Skip to content

Wolgast Blog - Construction Trends, Tips and Information

Get commercial construction questions answered by a professional contractor sharing building trends, tips and information

Posts about Professional General Contractor

Building Bigger to Benefit from Economies of Scale

A larger building can typically be constructed at a lesser square footage price than a smaller building. The overall price tag may be more, but a bigger building will get better value per square foot than a littler building, based on similar material selection. This information can help an owner plan for their business’ future.

Warning: Adding on to Your Building May Not Be Possible

 

What you should know before expanding your commercial business space

Many of our clients begin their business expansion quest by attempting to add on to their existing building rather than moving their operation, and most of the time they’re able to move ahead without any problems.  Expanding their existing space to make more room for additional manpower or machinery could be more affordable than building new or renovating another building.  However, there are times when it’s just not possible to expand where they want or at all.  Below we discuss the possible caveats to consider when expanding and to consider for the future when selecting a site.

Revealing the Past: The Importance of Property Surveys

If you’re looking to purchase a property or building for your business, most financial institutions require you to have a property survey to qualify for their loans. Some owners who use a cash transaction don’t always get a property survey, but if they did, they could prevent many issues by knowing all the details and history about their property.

How Economies of Scale Works in Construction

Ray is the owner of a large corporation with his operation spanning over two locations.  When he outgrew his initial office, he got a great deal on a warehouse that was easily adaptable to expand his business.  Now, after years of hard work and smart decisions, he’s outgrowing both locations and has decided that it will be more efficient for his operation to all be under one roof.  But speculating on the costs involved, Ray is wondering if this is the best decision for his company right now?  What Ray may not be considering is economies of scale in construction. With his building being bigger, the duration of the project longer, and the fixed fees being the same, he can benefit from the efficiencies that his Design-Builder will pass through, which will lower the square footage cost.

Sharing Your Budget Streamlines the Pre-Construction Phase

Here is one secret of the trade to save significant time during pre-construction, by giving your contractor a ballpark budget before design and/or estimating starts, an owner can take a shortcut in the preliminary phase and get to construction sooner. When the timing matters, how much you’re willing to spend will make the process move along much faster.

Five of the Best Reasons for a Commercial Building Renovation

Commercial Renovation to Stay Put


Whether you really like your building the way that it is, your location is part of your long-term plan, or financially speaking a new building is out of the question, these are all good reasons to stay where you are.  However, I’d like to share with you a few of the best reasons to consider renovating your current facility.

1)  Improve traffic to your business – we have seen it time and again that renovating a commercial space peaks the interest of people in your community.  It also provides additional promotional opportunities because having a renovated space to talk about creates a steady and interesting social media topic.  Whether you’re a doctor, restaurant, or a school, you consistently want to attract new people to your space, right?  Sharing your remodel should help gain and/or keep followers to communicate the benefits of your services.

Future of Net Zero Energy Buildings for Michigan Business Owners

We hear about energy efficiency, greenhouse gases, renewable energy, and carbon emissions more frequently these days, but maybe not as popular is Net Zero Energy Building or Net Zero Energy Building Ready. These aren’t new concepts, but with the flurry of attention on energy savings, we wanted to check into the current status for Michigan Commercial Building Owners. Since the Michigan Energy Code (2015) was adopted in 2017 in Michigan, how far are our Commercial Building owners from achieving Net Zero Energy Building Ready?

6 Questions Commercial Buyers Should Ask When Shopping a New Building

Once you’ve already determined the approximate size of the space you need, your budget, general location desired, and that the investment will fit within your business objectives, it’s time to start shopping for suitable building for your company changes.

Four Key Site Selection Factors before Purchasing Commercial Property

When searching for commercial property you can and should rely on your realtor for many key details and features of the site that will benefit your business. That being said, there are details that only a Design/Build partner can help you make a more complete, educated decision. With the Architect and Contractor on the same team, they will review the site together and determine obstacles and costs quickly. Specifically, Design/Build contractors are looking for infrastructure, constructability, and challenges of a site that could potentially add cost to a construction budget or schedule.

SBA 504 Provides Easy Financing for Small Business Growth in Michigan

It’s not unusual that I encounter potential clients who are expanding and need new space to accommodate their growth, but aren’t able to expend their capital for the down payment on a typical bank loan.

Recent Blog Posts