PDA

View Full Version : Building new



Chimpie
03-22-2009, 01:08 PM
I'm brainstorming about a business and would like to build an office/showroom and a connected manufacturing facility. I would like to ask some architectural type questions online but haven't found a good general architectural type forum.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

vangogh
03-22-2009, 01:41 PM
What kind of questions do you have? I would think you'd have better luck calling a contractor in your area than you would posting general questions on a forum. Just a guess, but I would think architecture forums will deal with issues more specific to architects than the general public.

You could probably try searching for forums about related topics instead of architecture.

huggytree
03-22-2009, 06:15 PM
hire an architect is where id start....i dont know anyone giving out free architecture advice.

i give out some free plumbing advice on a plumbing blog....most of the time the advice is hire a plumber.

starting a business costs money...start spending

bwat05
03-22-2009, 09:02 PM
There is an overabundance of commercial real estate of all types sitting empty right now. Many will modify the office space to suit your needs.

cocoy
03-23-2009, 11:37 AM
Not sure if there an actual forum with real architects.

I've designed commercial HVAC and plumbing for about 17 years. Here's my advice from the engineering side:

You need to find a location that's zoned for your business. Also, you need to be sure the location you're moving into is able to house the necessary equipment you need for your manufacturing facility. Not just inside, but also outside. Will it meet building codes? Do you require special exhaust systems? Will the city allow you to discharge it outside in that location? Is the current water service large enough? How about gas, electric and other utilities? Things like that. Most can be changed, but at mucho $$$ that can be avoided by finding the right space in the first place that is already suitable for your store/facility.

I worked with a restaurant owner who wanted to buy an old bank and turn it into a little cafe. Common sense says buy an old restaurant instead and work with that and save money. For some reason he never thought about that. He was so focused on the bank's location (Which is fine. You need to do that.) In this economy restaurants were closing left and right, so he decided to wait a few months and buy an existing one that was closing just a block down the road instead. Location wasn't a big difference, but the total he spent on construction was.

Some commercial leases will have an allowance for a new build-out. Anything over...you will have to pay.

Don't believe everything a landlord or leasing agent says. Your architects, engineers and contractors should check if the space is doable and can be built to current building codes.

Chimpie
03-24-2009, 04:31 PM
Thanks for all of the replies. I've been reading them all, I haven't had time to respond.


What kind of questions do you have?

The idea is to build a 25,000 sq ft manufacturing facility with an attached two story, 6,000 sq ft (3k each floor) office/showroom. (Sizes are pure estimate.)

Some of the questions would be:

What size property would I need?
What are some things I should be thinking about regarding design?

vangogh
03-24-2009, 05:37 PM
Do you need a new one designed or could you buy/lease something existing?

The questions are probably best for an architect directly. Maybe ask a few and see what the response is. Out of curiosity I asked Google your question and here are the results of the search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=BbE&num=100&q=architectural+design+considerations+for+manufact uring+facility&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=). I have no idea if any are useful since I didn't check the sites, but there are plenty of results so maybe some general searching could help point you in the right direction.

fountainhead
04-12-2009, 10:31 AM
I don't mean to be rude but there are other forums out there that were meant for architectural designs, actually this forums are meant for business.. so this area is not flooded with architects I guess..

Chimpie
04-16-2009, 06:30 PM
I don't mean to be rude but there are other forums out there that were meant for architectural designs, actually this forums are meant for business.. so this area is not flooded with architects I guess..

Did you read the the first post?