How to Make the Right Choices for Your Commercial Construction

A black and white photo depicting a sidewalk alongside a commercial building.

Often, a commercial construction can be very similar to a residential one. Other times, it’s completely different. So if you’ve got experience in residential, but need a few tips to get things started with a commercial construction, you’re in the right place. We’re going to look at a few key considerations that might be different than what you’re used to.

  1. Consider a low metal roof

Low metal roofs have been a mainstay of commercial construction for years now. Not only are they lightweight and durable, they’re also affordable and sustainable. Actually, they’ve started to become popular in residential builds for those reasons.

Low metal roofs spread the weight of the construction well, and can be put in place in as little as one day. They require much less maintenance than traditional roof builds and can last for decades more. They spread the drainage easily and are a good recyclable option. But best of all, they’re cheap. You can put a lightweight low metal roof on all sorts of buildings and it’ll keep them secure for years.

  1. Are there utilities on site?

Don’t assume you’ve got access to the right utilities. While many residential builds take place in areas that already have these in place, some commercial ones don’t, especially if they aren’t in built up areas. What saves you on real estate may get you stuck with expensive negotiations for basic utilities. Make sure that the right utilities are already in place. If they aren’t – it’s going to cost a lot more, so make sure you’ve financed this into your build.

  1. Get a high-quality garage door

For a good commercial property, you’ll need good quality garage doors. These not only service as important security features, but they can also be the first thing someone sees of your property, so they’ll need to have the right finish if you want to present a good image of your business. Check out the best commercial garage door company to see what you can find.

  1. Make sure security is a priority

While security for residential properties is important, they will often have people in them overnight. Commercial properties often won’t, so that’s why it’s even more important. Especially if you are keeping a lot of stock on site. These two factors can make commercial properties a prime target for burglaries and other break-ins, especially if they’re located on industrial estates or away from places that are busy through the night.

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That’s why you need to make sure security is a priority. Don’t treat it as an afterthought. Make sure it’s well-lit, has the right alarms and cameras in operation, and has any other security feature you think might be useful.

There’s more on improving security for commercial properties here.

The main thing to remember with security on commercial properties is that your building might be in an area that’s underpopulated at night. Whereas homes and residential properties are normally lived-in, and this actually helps them with security. You might think if an area is quieter at night, it’s more secure, but that really isn’t the case.

Burglars and other opportunistic criminals like to work in areas that don’t have much foot traffic in the evening, and they also obviously target buildings with nobody around at night – that’s why you need to be extra careful with your commercial property.

Standard security alarms are a start, but they might not be up to the job if you keep a lot of expensive stock or are located in an area where nobody is really going to hear the alarm sound.

Depending on the type of business or the value of the stock you keep, you might want to consider hiring a security guard to patrol your property at night. If you can’t afford to hire one yourself, you might be able to join a scheme that hires a security guard to patrol a number of nearby commercial properties at night.

  1. Make sure you’ve got the right permissions

If you’re trying to build a commercial property in an area that doesn’t have them, you might need permission that can be hard to find. City planners often like to keep zoning areas separate, and don’t really want commercial mixed with industrial or residential. Make sure you’ve got this sorted very early in procedures.

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If you’re in America, the permissions you get will often depend on local and state regulations, so there isn’t one answer for everyone. You can start by looking at your own state regulations for commercial properties and see what the conditions are for you either getting one built, or converting a non-commercial property into the correct usage.

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