Whenever I see commercial construction news on high-profile stalled hospitality construction projects, like the Shangri-la Hotel and Waterview Tower in downtown Chicago, I always wonder if the construction site was not only safe and secure before it was shut down, but if it was preserved in a way so that the existing developer or a […]
For a number of reasons – usually cost, location or a lease agreement – commercial real estate owners are opting to refresh or remodel their retail stores, restaurants and hotels instead of building new-construction projects.
In fact, just recently Disney announced plans to completely transform its 340 stores in the United States and Europe from Disney Stores to Imagination Park, http://bit.ly/14YNxn.
Regardless for your reason to remodel, you need to realize that a renovation is a completely different animal than building new construction.
For example, during a new restaurant construction project, owners are responsible for providing the majority of the supplies and drawings while the general contractor executes the work.
There’s an old adage, “Better to be silent and thought a fool than open your mouth and prove it.” That may be true in some life situations, but not when it comes to hiring a firm to complete your next retail construction project.
Red Flag #1: Be wary of the general contractor that has no questions, exclusions or qualifications and agrees with all requests. A general contractor who just submits a bid without certain questions or qualifications may not understand the complete scope of work and schedule.
For my first blog post, a lot of people at Englewood Construction suggested I write about how to choose a retail construction company. But one person said that would be “boiling the ocean.” After she explained to me what that meant, I agreed – it’s a topic too ambitious for me to conquer in one post. Instead, I decided to write a series on the topic, starting with where to find a reputable contractor and what questions to ask.