As a commercial property owner, you can keep your eye out for the warning signs by inspecting your property regularly, getting feedback from clients and employees, and by working with your property management company (if you have one). The signs that it’s time for a commercial remodel can vary depending on the type of property you own.

Corporate & Offices

Office buildings wear down with use. Carpeting can become worn, and HVAC systems can get old and finicky. Over time, offices can also become cluttered or cramped as companies grow. Often, the desire to remodel comes as much from changes within the company as from the need to make repairs. Signs to watch for include:

• Carpeting and countertops are worn
• Wall paint colours are dated, walls are scuffed
• Fixtures break frequently
• Workers are out of space, crowding is a problem
• Space is disorganised, documents are often lost
• Relationships between staff are strained

Restaurants

Restaurant staff stay in constant movement as they cook food, clean dishes, and serve customers. Proper layout is critical to ensure that queues are kept out of the way and staff can move freely from one place to another.

Restaurants can also become hot and muggy if the exhaust or HVAC system is in poor condition. Keeping appliances and fixtures up to date is critical to ensuring that cooking procedures continue to be efficient and restrooms are kept clean.

• Staff is functioning inefficiently
• Dining room furniture looks shabby
• The restaurant is newly purchased and the brand moving forward will be different
• The kitchen fixtures are inefficient
• Kitchen fixtures and appliances break down frequently
• Bathrooms are in poor condition
• Kitchen is humid and warm, temperature in dining room is not consistent

Academic & Education Facilities

Schools must grow with the surrounding population, and academic buildings get hard use from students. Floors in these buildings can wear quickly. While schools for younger children often focus on maintaining facilities like the bathrooms and cafeteria, universities also focus on maintaining beauty of prestigious buildings. Remodels for academic buildings can vary quite a bit, depending on the type of school and students. Signs your academic building needs renovation includes:

• Facilities need constant repair
• Student body has outgrown the space
• Storage space is lacking
• Classrooms can’t fit enough desks, or there aren’t enough classrooms
• Fixtures and appliances break down frequently or are inefficient
• You want to incorporate interactive technology for classes

Retail

Retail stores need to look and feel their best, to ensure that customers can be comfortable while shopping. Maintaining appearances is very important for retail structures. Making cosmetic improvements is a common project for retail locations. Signs to watch for:

• Parking lot is not large enough or is difficult to navigate
• The store isn’t large enough for merchandise
• Dressing area looks shabby
• Bathroom fixtures break down regularly, are hard to keep sanitary

Manufacturing / Industrial

Manufacturing and industrial sites are generally tailored to the tenant that occupies the space. When one tenant leaves, the space may need to be renovated to fit the needs of the new tenant. In addition, manufacturing sites need constant repair because they’re in regular use by workers. Mechanical fixtures must be repaired regularly. Below are the signs that it’s time to hire an industrial building contractor:

• A new tenant from a different industry will soon be moving in
• Equipment is inefficient or does not meet industry standards
• Production can’t keep up with demand
• Facilities release a lot of pollution