Tag: commercial renovation

New Ways to Design Office Cubicles

Office Cubicle Trend – Sliding Doors

Several developments have occurred in the design of office interiors. The open office concept became popular in the 1950s when desks were organized in groups or rows to allow for interaction. It did, however, prove to be distracting. As a result, it became evident that change was required. The cubicle concept was introduced around this time. However, the model was found to be ineffective in 2000. As a result, the workplace changed once more. Today on the blog, our general contractors discuss new ways to design office cubicles: sliding doors.

Why Traditional Cubicles Didn’t Work

The most common criticism about an open workplace floor plan is the disturbance caused by a lack of sound and visual privacy. When staff is present, it is tough to prevent distractions. Our commercial building renovation professionals explain that distractions can have a negative impact on morale and productivity. It can also prevent people from feeling at ease in their workplace, which might hinder their ability to work efficiently. Though you can limit sound distractions by utilizing noise-canceling headphones, there are few options for ensuring visual privacy. When you’re seated amongst people, it’s not only tough to avoid distractions, but you may also experience the strain of feeling really busy because you’re constantly in front of an audience.

As a result, you must provide additional space in an office to maintain privacy. It contributes to the creation of a productive and comfortable working atmosphere. Adding office cubicles with sliding doors will assist in doing this. It makes the area more functional and appealing. You may obtain a double-glazed partition system that delivers the appearance of glass while having the impact of a solid wall for increased sound privacy, like office cubicles with sliding doors.

Office Cubicles with Sliding Doors Save Space

First, our Sacramento commercial builders explain that partition walls can help to eliminate the concept of the traditional cubicle. It allows for more natural light to enter an office. A sliding door for the cubicle is a great way to save space in the office, especially if it can suspend or glide from a track. These doors take up significantly less space than traditional doors. They also offer the interior a modern aesthetic while letting in plenty of light. A small office would benefit from a cubicle with sliding doors. It brings natural light into space, making it more energy-efficient.

Sliding Door

Another great option is a sliding door. Because it moves smoothly on the track, this is a manual sliding door that allows for a silent entry or exit from the glass cubicle. Manual sliding doors, like the pocket door, can be included in the design. This gives the appearance of a continuous office cubicle. When it is closed, it provides more seclusion.

Sliding Barn Door

This might be a stunning addition to your office decor. You may bring a touch of country to cubicle office design with a stunning barn door. These sliding doors glide gently on the track and provide quiet access and departure inside the office.

Sliding Door with Assistive Closing

You can reduce the number of touchpoints in the office by using an assisted closed sliding door. With the automatic close or light touch functionality, your personnel can be confident that they are limiting germ spread simply by reducing touchpoints.

Sliding Door Automation

One of our favorite office design add-ons is sliding door automation. Specialized AV, Commercial Audio Video Installation Sacramento, says that more and more offices are adding smart automation into their offices. An automatic sliding door is an ideal solution for sliding glass for a cubicle that eliminates touchpoints. These can be seen on storefronts, and incorporating an automatic sliding door into an office cubicle eliminates the need for your personnel to operate it. This will also add a contemporary touch to your office!

Sliding doors can be the solution for businesses who desire a modern workplace design but wish to preserve the cubicle concept. It can make a good first impression while also increasing productivity.

Office Cubicle Renovations

Are you interested in renovating your office or building? At Headwaters Construction Inc., our team can help. We love offering Sacramento companies top-rated commercial building renovation services. Contact us today.

How to Decide if it’s Time for a Retail Renovation

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How to Decide if It’s Time for Retail Renovation: 2021

Retail spaces tend to get a lot of foot traffic. As a retail store owner, you understand that your income comes from the number of customers who buy from you. Therefore, it is important to maintain your retail store in a way that allows anyone and everyone to feel comfortable enough to spend their time and money. A retail renovation project may be necessary for you if your store is a couple of years old. Renovation can increase the revenue of retail shops by a considerable margin. A general contractor will be in a position to spruce up your store and enhance the user experience.

Starting a commercial renovation project is a lot of work to do. Here’s what our commercial builders think you need to consider before you commit to this big project.

YOUR BUDGET AND TIMELINE

Renovations cost both time and money.

With this in mind, ask yourself whether you have enough money to carry out a full-scale renovation or the time to do it. At times, you may be forced to do a cosmetic touch-up or a facelift to make your store look even better than before. When it comes to your budget allocation, prioritize the things you need instead of the things you want. This will help you save money.

Cosmetic touch-ups include repainting, replacing damaged displays such as wall paintings and shelves, professional cleaning, and replacing fixtures.

A full-scale renovation might involve re-carpeting, adding or removing whole structures from the store, and working on electric fixtures, heating, plumbing, and anything that will require that you talk to a commercial renovation contractor.

Decide whether you will be closing your doors until the renovations are done or whether you will carry it out in parts. Both require that you work fast to avoid inconveniencing your customers.

FOOT TRAFFIC

Study how your customers move. By doing so, you will be able to renovate your store in a way that allows them to fully experience what you have to offer in your store. Remember, customers do not have all day to linger in your store, so the sooner they see the things they need, the better.

Place your merchandise in counter-clockwise order. Most of your shoppers will be right-handed. They will automatically look to their right as soon as they walk into your store. Placing your products on the right side of your store so that customers can see them first will influence their buying choices.

LIGHTING

Lighting influences the atmosphere of a place. It is why you will find a difference between the kind of lighting used in a spa and that used in a library.

Decide whether you want to create a warm ambiance or a cool one depending on what you are selling. Putting extra lighting around your merchandise will also help attract shoppers to them. Our friends at Specialized AV, a commercial automation company in Sacramento, highly recommend installing smart lights. This will help you save energy costs and is extremely convenient when you’re away from the store.

DECOMPRESSION AREA

This consists of the first five to fifteen feet inside your store. It allows the customers to transition from the chaos outside and focus on your merchandise. Decide whether you want to make it more interesting by improving the lighting, fixtures, and color schemes.

HOW TO DECIDE RETAIL RENOVATION

Retail renovation is an important decision that could boost your business. If you are looking for a commercial renovator for your space, look no further than Headwaters Construction Inc. We strive to make your retail space unique and inviting by delivering outstanding quality, communication, and service. For more information about our commercial building services, take a look at our projects gallery.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Controlling Commercial Renovation Costs

Controlling Commercial Rennovation Costs

Estimating and Controlling Commercial Renovation Costs

Retail renovation can be used to change the intended use or look of a commercial building. While renovating a building is not expected to cost as much as building a new one, it comes with a substantial cost to it. As a business person, it is important to estimate and control the amount of money you spend during renovations. Proper planning around finances cushions you from unwarranted losses. It greatly helps to understand what goes behind estimating and controlling commercial renovation costs. Below are some of the best ways to estimate and control commercial renovation costs, straight from our Sacramento construction general contractors.

Make Adequate Plans

Planning is as important in your commercial renovation as it is in coming up with a new building. Proper planning helps you avoid wasting time and money on unnecessary things. Also, it helps your commercial renovation contractor understand what you want in a timely manner.

Some of the things you need to consider when planning for your renovation include:

Location of the Building

The location of your building will affect the availability of materials and labor. It will also affect what changes you are allowed to make by your local authorities. Remember, building code regulations vary with location. You are more likely to encounter more regulations in the city than away from it.

Take the time to understand the location of your building and come up with an adequate plan on how to supply your project with everything it needs. This way, you do not have to stall once the project starts.

Number of Contractors Needed

What kind of renovations do you want on your building, and who is best suited to handle them?

Renovations can range from simple projects to big projects that will require more than one or two disciplines. Most times, you might encounter a commercial contractor who is specialized in one discipline. Therefore, you will be forced to deal with different contractors to get the results you want.

Understanding how many commercial contractors you need throughout the project will save you valuable time and money. It will also ensure that you get everything done the right way.

Building Use

How do you intend to use the building after renovations, and what is it being used currently?

First, one must consider the intended use of the building. This is because one needs to account for its materials, equipment, and structural needs.

For example, a commercial renovation that changes the intended use of the building is likely to use more materials and equipment than one that just needs a facelift. The renovations might also affect the structural integrity of your building.

Consider the Life Cycle of Your Building Systems

Every equipment and facility you use in your building has a life cycle. Gilmore Heating, Air & Plumbing, Sacramento HVAC company, says that your plumbing system has the potential to last longer than your HVAC system. Therefore, during renovation, you might consider leaving your plumbing system intact, depending on how old it is.

Considering these life cycles will help you make adequate plans in terms of finances. This allows one to determine if the building can be retained from the current facilities and equipment being used.

Find the Right Contractor for your Renovations

It doesn’t just help to control and estimate your costs during a commercial renovation project. You also need a commercial builder who understands your needs and is ready to deliver. Headwaters Construction Inc. is dedicated to making any commercial renovation a success. Call us today and get the best service for your commercial project.

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Top Flooring Materials Commercial Building

Top Flooring Materials for Your Commercial Building

Your commercial construction will require the best available finishes before you can open it for the public. This includes the floor, an often overlooked aspect of your building. The flooring materials will vary depending on the kind of building you have.

As a business person looking to open your building for commercial purposes, it helps to find the right flooring materials. This will help increase the aesthetic value of your building and the odds of a durable floor.

Here are some of the most common flooring materials you can use for your commercial building shared directly from our Sacramento commercial contractors.

Carpet Flooring

Carpets are not just designed for home use. Apart from giving your building that warm fuzzy feeling, a good caret will play an essential role in the final finishing of a commercial building. A good carpet comes with a number of benefits: They are easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner, and they are more durable. Because of this, a good carpet can retain their good look for years.

Additionally, carpets come in different varieties. Some carpets come with different patterns that help hide the wear and tear that comes from consistent use. This is especially important in high traffic commercial buildings. Darker carpets help hide spills better than a wooden floor would.

Hardwood Flooring

Wood has been one of the oldest forms of flooring in the world. Hardwood floors give a building a sophisticated look while increasing the overall value of the establishment. They come in different styles depending on the building.

Our tilt-up construction contractors explain that hardwood floors are ideal for buildings with a lot of foot traffic because they help preserve the air quality of any interior. This is possible because they do not trap dust and dirt. Therefore, the air within your building will remain cleaner.

Finally, hardwood is easy to clean. You can simply wash or sweep them.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is the best option for you as a commercial building owner if you are planning to give your building an elegant look without having to spend a lot of money. Turek’s Plumbing, Appleton, WI Kitchen remodel company explains that vinyl floors are designed to give you any look you want. This can range from hardwood floors to stone floors that are popular with many commercial buildings.

The floors come with different patterns depending on your design needs and can last for a long time. Additionally, this flooring type has the ability to withstand wear and tear thanks to its scratch and moisture resistance abilities. Vinyl floors are also easy to install.

Picking the Best Flooring for Your Building

Finding the perfect floor type will, indeed, affect the overall value of your building. Different buildings come with different uses, and some buildings’ usefulness could be improved by the type of floor you use. For example, a building that requires less noise in the interior will do well with carpet flooring.

The trick to finding the best floor for your building it to talk to your commercial contractor. You can trust Headwaters Costruction Inc, the best commercial construction company in Sacramento, to provide you with valuable advice on the best finishes for your building whether you are installing the floors for the first time or doing a commercial renovation.

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Ghost Kitchens in Shopping Malls

Ghost Kitchens: The Shopping Mall Trend Gathering Steam

Have you heard about ghost kitchens in shopping malls? Mall owners all over are transforming their spaces. These kitchens can provide a viable way to utilize empty retail space in your buildings. However, there is a lot to know about before you jump on the ghost kitchen trend in shopping malls. It is important to pay attention to the unique challenges that repurposing existing space in malls into ghost kitchens presents. These insights have been contributed by the experienced commercial builders at Headwaters Construction Inc.

What is a Ghost Kitchen?

Under normal circumstances, commercial kitchens are located in spaces where a restaurant or hotel exist. This is to serve clients who sit and dine in the space availed for that purpose.

In contrast, a ghost kitchen is a commercial kitchen that is set up in a location where there is no intention for customers to come in, order, and have a meal. Ghost kitchens are established to fulfill the orders made through food delivery apps, such as Uber Foods. This is so the food can be prepped and transported to a restaurant elsewhere.

Why Would You Be Interested in Ghost Kitchens in Shopping Malls?

Ghost kitchens are enticing to shopping mall owners because they utilize unused space that may exist.

Commercial renovation contractors like Headwaters Construction Inc. are seeing a lot of unused space in shopping malls due to the increasing trend of businesses taking their operations online.

This shift to digital platforms, and the transfer of brick and mortar outlets to the suburbs, poses a real existential threat to shopping malls. This is unless alternative uses for the available space can be found quickly. Ghost kitchens are one of those alternatives available to shopping mall owners having unused space in their malls.

Considerations When Converting Existing Retail Space into a Ghost Kitchen

Infrastructure Intricacies

Turek’s Plumbing, an Appleton, WI Kitchen remodel company explains that any commercial kitchen, regardless of its size, requires more. Commercial kitchens require more water, gas, and waste lines when compared to other commercial spaces. As you plan a retail renovation project to convert existing space into a ghost kitchen, think about the costs that will be involved in implementing these upgrades.

One safeguard that you can negotiate to rationalize these upgrades is securing a long term tenant. This will make the cost of the upgrades offset gradually and the conversion makes business sense.

Layout Limitations

Commercial construction companies rely on the existing utility lines (water, gas and waste) to plan the layout of a commercial kitchen during a renovation or repurposing project.

If the available space wasn’t originally designed to be a commercial kitchen, then the commercial renovation contractor may have no choice other than to tear up the existing floors and walls in order to install these lines as demanded by a commercial kitchen.

Needless to say, making those layout modifications will come at a significant cost, and shopping mall owners have to think about this cost when considering whether to take on a ghost kitchen as a tenant for retail space that is currently unused.

Mechanical System Additions

Setting up a ghost kitchen in a space that was a kitchen before makes things easier. If the ghost kitchen is created from space that wasn’t used as a kitchen before, then there will be a need to install mechanical systems like black iron ductwork (that also has fans to link the exhaust system of the kitchen to the exterior of the building), a fire suppression system, and so on.

The cost of these mechanical systems may be hard to estimate, so it is wise for you to enlist the help of Headwaters Construction Inc.’s experienced Sacramento commercial builders.

Work out the feasibility of having ghost kitchens as tenants before you make any commitments to potential tenants. At Headwaters Construction Inc., we have experience in performing different kinds of commercial renovations. We have converted many existing retail spaces into commercial kitchens. Contact us today and we can help you to realize your dream of having ghost kitchens as tenants.

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What to Consider Before Renovating Your Retail Business

Things to Consider Before Renovating Your Retail Business

As a property owner, it is your responsibility to keep your commercial buildings looking new for customers and potential renters. Whether that’s adding a new coat of paint or taking out a wall, simple modifications can make a big difference. Before you start any commercial renovation project, there are some things to consider. Headwaters Construction Inc., the best Sacramento commercial construction company, points out the key factors to keep in mind before renovating your retail business.

Your Reasons for the Renovation

Different retailers have different reasons for renovating, so first ask yourself why you want to renovate. Perhaps you want to expand the available space? Or you wish to rebrand the business? Do you want to modernize the property? Whatever your reasons, retail renovation contractors recommend that you develop a written plan that includes ideal timelines and details.

What Would You Like the Renovated Store to Look Like?

How do you envision your property to look? When consulting with a local commercial construction company, don’t be afraid to ask questions or share ideas. Our friends at Tureks Plumbing, a plumbing, and home-remodeling company in Appleton, recommend narrowing down the must-haves if you’re on a time-crunch. Establishing a complete design plan can take some time, so the sooner you have a general idea of what you want, the better. Regardless, Headwaters Construction Inc. can help. Our experienced construction team will give you their professional opinion and walk you through the construction process.

If you’re unsure about how you want to transform the space, our team can make recommendations. We also recommend that you ask employees, friends, family, or customers their opinion about potential design plans. These people, especially your employees, will give you practical suggestions since they are consistently in the space. This is also the time to work out any kinks so that we can finalize the renovation plan.

How Do You Intend to Finance the Retail Renovation Project?

Once you decide on a scope of work, and receive several bids from potential renovation contractors, add up the likely costs that you expect to incur during the project. The experienced retail renovation experts at Headwaters Construction Inc. suggest that you add a cushion of approximately 15% to your budget in order to cover any contingencies that could arise during the project.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the additional cash available to do so. There are plenty of financial options out there.

For example, you could talk to your bank about a loan whose repayment is spread out over several years instead of using your credit card to finance the renovation (which would attract high-interest rates).

How Will Your Renovation Project Affect Your Business?

As you plan the renovation project, think about the different ways your business will be affected. For example, what benefits do you plan to reap once the renovation is completed? Ensure that your expectations are realistic so that the cost of the renovation can be justified.

Adding a dressing room to a new clothing section can be a good way to generate more sales, for example. However, doubling the space allocated to an existing section in the retail outlet may not necessarily double the sales that you have been making.

Now is also the time to consider any temporary drawbacks that could result during the renovation. For instance, will you need to close the entire place or some sections can remain operational during the renovation? If you plan to close during the renovation, think of ways to create a buzz around your newly renovated premises so that you attract lots of customer traffic as soon as you reopen.

Have You Considered Your Competition?

Aim to offer a fresh shopping experience to your customers so that you are steps ahead of your competition. When your commercial renovation contractor does an exceptional job during the renovation, clients and competitors get an unspoken message that you are confident about the future of your business, and that inspires trust in your customers.

If properly planned and executed, commercial retail renovation projects can boost your business and position you as a leader in your industry. We at Headwaters Construction Inc. are available to help you during every stage of the renovation, so contact Headwaters Construction today!

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Innovation Strategy

What Is an Innovation Strategy?

Every company needs to innovate if they want to remain relevant in a quickly changing landscape. While many companies claim to have innovation at their core, their results show that this is not always the case. Despite the massive amounts of resources allocated to innovation, failure is the norm for many of them. For such companies, they need to focus on innovation strategy. Execution of innovation isn’t enough if there is no strategy towards a company’s selected long-term goals.

A good strategy makes every department or unit in the company committed to a clearly defined set of policies. This will include desired behaviors that ultimately lead to the realization of a specified business goal. Our experienced Sacramento Tilt-Up Construction professionals explain that your innovation strategy should address the following questions:

How Will We Create Value for Existing and Potential Customers?

An innovative product or solution can provide value in many ways. These include increased durability, compactness, lower cost, ease of use, better reliability, and so many other ways. For example, Gilmore Heating, Air and Plumbing, a residential ac company in Placerville, is constantly staying ahead of the curve by providing customers with better devices and services. Your innovation strategy will be lacking if it doesn’t specify your plan to offer value to potential customers. For example, different teams may try to find ways of offering value in different ways, and this lack of coherence will ultimately result in the failure of the innovation strategy.

How Will We Corner a Segment of the Value Created?

The reality of the world today is that not many companies or people are willing to invest in coming up with novel innovations, so they just pounce on any new innovation with their imitations.

Trying to keep such pirates at bay with patents and intellectual property rights is useless. You are better off deciding how you plan to capture a segment of the market that is attracted to your innovation. For example, Apple secured a corner of the market it created by bringing the iPad. This is called a proprietary operating system. That system ensures that someone who owns an iPad will more easily buy an iPhone since they use the same platform.

What Type of Innovation Strategy Should We Focus On?

Innovation can take many forms. A company may be kidding themselves if they think that they will pursue all types of innovation with the same degree of commitment. For example, some companies may be built on business model innovation. Uber and Netflix are a good example of such companies. Other companies may focus on routine innovation. This is a version in which you make improvements to an existing product. Microsoft has excelled at this with its different Windows OS versions. Disruptive innovation is yet another form of innovation, where companies seek to upset the status quo. For example, Google came up with the free Android OS as a disruption to the operating systems of Apple and Windows that one has to pay for.

In short, the innovation strategy of your company needs to outline how much attention will be given to the different kinds of innovation so that all efforts gel across the company.

The Power of Prevailing Winds in Innovation Strategy

Implementing an innovation strategy in a company is no walk in the park. This is because the operational needs of the company will keep pulling personnel and other resources towards fixing immediate needs. For example, your company may be interested in pursuing innovation, but the finance department may push the R&D department to come up with less costly components. They could want this to remain profitable, while the marketing team demands better packaging to reach new customers with existing products.

Those pressures are illustrations of how prevailing winds can throw your plans of innovation off track. Without clear leadership to stay on course, the innovation strategy can just remain on paper.

The Role of Management

Top management has many roles to play if the innovation strategy consists of two things: to see the light of day and bear the desired fruit in the long term.

First, top management is responsible for formulating the innovation strategy of the company. Commercial Renovation Contractors explain that this is important because only they can set the priorities of the company. This innovation strategy should then be articulated to all in the company so there is clarity on what matters most.

Secondly, top management is responsible for ensuring that the way resources are allocated supports the innovation strategy. What happens on the ground in terms of resource allocation determines what the strategy of your company is.

Third and most importantly, top management has the duty to keep refining the strategy. This is to ensure that it remains in tune with the changing times. For example, when a truly disruptive innovation is brought to market, it may be wiser to switch to routine innovation. This occurs to get as much value from that one innovation as is possible. Modest resources can then be used to search for the next big innovation.

As you can see, coming up with and eventually implementing an innovation strategy isn’t something you can do overnight. A lot of careful thought has to go into the process. However, the results are worth every bead of sweat! The construction industry did it with tilt-up construction and other innovations. You too can position yourself to be innovative.

For any innovative construction needs, please contact us at Headwater Construction Inc. We’d love to assist you!

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Tilt-Up Construction Must Knows

Everything You Need to Know About Tilt-Up Construction

Tilt-up concrete has been here for about a hundred years, though it came to the head of construction in the 1980s. This occurred when the American Concrete Institute (ACI) formed a committee dedicated to tilt-up concrete. If you are considering tilt-up construction, please read the following must knows on tilt-up concrete to ensure it’s the right technology for your construction needs!

Tilt-Up Concrete Panel Sizes

Headwaters Construction, Inc., the best tilt-up construction company in California, explains that there is almost no limit as to how large or wide tilt-up panels can be. For example, when a site has limited space, the tilt-up panels can be stacked as they are being manufactured on-site. Lifting cranes of different carrying capacities are available. This is so the weight of the panel may not impose limitations on how large the panels can get.

Tilt-up panels vary depending on whether they are insulated or not, in terms of thickness. Those that aren’t insulated usually range between seven and 12 inches in thickness.

If the design specifies that insulated panels be used, those panels will take on a sandwich-style appearance. In such a case, tilt-up construction professionals at Headwaters Construction, Inc. explain tilt-up construction must-knows about the sizing of the panels. The outer face of the panel will be 2-3 inches thick. The insulation layer will be 2-6 inches thick. The inner face of the panel will then be 7-12 inches thick.

Manufacturing and Physical Properties

Tilt-up contractors start by digging the foundation and pouring a slab that forms the floor of the tilt-up building. This same slab also serves as the casting slab for the tilt-up panels.

Formwork is placed on the foundation slab so that panels that meet the specifications (in terms of shape and size) can be cast. The formwork is often made from lumber, but some commercial construction companies use reusable metal or plastic for this task.

Just like in other forms of concrete, tilt-up panels have steel reinforcement inside them. Tilt-up contractors place “embeds,” such as weld plates, lifting inserts and others in the formwork before the concrete is poured.

As mentioned earlier, tilt-up panels can be stacked. The bond breakers applied between the different panels make it easy for individual panels to be lifted off the panels beneath them in the stack.

Many times, tilt-up contractors find that space limitations can be tricky. They will require that a lifting crane sits on a section of the foundation or floor slab during the lifting of the wall panels. In such a situation, the commercial builder will make the floor slab to be thicker than it would ordinarily be. That added thickness is intended to cater to the weight of the crane as it is doing its work.

The concrete is supplied by a ready-mix concrete supplier that uses the material to make tilt-up panels. This is a person who designs the mix to meet the specifications provided by the tilt-up construction company. For example, high-strength concrete may be required, or the mix may be designed to reach full strength sooner. This would help facilitate the quick completion of other phases of the construction process.

Tilt-Up Construction Panel Installation

Tilt-up panels are usually cast face-down. When they are ready to be hoisted, a crane lifts them off the floor slab. The crane then positions them vertically around the foundation slab. Each panel is braced to hold it in position until all the panels have been lifted and the work of welding the panels together can begin.

Connections are cast into the panels during the casting phase. These connections make it possible for adjacent panels to be welded together so the entire envelope can have structural integrity.

Headwaters Construction, Inc. then uses special seals to fill the vertical joints between different tilt-up panels. This forms a tight envelop that doesn’t allow energy leakage to occur.

Tilt-Up Concrete Finishes

Commercial construction companies like Headwaters Construction, Inc. use a variety of architectural treatments to make the tilt-up panels have rich details in their appearance. For example, reveals and rustications make it possible for the walls to appear to have been made from more panels than they are.

Exposed aggregate, colored concrete, and other surface finishes provide different ways that tilt-up panels can be made to be esthetically pleasing. Small brick inserts can also be placed on the outer surfaces of the tilt-up panels for a maintenance-free finish.

Building Codes

Tureks Plumbing, a home-remodeling company in Appleton, WI, points out the importance of building codes. Both commercial and residential services must follow certain guidelines. Tilt-up construction is covered in the reinforced concrete section of the International Building Code (IBC). Commercial builders explain that this code requires that only a licensed structural engineer can design a tilt-up concrete building.

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) publishes design guides for tilt-up concrete panels. These guides expand on the information contained in the institute’s general guidelines on tilt-up concrete.

Tilt-Up Construction Comparative Cost

Headwaters Construction, Inc. recalls that in the past, tilt-up construction was only economical for large commercial construction projects. This means that only projects, like warehousing and retail construction projects, were able to utilize tilt-up construction. However, there have been advances in design and material flexibility, along with a huge selection of cranes available. This has made it possible for smaller structures to be competitively built using this technology.

The popularity of tilt-up construction is growing because of the benefits that come with this approach to construction. These include the time and cost savings that result from casting panels onsite at-grade. This is unlike vertical casting, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Tilt-up panels form a tighter envelope due to having fewer joints than the walls made using other forms of construction. Contact Headwaters Construction, Inc. if you would like to learn more about this technology with your next commercial project. We hope that these tilt-up construction must knows answered any questions you may have in the meantime. Our experienced Sacramento construction contractors would love to deliver your completed project in record time, cost-effectively!

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Renovating a Historic Building

4 Best Practices for Renovating Your Historic Building

As you plan and execute the renovation of your historic building, there are several guiding principles that you need to keep in mind during every step of that renovation process. The experts at Headwaters Construction, Inc., the best commercial builder in California, explain those key preservation principles.

Retain the Original Architectural Style

One of the overriding goals that you should have in mind is that your historic house or building needs to retain its original architectural style.

Many times, historic buildings will exhibit a mixture of architectural styles, especially if those buildings were constructed at a time when the community was transitioning from one style to another.

Commercial construction companies recommend that you do some research about your particular building before starting your commercial renovation project. Knowing the background of your historical building can help you determine which aspects you want to keep.

Remain Faithful to the Original Design of the Building

It is one thing to retain the architectural style of a building, and it is a totally different thing to retain the original design of that particular building as you renovate it. It is important to recognize that there are variations within architectural styles that dominated different periods in history. So, you may want to consider keeping some of its original charm. We asked home-remodeling experts in Appleton WI, Tureks Plumbing Services, for their professional design opinion. They said that most people who buy historic buildings to renovate go into the project wanting to preserve a lot of the character and charm. As a result, the building looks timeless.

Headwaters Construction, Inc. recommends that you look for an original picture of that building and then use that picture as your guide while you make different decisions during the historic building renovation project.

Keep Preservation in Mind While Repairing or Maintaining the Building

Regular maintenance is usually the first and easiest way to preserve a historic building since the chance that it will deteriorate is minimized. Some of the basic maintenance that commercial builders recommend include the following:

Caulking
Removing rust
Regular cleaning of the gutter system
Repainting the building

At some point, it will become inevitable for you to have to repair or replace some features of the historic building. As much as possible, find ways to repair the original features and only replace them if necessary.

Some repair options may include patching, reinforcing, consolidating, splicing, and upgrading the original material so that it remains on the building.

If you are unsure about expanding the historic building to create more usable space, Headwaters Construction, Inc. is happy to help. Contact us today, and we’ll help you with your commercial renovation project.

Opt for Matching Materials When Replacement is Unavoidable

If you get to that point where replacement is your only option, commercial construction companies recommend that you select material that is similar to the original building. Try to choose material that is longlasting. That way, you won’t have to replace it a few years down the road. Remember, the building should remain true to its original design and architectural style.

Many commercial construction companies shy away from renovating a historic building because of the amount of time and effort that takes to achieve the overall goal. Headwaters Construction, Inc. isn’t one of those commercial builders. In fact, we have taken on a number of historical building restoration or preservation projects. Contact us, and we will gladly share our portfolio of projects similar to yours. We share your passion for preserving historic buildings, so let us partner and make your dream of preserving your historic building a reality!

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4 Tips to Help You Design Your Commercial Office Space

Commercial Office Space

Whether you plan to rent your commercial office building or use it for your own company, you’ll want to create the perfect design for your space. It’s important to put in a lot of thought about what you want your commercial renovation to look like. Here are some tried and true tips recommended by Headwaters Construction, Inc., a commercial builder, to help you design your commercial office space properly.

Analyze Your Needs

Under normal circumstances, the architect or designer shouldn’t be the determinant of the appropriate design of the commercial offices. Instead, experienced commercial construction companies like Headwaters Construction, Inc. suggest that you think carefully about your actual needs and let those needs drive the design process.

For example, open floor plans are all the rage these days, but that doesn’t mean you have to use the same design principle if such a layout isn’t functional. Some types of work require privacy and concentration, so secluded offices are ideal rather than open spaces.

In short, analyze your needs and use the insights that you get to select an office space design approach that will address those needs. Our friends at Specialized Audio and Video, a Sacramento audio and video company says should consider a security system and professional audio and video installation for the conference room.

Prioritize Variety

It is hard to find a company for which an open floor design will be 100% suitable for all their employees or a company in which only closed-off spaces are ideal.

For this reason, the best California commercial builder recommends that as you design the commercial office space, keep variety in mind and get the best of both worlds (open spaces and spaces that allow privacy).

How much space should be devoted to an open-space design, and how much should be allocated to the provision of privacy? This question can best be answered by looking at the results you obtained when you analyzed the specific needs of your company.

For instance, a larger portion of the office space can be allocated to open spaces if most of your employees travel for business. This is because creating private offices for each of the road warriors wouldn’t be an economical use of your premises since these individuals will be away most of the time.

See Your Tomorrow

It would be a big mistake if you designed the commercial office space based on your current needs alone. This is because the needs of your company are constantly in flux, so an office that was designed to meet the current needs will quickly outlive its usefulness since tomorrow’s needs are likely to differ starkly from the needs of today.

For example, many of your current employees may be older individuals who prefer a private office. A few years down the road, you may have new employees who prefer an open and collaborative space.

In such a case, you can design the commercial office space in a way that will allow you to combine two or more offices when the need for more open space arises years later. If you aren’t sure about the best way to mesh your current needs and future needs while designing the commercial office space, contact Headwaters Construction, Inc., and we shall put you in touch with the right team members to walk you through how this can be realized.

Design the Space for Density and Division

While designing the commercial office space with your future needs in mind, it is also helpful to choose a design that allows you to divide the existing offices easily so that they can accommodate more employees.

For example, when your workforce grows, you may need to assign one office to several people. This can be attained by adding more workstations or desks in the existing offices so that a team of people working on the same project can operate from the same office.

It is also wise to keep lighting, temperature, and other such things in mind as you design the commercial space so that the best possible work environment is created for employees. For example, adding skylights to the sections located far from windows will allow the offices to be evenly lit by natural light during the day. This will make the employees happier about the lighting situation.

How Can We Help?

We at Headwaters Construction, Inc. have extensive experience in handling all types of commercial construction or renovation projects. If you haven’t already, take a peek at our projects. We have teams that can work with you to design or remodel your commercial offices. You and your employees deserve to have a workplace that facilitates productivity and employee satisfaction in a way that is achieved cost-effectively. Contact us today and learn how we can be of service!

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