What You Need to Do Before Reopening Your Commercial Building

Posted on July 14, 2020 by bafcorp20

After months of being closed due to stay-at-home orders and CDC advisories, your commercial building is ready to open back up and begin servicing guests and customers once again. However, after being shut down for a long period of time, a commercial building will require a certain approach to achieve a safe and successful reopening. As a proprietor or business owner, be sure you address all maintenance and sanitation issues prior to officially opening your doors.

Continue reading to learn the top things you need to do before you reopen your commercial business back up the public.

Indianapolis Commercial Construction and Facility Maintenance 317-253-0531

Facility Maintenance Inspections

Even while your commercial property was closed, you hopefully continued to implement regular inspections to ensure nothing disastrous happened. For instance, if a pipe bursts, you would want to catch that early on, before it can cause a massive amount of structural damage. Similarly, you should have continued to check for roof damages and leaks, as well as, other issues like structural damages, minor repairs, and mechanical malfunctions.

Your first step to reopening is to implement another, comprehensive facility maintenance inspection to see if there are any structural, safety, or mechanical issues. Another part of this step is to look at your building’s facility records for any yearly property inspections that might have been skipped due to closure. This includes sprinkler systems, fire alarms, fire suppression systems, back-flow preventers, and more.

Plumbing and Sewer Line Service

You will need to flush the buildings sewer lines and drain systems to eliminate standing water. Standing water is smelly, as it likely contains sulfur that smells like rotten eggs. Also, sinks, toilets, and even floor drains have components called P-traps, which hold enough water to keep sewer gases from rising. This water in the P-traps evaporate when a building is not in use, and causes sewer odors to develop. Be sure to have the sewer lines and drains flushed, but also have all valves and seals inspected to ensure they are still in good condition.

Automated System Assessments

Once you have your facility maintenance and plumbing managed, you will also need to check up on all your buildings mechanical and automated systems, such as the heating and cooling, water heaters, water softeners, security systems, lighting systems, irrigation systems, fire alarms, fire suppression systems, back-flow preventers, and similar schemes. Be sure they are all functioning and set back to regular schedule.

Aesthetic Revival

After a long period of being shut down, a commercial building will take on some duller, less appealing attributes. It is wise to give your commercial building an aesthetic refresher, such as painting and drywall, flooring, carpeting, new décor, or even minor renovations like door and window upgrades, roofing modifications, installation of touch-free systems, and more.

Superior Commercial Renovations and Facility Maintenance in Indianapolis

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for trusted commercial construction and facility maintenance service in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding locations. Our skilled and experienced commercial general contractors will revitalize your commercial building in an efficient timeframe, getting you back in business faster, and better than before! We serve all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding districts. Call today to request free information or to schedule a consultation.

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What to Expect From the Post Construction Phase

Posted on June 8, 2020 by bafcorp20

After your commercial construction team plans, designs, and builds your commercial property from the ground up, the project doesn’t stop there, nor does your relationship with your contractors. In fact, neither ever really come to completion since your building will always require on-going care and professional consideration. You see, the next stages of a commercial construction project, following the construction work, involve a final cleanup, as well as, post-occupancy facility maintenance. Both services are incorporated within your contract with your commercial construction company.

Continue below to learn what to expect from both stages of the post-construction phase.

Indianapolis Facility Maintenance and Management 317-253-0531

Construction Site Cleanup Phase

When the work is done, and the builders clear out all of their tools, equipment, and supplies, there is still a mess to clean up. Dust, fingerprints, footprints, smudges, and similar imperfections are left behind from the construction process, and will need to be cleaned and treated. Furthermore, areas, like bathrooms and kitchens, will require additional sanitizing. As included in a full-service commercial construction plan, your general contracting team will enlist the right division to deliver a spotless finish for your building.

Commercial Construction Site Cleanup Generally Entails:

➲ Factory Sticker Peeling (new windows, appliances, etc.)
➲ Garbage/Debris Removal
➲ Interior/Exterior Deep Sweep
➲ Full Dusting (ceiling pipes, light fixtures, vents, etc.)
➲ Detail Cleaning of All Surfaces
➲ Floor Buffing/Waxing
➲ Vacuuming/Mopping
➲ Restroom Sanitizing
➲ Appliance/Stainless Steel Polishing
➲ Window Ledges/Sills
➲ Elevator/Escalator Sanitizing
➲ General Polishing
➲ Power Washing
➲ Final Punch List
➲ White Glove Inspection

Post-Construction Facility Maintenance

Once your commercial building has passed its white glove inspection, your commercial contractors will initiate a smooth and effective turnover. However, your property will still need ongoing, specialized maintenance. Common facility maintenance services can include a wide range and scope of services, from electronic or mechanical system repairs and system updates, to routine building restorations, technology upgrades, cleaning, landscaping, sewage and septic repairs, master plumbing, and more. Such examples would be checking on electrical equipment and operations, inspecting mechanical equipment, painting, and repairing anything that may be defected, broken, or problematic.

Post-construction facility maintenance services sustain all systems and structures within a building. Your commercial construction company will set up a program, or remain available, to implement specialized maintenance work that cannot be performed by in-house custodial and day-porter staffs, such as electrician work, sign repair, and more. Rather than training and paying an in-house team to maintain and operate your building’s systems, simply rely on your commercial contractors instead. In fact, read our blog, “Why Use Your Commercial General Contractor for Facility Maintenance” to learn the unparalleled benefits of doing so.

Indianapolis Commercial General Contracting and Facility Maintenance

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for trusted commercial general contracting and facility maintenance in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can learn more about our services, or schedule a consultation to discuss your commercial construction and general contracting needs. We work with all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding areas.

What Facility Maintenance Services Can Do for Your Business’s Post-Construction Needs

Posted on April 27, 2020 by bafcorp20

Post construction, a new commercial property owner will eventually need to strategize a plan for their building’s maintenance, repair, cleaning, and landscaping needs. Fortunately, commercial property owners can get all those needs met from just one single source. By hiring a trusted and experienced commercial construction management company, you can meet all of your business’s design and build needs, as well as its post-occupancy maintenance and facility management requirements.

Continue reading to learn how facility maintenance services can benefit your business after construction is complete, as well as, where to find the right commercial contractors to help you design and build your commercial property from the ground, up.

Indianapolis Facility Maintenance and Management 317-253-0531

Post-Occupancy Facility Maintenance

Post occupancy facility maintenance might seem like a job for an ordinary blue collar crew, but the reality is that facility maintenance technicians are highly-skilled, licensed and certified professionals who have acquired formal training and education in their line of work, and must complete high levels of rigorous and recurrent training and certifications to be inducted into the commercial facility maintenance industry. In fact, they must pass courses on everything from chemical safety and building codes, to electrical work, heavy machinery operation, and much more. They complete high levels of rigorous and recurrent training and certifications to be inducted into the commercial facility maintenance industry.

Such staffs and jobs within a typical post-occupancy facility maintenance program might include custodians and janitors, maintenance crews, technicians, master plumbers, electricians, mechanical engineers, and similar fields. These professionals are typically outsourced by the commercial construction management company that designs and builds your property, but they are employed by larger facility management and maintenance companies.

Standard Services Within Facility Maintenance Program

Common facility maintenance services can include a wide range and scope of services, from electronic or mechanical system repairs and system updates, to routine building restorations, technology upgrades, cleaning, landscaping, sewage and septic repairs, master plumbing, and more. Such examples would be checking on electrical equipment and operations, inspecting mechanical equipment, painting, and repairing anything that may be defected, broken, or problematic. Maintenance crews and managers often times coordinate a flow of feedback from the other departments in the building on the functionality of everyone’s equipment and surroundings. Basically, facility maintenance services are meant to sustain all systems and structures within a commercial building or property.

Custodial and Landscaping Services

Common janitorial services provided by a commercial facility management company includes thorough cleaning of furniture, floors, carpets, windows, trash receptacles, dining areas, and other areas of a commercial property. Janitorial tasks can also include sanitizing, restroom cleaning, floor buffing, floor waxing, vacuuming, dusting, and more. Janitorial services can be endless depending on the type of services needed.

Landscaping is another commercial facility maintenance option that might be included in a post-occupancy program. Such services might include lawn care, tree care, mulching, flower bed arrangements, watering, fertilizing, and weed management.

Your One-Stop-Shop for Facility Maintenance Service

Outsourcing all of these services from different companies is a costly and invasive effort. Appointing in-house staff is also very costly when you consider hourly wages, overtime pay, vacation pay, insurance, and training time. The most economical route to take for your business’s post-occupancy needs is to hire a trusted commercial construction management company to be your single source of accountability for space planning, designing, building, and post-occupancy facility maintenance. See our blog, “Why Use Your Commercial General Contractor for Facility Maintenance” to learn why.

Indianapolis Facility Maintenance Services You Can Trust

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for professional commercial facility maintenance in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding areas. Our building maintenance programs are guaranteed to preserve and improve function, utility, and ultimately, value. Choosing your commercial builders as your facility maintenance provider is highly beneficial because we already have insider knowledge about your business objectives and performance goals, which also allows us to better plan and budget your maintenance needs on a long-term scale. We serve all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries, and can get you started with a consultation as soon as today!

Factors to Consider Before Signing a Commercial Office Lease

Posted on March 17, 2020 by bafcorp20

Moving into a new commercial space is a serious undertaking. There are several complex steps to complete in order to get your business back to fully-operating at peak performance following a relocation. But first you must sign a new lease. Before you do so, there are various considerations to apply to your decision in order to protect yourself from entering into a contract you later regret.

Continue reading to learn which factors should be at the forefront of your mind when discussing a new commercial real estate lease prior to signing.

Space Planning and Tenant Improvements 317-253-0531

General Commercial Lease Inquiries

With all new commercial real estate leases, there are basic questions that you must ask. These answers will give you the foundation of knowledge you need to decide whether or not to move forward with the lease agreement. Such questions include the following:

What is the Type of Lease Offered? There are different types of lease agreements for commercial properties, including net leases, gross leases, triple nets, and absolute triple nets.

What are the Terms and Conditions? You must read through all terms and conditions, and derive questions pertinent to your overall objectives and limitations.

Is the Lease Negotiable? Most often, lease agreements are flexible, and landlords will negotiate certain elements in the lease’s terms and conditions.

Will Rent Increase? Rent escalation is common in commercial real estate, like stepped increases that periodically increase in fixed amounts, or increases tied to Consumer Price Index.

Can You Sublease? Long-term leases might contain a subleasing and assignment clause that allows you to lease out all or a portion of your space to another tenant in the future.

Comprehensive Facility Touring

Always be sure to tour the facility as thoroughly as possible before signing a lease. You want your potential commercial space to have an inviting and functional atmosphere. When taking your tours, be sure to focus your attention on cleanliness, attractiveness, curb appeal, practicality, degree of remodeling or renovation needed, and amenities available, like parking, cafeterias, bathrooms, break rooms, lobbies, and more.

Neighboring Properties

Before entering in a legal contract that binds you to a commercial office space, it is wise to first check out your future neighbors. Consider the local businesses and buildings surrounding your potential space, including the actual proprietors and contemporaries you will likely encounter on a regular basis. This could easily thwart your interest in a new commercial space. For instance, if your business is a Zen spa, you wouldn’t want to lease a space directly below a dance studio or next door to a drum store.

Renewal Processes

It is wise to ask about the lease renewal process before making any agreements. Inquire about the terms and conditions of renewing or terminating the lease. In some cases, a tenant is required to notify the landlord within a certain time period that they wish to remain in a lease, while others do not. Communication guidelines and requirements for commercial leases vary from landlord to landlord. So, always be sure you fully understand your role when it comes time to renew or terminate your commercial lease.

Leasehold Improvements and Maintenance

Another important topic of discussion to cover prior to signing a new commercial lease are leasehold improvements. This includes facility maintenance. Questions to ask include, “Are you allowed to modify the space to meet your business’s needs?”, “Is the landlord willing to make tenant improvements before you move in?”, “Is the tenant improvement allowance enough?”, and “Is a maintenance program included in your lease?”

Professional Commercial Space Planning in Indianapolis

Call BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 to learn more about planning a new commercial space for your business. We provide full-service commercial space planning and permitting services in Indianapolis, and throughout Central Indiana for all businesses and industries. Whether you’ve already moved into a new space or still searching for one, our commercial construction management team has what it takes to meet your unique specifications. Call our office today to discuss your commercial space planning and tenant improvement needs, today.

A Brief Introduction to Commercial Construction Services

Posted on January 21, 2020 by bafcorp20

The commercial construction industry is much different from the world of residential building. There are many additional considerations to undertake, concepts and technologies to incorporate, and most importantly, profitability goals to meet. Overall, the commercial construction and general contracting enterprise is a vital tool for business owners, offering a wide range of services for all industries of all sizes.

As a commercial business owner, you may better develop a plan for your new site by understanding just what a commercial construction company can do for you. Continue below to peruse the primary categories and subcategories of commercial construction work, as well as, how to get started developing your new commercial property today.

Indianapolis Commercial General Contractors 317-253-0531

Top Categories of Commercial Construction

👷 General Contracting

A general contracting company works as a single source of contact and management by providing all material, labor, equipment, and services required for a commercial construction project. In most cases, they are responsible for hiring and managing specialized subcontractors to perform all or some of the work, such as roofing, windows, framing, drywall, painting, electrician work, and more.

👷 Pre-Construction

Commercial construction preconstruction services applies the innovative knowledge of precision forecasting to evaluate and establish every element of a project before breaking ground. This allows the development of a solid base, as well as a steady timeline for a project, including specifying all aspects, aligning designing and building agendas, recognizing milestones, creating contingency plans, and assessing alternatives. This approach helps to accurately reflecting real world conditions, controlling costs, and abating complications or setbacks.

👷 Construction Management

Commercial construction management applies concentrated managing system to oversee all aspects of a project, from planning and preconstruction, to designing, building, finishing, and more. This approach ensures an organized and streamlined construction process, therefore, controlling costs and reducing the likelihood of setbacks and project delays.

👷 Design Build (DB)

Commercial design-build contracting allows clients to avoid hiring 20 different contractors and professionals for a single project. A commercial construction company that offers design-build services acts as your sole point of communication and accountability, which in turn, ensures cost-savings, appoints liability, guarantees pricing, improves risk management, certifies performance-based quality control, reduces delivery times, and enhances the overall excellence of work.

👷 Tenant Improvements and Remodels

A commercial construction company will often provide services for apartment complexes, condominiums, retirement centers, and other types of commercially-owned residential living communities. Everything from permit applications and materials procurement, to construction management, financial plan compliance, and more are handled by the commercial construction company.

👷 Facility Maintenance

Once a project is complete and a property is built, there is still a need for ongoing, specialized maintenance. Facility maintenance services sustain all systems and structures within a building. The commercial construction company will set up a program, or remain available, to implement specialized maintenance work that cannot be performed by in-house custodial and day-porter staffs, such as electrician work, sign repair, and more.

Sub-Categories of Commercial Construction

Healthcare Construction – Hospitals, medical facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, medical offices, spas, esthetician offices, pharmaceutical factories, wellness centers, sports medicine centers, and all other healthcare-related industries.

Office and Commercial-Use Construction – Offices, office buildings, office complexes, high-rises, corporate campuses, single and multi-tenant offices, public buildings, auditoriums, pavilions, conference centers, and similar properties.

Retail and Franchise Construction – Shopping centers, malls, strip malls, apparel stores, jewelry stores, boutiques, outlets, franchise businesses, spas, and more.

Restaurant and Food Service Construction – Restaurants, eateries, pubs, bars, cafes, catering venues, diners, cafeterias, grocery stores, franchise businesses, food market pavilions, factories, distribution warehouses, commercial kitchens, and more.

Fitness and Gym Construction – Gyms, fitness centers, yoga studios, Pilates studios, ballet studios, dance studios, indoor pools, spas, sports complexes, tennis courts, basketball courts, recreational centers, and more.

Space Planning and Permitting – Zoning and permits, site selection/evaluation, preconstruction, community due diligence, land acquisition, economic incentive inquiries, feasibility studies, constructability reviews, site audits, site entitlements, financial analysis/structuring, and more.

Commercial Window Repair and Replacement – Store front windows, interior windows, exterior windows, high-rise windows, specialty windows, locks and alarm systems, and more.

Commercial Door Repair and Replacement – Store front doors, interior doors, exterior doors, sliding doors, emergency exit doors, specialty doors, door locks and alarm systems, door technology, and more.

Commercial Flooring – Standard flooring, specialty flooring, space planning, repair, replacement, installation, procurement, etc.

Commercial Painting and Drywall – Space planning, repair, refinishing, installation, designing, etc.

Trusted Indianapolis Commercial Construction

Contact BAF Corporation at 317-253-0531 for trusted commercial construction and management services in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding locations. Our skilled and experienced commercial general contractors deliver a streamlined construction process that meets all defined engineering and design specifications, procurement, schedules, and budgets. We serve all corporate, commercial, and industrial industries in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding districts. Call today to request free information or to schedule a consultation.