than an owner expects. Electrical equipment, specialty doors, mechanical components, custom finishes and owner-furnished equipment can all affect the critical path of a project.
Sharing the business reason behind an important date helps the team identify what needs to happen first and where early decisions are especially important.
Known Equipment and Owner-Supplied Items
One area that frequently affects commercial projects is equipment that sits outside the contractor's original scope but still impacts construction.
This might include commercial kitchen equipment, medical equipment, manufacturing machinery, security systems, IT equipment, appliances, furniture systems or specialty fixtures.
Even when the owner is purchasing the equipment separately, the contractor and design team may need specifications early.
A piece of equipment can affect electrical service, plumbing connections, structural support, ventilation, clearances or wall layouts. Waiting until the equipment arrives to provide those specifications can mean modifying work that has already been completed.
Creating an equipment list early and identifying who is purchasing, installing and coordinating each item can prevent a surprising number of problems later.
Lease and Landlord Requirements
For tenant improvement projects, owners should also review their lease before design gets too far.
Commercial leases often include requirements governing construction, including landlord approval, insurance requirements, permitted working hours, building-system modifications and which party is responsible for certain improvements.
There may also be work that has to be performed by the landlord's preferred vendors, particularly when tying into shared building systems.
Getting those requirements in front of the project team early avoids designing or pricing work that may later need to change.
An Understanding of the Local Permitting Path
Permitting in the South Sound is not a one-size-fits-all process.
A project inside the City of Tacoma is reviewed through the City, while a project in unincorporated Pierce County generally goes through Pierce County. Other cities within Pierce County have their own jurisdictions and processes.
The permit path can also extend beyond the building itself.
In Tacoma, for example, site work such as grading, paving, parking-lot changes, landscaping, utilities and stormwater improvements can require a separate Site Development Permit in addition to the commercial building permit.
Pierce County likewise recommends early project research and offers pre-application services for projects where additional site, environmental or permitting questions need to be resolved before formal submittal.
The goal isn't for the owner to become an expert in local permitting. It's to identify potential requirements early enough that they can be incorporated into the project instead of becoming a surprise later.
The Right People Involved Early
Finally, determine who needs to be part of the decision-making process.
A commercial project can involve the owner, property manager, landlord, architect, engineers, contractor, operations staff, IT providers, equipment vendors and other stakeholders.
When important decision-makers enter the project late, previous decisions often have to be revisited.
Getting the core team together earlier gives the contractor, designers and owner an opportunity to coordinate scope, cost, constructability and schedule before those decisions become expensive to change.
Better Preparation Leads to Better Project Planning
Owners do not need to walk into the first meeting with a finished set of drawings and every question answered.
The most productive starting point is usually a clear understanding of the business need, the property, the budget, the schedule and the decisions that matter most.
From there, an experienced commercial construction team can help identify what information is still missing, what risks should be investigated and what needs to happen before construction begins.
For commercial construction projects throughout Tacoma and the South Sound, JC Richards Construction works with owners, design teams and trade partners from early project planning through construction. Getting the right conversations started early can make the entire project easier to manage once work moves into the field.