The decision to finally expand your dental office might look easy on paper but actualizing it requires a lot of time and planning. It is both a big financial and emotional investment. Because of the complexity and amount of detail that goes into the designing and renovation of dental offices, you always have to ensure that you and the contractor that you hire for the expansion are on the same wavelength.
For you to stay on top of the project and increase the chances of the expansion being a success, you need to be informed on the essential details of the whole design and amount of space needed for your dental office. Your communication and interaction with the contractor will go a long way in deciding whether the project will be fruitful in the end. This is why you need to ask your contractor questions about the project before it begins. Asking these questions will help you be on the same page with the contractor and iron out any issues before the expansion begins. Here are 4 questions to ask your contractor when expanding your dental office space:
How Will You Protect My Equipment and Property?
When expanding an office space, there is a lot of demolition and bringing down walls within the office. This means that your existing facilities and property will be exposed to dust and other elements during the expansion. Talk to your contractor and make sure that he/she prioritizes the safety of your equipment and property within the office.
How Long Will the Project Take?
An experienced dental office contractor should be able to estimate the amount of time needed to expand your office space. Knowing the amount of time the contractor will take will help you communicate effectively with your patients and avoid unexpected delays in serving your patients. You want a contractor who will work quickly enough without jeopardizing the quality of the work. Ask him/her if it will be possible to access the office area while it is under expansion.
How Flexible Will the Final Design of the Office Space Be?
Will the new design offer room for more expansion in future? This is an important bit of the expansion project because the final design will dictate whether the dental office space can be expanded further in the future. Ideally, you want the design to leave some leeway for future renovations and possible expansion just in case the numbers grow even more.
Can They Retain the Architectural Elements of the Current Design?
When expanding your office space, you want the original design and orientation that the clients use to be retained by the contractors. It might be a good idea to get the whole design tweaked for the office space to get a new feel but most dentists who have expanded their offices in the past have confessed that the former works better. Ask the contractor about the final design and give him/her your thoughts. Keep in mind how your new design will affect productivity around your office, and which elements of your current design need to be preserved.
Embarking on a dental office space renovation can leave your office in limbo, and make an already stressful visit even harder on your patients. Before you go ahead with the project, make sure your contractor can work with you to minimize the pain and discomfort of the transition and keep as much of your office functioning smoothly in the meantime.
To learn more about how a contractor can help you expand your dental office today, contact HJT Dental Design consultants.