To keep your building up-to-date, relevant, and competitive, it’s likely that you will require some form of commercial renovations during your building’s service life. Unfortunately, these renovations can often significantly impact business operations if not carefully planned, leading to lower levels of productivity or general employee and client discontent. Here are a few effective strategies for minimizing disruptions during commercial renovations to ensure your business stays functional and profitable throughout any needed upgrades:
Detailed Pre-Construction Planning
The first, and most important, strategy for decreasing downtime during your commercial renovations is to have a comprehensive plan ahead of time detailing when certain work will be performed, which areas of your business may be impacted, and how long work will take to be completed. This project timeline can help you better mitigate disruptions by establishing concrete plans for how to continue business and employee operations during renovation.
Establish Construction Phases
Using a phased approach for your commercial renovations helps to break your project down into smaller, more manageable sections. For example, if phase one involves significant renovation to one portion of your building, it is easier to optimize the usable space for daily business operations, then adjust for following phases that may include other areas of the building. Sequencing work in this manner minimizes disruptions overall.
Off-Hours Construction
Many contractors and construction crews perform off-hour work, such as in the early mornings, evenings, or on weekends, to decrease disruptions to daily business operations. While using this approach may increase the timeline of your commercial renovations, this is a viable option for ensuring your construction teams are uninterrupted and your operations can continue more seamlessly.
Clear and Ongoing Communication
Communication is a critical component of any commercial construction project but is especially necessary during renovations when employees and/or customers may be utilizing your building while work is being completed. Giving all occupants notice of when and where construction will be taking place, as well as how operations may be impacted during renovations, cultivates more positive relationships and minimizes overall impacts to your business.
Effectively managing and minimizing business disruptions during your commercial renovations is absolutely critical. Partnering with the trusted and experienced team of professionals at GCI helps you navigate the complexities around building renovations, including establishing clear, comprehensive, and realistic expectations for how you can complete your commercial construction project with the minimum downtime.