As a business owner, you likely concern yourself with your products and services. While that’s natural, don’t forget about the value of your property itself. Your commercial property needs regular maintenance and updates to help your business quality and reputation. If you’re unsure where to start, use this article as a reference on improvements to make to a commercial property.
Safety Updates
Safety features are a must for any business that wants to remain in compliance. You need to consider the safety of your employees and visitors and meet permit requirements. If you have safety hazards on your property, it can result in accidents, fines, and worst cases, fatalities. Worker’s Compensation claims cost businesses millions of dollars each year due to slips halls, lacerations, and lost labor time. Prevent issues from occurring by being proactive and hiring the right people such as a local railing contractor.
Hiring a railing contractor is important. Railing systems are a must to meet building codes. Your railings must have a certain height and shouldn’t have gaps longer than 4 inches to prevent falls, which can lead to devastating injuries or fatalities. These features aren’t just for safety, as they can add to the beauty of your building design. The best railings are made from materials, such as cast iron, steel, or aluminum. Some are also made from wood, which you can customize by staining or painting. You could define various spaces with the use of appropriate railings that can tie or separate different zones and add to a dynamic design. You can have railings both inside and outside your main property. Make sure that you use the right material based on location. Certain materials like steel or aluminum can withstand weather, and corrosion, and last decades without needing replacement. As a result, you can save money and time on overhead.
If you’re unsure about meeting safety standards, become familiar with OSHA. You also must consider the Americans with disability standards or ADA. For example, you must have a certain amount of parking spaces set aside for people with mobility issues. You should also have ramps, and other ways for people with mobility issues to reach higher floors if you have a multi-level building. There are various age groups or ability levels you must consider so they can enter and maneuver your building with ease.
Landscaping and Hardscaping
If you own a home or visited a beautiful business property, you understand the value of curb appeal. One of the highlights of good curb appeal is enjoying nature. When you have enough business landscape, invest in planting field trees. If you don’t have beautiful grass already, landscapers can install sod, which can begin to sprout in a few weeks. From there, plant grass, flower beds, trees, and spruces that make your outside look more engaging. When you have an inviting exterior, you’re more likely to bring customers off the street for commerce. You can also boost employee morale, as they’ll feel comfortable in beautiful surroundings.
Use your landscape to create a space where employees or visitors feel comfortable sitting outside with a cup of coffee on a lunch break. Give people space or a custom walkway path to get exercise, so they can remain active throughout the day. You can install picnic tables that can double as makeshift meeting spots or space for company parties. The right vegetation in the space can attract friendly wildlife, such as squirrels, butterflies, and cute birds. Being greeted by such friendly nature is a lovely way for everyone to start the day. According to Healthline, being in nature helps people feel a sense of wellness and happiness. Let your employees have that same feeling whenever they enter your building.
Water Safety
Make sure that employees and visitors have safe, clean water to drink at all times. Instead of having tons of plastic bottles, you can invest in a water filtration system in your company kitchens and waiting rooms. Invest in well pump replacements as needed, so your commercial well is always safe and free of contamination. Having your own company well can ensure you won’t have to rely on the local municipality for water. That can be an essential feature when in a rural area. Therefore, your business will always have a reliable source of water and one you can control and keep people safe. You may also be able to save a company overhead when you handle your own water well.
Plumbing Upgrades
Of course, the commercial building will need plumbing. Company kitchens and bathrooms Haneed sanitary facilities for people to use throughout the day. According to the CDC, Americans waste billions of gallons of water annually. You can prevent your business from being one of the culprits of such waste by calling a local plumbing company to install new fixtures. These new fixtures should include dual flush toilets that will only waste one gallon of water per flush, compared to the five gallons a regular toilet wastes. If you want to impress employees and guests, have updated fixtures, such as bidets, so people can keep extra clean every time they use the bathroom. Invest in heated toilets, especially if you have CEO-level suites.
Find a commercial plumber that you trust enough to call back for regular plumbing repairs. If you’re not sure where to find such a plumber, you can always check reviews and get references from other businesses in your circle. Try to find a commercial plumber who can do a range of services, such as installations, ongoing maintenance, and repairs. Make sure you find a plumber with experience doing commercial work as handling a large-scale plumbing service for a business is different from smaller-scale residential work.
Those upgrades may also include repiping services, especially if your company is in an older building. Lead pipes were a major health hazard but were outlawed by the early 1980s. Of course, every building was not able to be revamped. So, if you purchased a commercial space in an area that has been abandoned for a long time, then you may have inherited lead pipes. Make sure your company has done a thorough inspection before letting employees work there. Replace any lead pipe with copper, PVC, or other materials safe enough to transport water for drinking and cleansing. Lead pipes have been linked to neurological issues and brain damage, so it’s not something to play around with.
Durable Roofing
Good roofing is essential for any structure, whether it’s your home or business. Focus on a durable roof that lasts a long time so you don’t have to keep getting roof repairs or worry about damage to your building. If your business constantly suffers from a leaky roof, it would not only endanger your business foundation but may also endanger the equipment that you use. For example, most businesses have a range of technical equipment, such as computers. If there was a heavy rainstorm that caused water to pour into cracks and holes in your roof or cause a cave-in, that could damage equipment. It would also result in a lot of downtime as your company recovers and makes necessary structural repairs and equipment replacement.
There are many roofing companies to choose from in your areas, but make sure you find some that specialize in the right materials. Thanks to advances in roofing technology, you won’t be at a loss for the choice of material. However, some are better than others, such as metal. Asphalt shingles are still the number one roofing in the United States. According to Bob Vila, your asphalt roof can last 20 to 25 years with good maintenance. However, a well-installed metal roof can top that. A metal roof can last 40 to 70 years and is low maintenance. In addition to its durability, it comes with a class-A fire rating, is beautiful, and can add great value to your commercial space. Even if you don’t plan on selling your property soon, a metal roof can help ensure commercial business equity increases.
Pest Elimination
A quality pest control service is essential to protecting your business and keeping people safe. Imagine having an important meeting only to notice a cockroach or a rodent scurry across the floor. Needless to say, it would be embarrassing for everyone involved. Plus, your staff wouldn’t want to work in such an environment, as such critters are associated with filth. There are many reasons why pests invade commercial building. Your building may have holes or crevices that make it easy for vermin to invade. If you’re in a building that serves food, they can always attract pests. Plus, they always take shelter in any place with a dark corner to hide.
One of the worst insects any business or home can worry about is termites. According to the CDC, termites can destroy a home in as little as three years. Termites wreak just as much havoc on a commercial space, as long as it has wood as part of its structure. If termites eat away at your foundation, it can make your building unsafe to work in. It could become worthless to sell if it’s been destroyed.
New Signage
Never underestimate the value of a good sign. Front signs are still some of the best ways to advertise your business. According to Statistica, as many as 60% of surveyed customers admitted to entering a business for the first time due to the quality of the sign. As long as you have a sign that showcases your company name and gives a sense of what you’re selling, it’s easy to bring people off the street. When your company has a storefront, it allows people to get a glimpse of what you have to offer inside, which can make it even more enticing. Signs can come in various materials, but consider something more durable, like metal, that can last a decade. You can further enhance your signs with neon lights that can be seen at night and from a distance.
One of the best things about signage is you only have to pay for it once. Unlike other forms of advertisement that require continuous payments, like TV or podcast ads, you only pay for signs at creation. Once you hang it up, it’s yours to keep until you take it down for repairs or replacement.
Handle Drainage
Like your home, your business needs to worry about proper drainage. If you live in an area prone to floods or have a high water table, you may have to do some extra work for water damage protection. Make sure your commercial building has efficient gutters on the roofing system. Enlist drain tile services, known for protecting foundations and basement space from groundwater infiltration. Such a system will capture any groundwater before it enters your commercial basement. It can direct it over into a sump pit or another discharge pit.
Once you ensure that you handle drain issues, you can feel safe getting more cement service to revamp your walkways or driveways. After all, if there is a drainage problem, cement can develop cracks that will eventually need to be repaired. Cement is a durable, strong material often used in construction. However, it can be vulnerable to water building up under the surface, which can cause it to crack, buckle, and become uneven. As a result, you won’t have a safe and solid space to walk on and park the cars on as needed. Cracked cement on your property can take away from your curb appeal and make it look unsightly.
As you can see, you have several ways to enhance your commercial property. Make sure you have quality plumbing, pest control, and drainage, and consider your curb appeal with beautiful landscaping. When you make these adjustments to your property, don’t be surprised if you see more traffic and employee morale boost. Good luck making any changes to your business, and may you continue to grow in 2024.