5 Things to Do Before Building a New Warehouse or Office Space

It’s finally time for your company to move to a new warehouse or office space. Instead of leasing one out, you’ve decided to build your own to your exact specifications. Before taking the shovel to the dirt, however, make sure you have these five things.

A Plan

Before building anything, you need to know what you’re going to build. For this, you’ll need to brainstorm what this ideal space could have and then whittle the idea down based on what you can realistically afford. Consider the amount of inventory you wish to house, the number of employees you have, the number of employees you want to have, and any specialized areas or equipment you’ll want for your team.

A Civil Engineer

Now that you have a rough draft, you’ll need a professional to turn your dream space into a reality. Civil engineers are there from beginning to end and are trained to deal with difficult building requirements. From drawing up an accurately sized sketch of your future space to laying out the electrical grid to ensure your building receives enough power, they provide you with the most accurate estimation of cost and time required for your project. Someone who has taken civil engineering classes online at a university can help you find the best options for your new building.

A Location

The building will need to sit on a plot of land. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure this plot of land is conveniently located for suppliers, customers, and employees. A bigger, better office won’t mean growth unless it is easily accessed by new customers and run by workers who don’t have to sit in two hours of traffic every day. You might also want to consider building near a competitor.

A Budget

Because you aren’t going to be paying a monthly fee through a lease, you’ll want to set aside funds designated specifically for this building project. Ideally, you’ll know about this move long before it happens, giving you ample time to save up enough money to cover the majority of the cost without a loan.

A Look

Something to consider outside of the essentials is your company’s look. A new space is an ideal time for reinventing a currently dated logo or appearance. Much like how new McDonald’s buildings are outfitted to look more like cafes and sport LED menu screens, your company can also take advantage of image branding. Depending on what you do, this will have an impact on what materials are needed to craft the new space. Don’t go into a warehouse or office building project without proper preparation. Assemble these five things to ensure that the final project is better than you could have ever imagined.