For veterinary, medical and dental practices, strategically designed facilities are essential. Functionality must take precedence, as the needs of clinics go beyond just four walls and a roof. Like other tools and resources, these spaces must support care delivery while offering a comfortable, inviting environment to ease patients. Facilities, whether new or renovated, should also accommodate future growth and evolving space requirements.
One of the most pressing decisions about such facilities is choosing between a buildout and ground-up construction. Each approach to building a new space comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to consider the options carefully before making the final call. What follows is a basic summary of each method and some tips for choosing the one that makes the most sense for your specific needs.
What is Ground-Up Construction?
As you might be able to guess from the term, this refers to building from the ground up, starting with an empty lot and constructing your new facility from scratch. Because you’re working with what’s essentially a blank slate, choosing to build from the ground up means you have a lot of control over what the end result will be. For medical, dental and veterinary practices, this can be extremely important.
For one, the ground-up construction process gives you the opportunity to design the new building to fit your needs as closely as possible. You won’t have to worry about compromises in the layout of your space because you can choose one that meets your exact specifications. You also have the latitude to select the materials and aesthetics you want, which can be essential for creating a calm, welcoming atmosphere. When you build from the ground up, you can include accommodations for the latest medical technologies — and leave yourself space for any upgrades that may be necessary in the future.
What is a Buildout in Construction?
If you have an existing space, you also have the option of building out, meaning you can either renovate an existing space or add onto and/or expand that property until it’s better suited for your needs. Typically, buildout construction starts with an appraisal of your current facilities and finding opportunities for improvements. Most buildouts of commercial real estate are performed on properties being leased by businesses, and usually involved renovations to reconfigure indoor spaces to create new rooms or remove them to open up the space.
Even though it doesn’t provide you with the same level of customization as new construction, a buildout still can be a great choice for growing and adapting to your practice. Because you’ll be starting with existing infrastructure, these types of projects are not as involved. This means you can have your new space ready to go in a much tighter timeframe in most cases. It also represents potential cost savings over building an entirely new facility. If you’re mostly happy with your current building or are moving into a space that’s almost but not quite what you want, a buildout can be a great way to get the facilities you’ve always wanted without starting from nothing.
Which Approach is Better for You?
Whether you choose buildout or ground-up to construct your practice’s new facility comes down to which approach fits your needs and circumstances. There are a number of critical factors you need to consider before making your decision, including:
- Cost — Perhaps the biggest consideration is how much you have available to spend. In general, buildouts tend to be the more cost-effective option because you’re working with an existing property. However, the risk of finding unexpected complications after work begins could push the costs up higher than you expected.
- Timeline — If you don’t want to go through a lengthy construction process, a buildout may be the best choice. This is because you won’t be starting from zero with the space.
- Customization — New construction gives you the opportunity to manage every detail of your new facility, whereas a buildout means you have to work within some limitations. Depending on your practice’s operational needs, you may not want to make any compromises in the design or layout of your new space.
- Permitting — The process for obtaining permits can be more involved with ground-up construction because every aspect of the project must be approved before going ahead with the work. On the other hand, a buildout offers a faster and more streamlined process.
Explore Your Options With RWE Design Build
When you want to grow your practice and upgrade your facilities, there’s a lot to consider. Building a new property from the ground up gives you more control, but renovating an existing space may yield the same results with some significant savings. It’s always a good idea to take a close look at your needs and think carefully about your options before making a major investment like this.
The experts at RWE Design Build have helped countless practices like yours enhance their spaces and gain the facilities they’ve always wanted to better serve their patients. If you want to learn more about our expertise and how our commercial design and build services can be put to work for your next project, reach out and speak with a member of our team today.
