Hospitality Construction

Avoiding Commercial Construction Remodeling Pitfalls.

american_girl_nyc_interior2 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.

By Bill Di Santo | No comments yet

Commercial Construction Development: Red flags retail developers should look for in vetting a general contractor

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.

By Bill Di Santo | No comments yet

Retail Development and Construction: Getting Started

What Every Developer Should Ask General Contractors During the Retail Construction Bid Process

blog_1_zara_kids_old_orchard_skokie_il 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.