Top 3 Scary Space Planning Scenarios… And How to Avoid Them

Smart Space Planning Capitalizes on Every Square Foot

Congratulations! You’ve decided to renovate your current workplace, move locations and refurbish an existing building, or embark on new construction for the ultimate office. While the end result seems easily within reach, not many know the most important element for a successful, functional business to become a reality: proactive space planning.

Space planning is essential for getting the most out of every square foot of space, and planning an office without it can be scary. To ensure you make the most of space planning and avoid a frightening outcome, Miller Builders shares the top three space planning “nots” and how to avoid them:

Your office needs are constantly growing and changing — especially if you’re serving patients. Allowing for a healthy amount of open space in your office gives your business the room it requires for future growth. Without adequate open space, the need to add new equipment or make room for more patient areas becomes difficult, or impossible without tearing down walls and starting again, according to Bill Miller, president, Miller Builders.

“When walking through the space planning process with clients, we make sure they understand the nuts and bolts of establishing the best foundation for growth. Overall, the more open your floor plan is, the less of an issue this will be,” he explains. “Adequate open space will also help you serve the patients you already have — and take on new patients.”

Serious general contractors take space seriously. Miller Builders is known for thorough on-site evaluation of the available space, office requirements and for medical clients, patient flow, for the ultimate upfront plan. By providing professional architecture services, timely development and delivery of a conceptual plan is presented to kick the construction process off. An added extra foolproof approach Bill Miller relies on to help clients fully understand their space possibilities — and constraints — is simply taping out and using templates for the floorplan.

 “Even with an architectural rendering, the taping out method gives clients a true feel for the office space,” states Bill. “It also allows us to make any needed changes or additions before construction begins.

 “It’s not uncommon for us to begin a project from an established outside architectural source that didn’t account for a client’s needs. Scenarios include a requirement for 30 chairs in the waiting area, but a space that only allowed for 15,” he says. “Basically, we have to start the space planning phase over and tape it out to make it work.”

Space planning is more than selecting furniture and finishes, and properly measuring a space is key to a renovation that improves your bottom line. A well-planned and expertly-led office renovation maximizes space to promote productivity, and can even lower energy costs through best plans for HVAC, lighting and IT requirements.

But, like the saying goes, one should double-check one’s measurements for accuracy to avoid wasting time and material. “We complete a full utilities evaluation of the building to minimize costs as far as relocation or redirection of things such as HVAC and plumbing,” states Bill. “For our dental clients, we also redesign the medical gas interface and supplies for both air and water along with nitro systems.

“With our professional architecture services, exclusive plumbing license and in-house custom cabinetry capabilities, we make sure the space is planned out thoroughly to accommodate any and all needs before we begin,” he says.

Learn more about how Miller Builders can approach your space.
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