When constructing a new commercial building, it can become overwhelming for an owner to take care of all the tasks involved. As a project owner, you should work closely with your general contractor to share responsibilities like planning, coordinating, and overseeing your project from start to finish. Your project manager can help ensure your project gets completed on time and within budget, help with the negotiation of contracts and supplies, and acquire building permits and licenses.
A commercial construction project’s success depends on how effectively your construction company and project manager can work together to perform and complete each step. Here, we will discuss some vital commercial construction steps from start to finish to help you better understand the entire process.
Commercial Project Planning
An effective commercial construction plan can have a significant impact on your project. Here, you need to identify an ideal site for your building and determine your projects budget and schedule. You must choose a design team at this stage and get them involved throughout the planning phase. It’s also recommended to engage a general contractor at this early stage to provide insight into the constructability of the design, project scheduling advice, and to provide budgetary pricing while the design is being developed.
Commercial Building Design
Your commercial building design should help you achieve the following four vital things:
- Outline the buildings rooms and common spaces’ sizes and functions.
- Be clear on your building orientation and connection to various utility systems.
- Determine your project’s feasibility with building codes and regulations.
- Forecast your project timeline and costs accurately.
At this stage of the commercial construction process, the design team must understand your project’s needs and goals. They can create rough sketches to explain basic design concepts. These schematics can help you get an idea of materials, sizes, textures, and colors.
Overall, the commercial building design includes three significant ingredients; feasibility analysis, conceptual design development, and working drawings.
Feasibility Analysis
Feasibility evaluation involves considering factors such as amenities and site requirements. This appraisal will help you determine your project’s viability depending on important determinants like on-site access, utility connections, building orientation, and more. Even an architecturally impressive building can fail to produce intended results if you don’t plan these factors right from the start.
Conceptual Design Development
Planning out how the new space needs to function is extremely important. During the conceptual design phase the designer needs to understand the details of how your business functions so that they can develop a space plan that not only optimizes the available space but makes those spaces efficient and functional.
The conceptual design may consist of civil site plans, exterior elevations, floor plans, and important interior feature elevations.
Working Drawings
Working drawings is the final step when it comes to the commercial building design stage. Here, all stakeholders finalize a building plan, develop the detailed specifications for construction materials, assemblies and finishes. For most projects there will also be engineering drawings required for structural, mechanical and electrical systems. The design professional will coordinate their work with each of these engineers.
Pre-Construction
This is when you get to start your project from the ground up. Here, your general contractor will acquire quotations from the various subcontractors and vendors. It is advisable to get at least three separate estimates for each of the major scope items to ensure a competitive process.
Commercial Construction Procurement
Here, your construction management company should purchase all the labor, equipment, and materials required for a construction process. Generally, the contractor and seller create a contractual purchase between them to ensure the quality of the obtained products as per expectations.
Commercial Construction And Post-Construction
When you have successfully reached an agreement with your contractor regarding working hours, quality control, and material storage, the building process begins. At this stage, the following essential tasks are performed, depending on your projects design:
- Excavation and installation of underground utilities
- Foundations and building erection
- Interior wall & ceiling construction
- Mechanical and electrical systems
- Interior finishes (flooring, walls and ceilings)
- Millwork, equipment and furniture installation
When construction is complete, the last step is to conduct a careful project analysis, highlighting and remedying any work that doesn’t meet the required specifications. This step also helps commercial construction companies identify minor issues that need correcting before the project owner can occupy the new building.
Need Help With Your Upcoming Commercial Construction Project?
BelVan Construction is an experienced commercial contractor that provides its clients with high-quality commercial construction services across Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Visit our website for more information or contact us for personalized service.
