Planning a new dental office? Save $40,000 — before you start

This article is an example of a client recently handled by Diversified Design Technologies Inc.

Based on the fact that our client was intending occupancy of a newly constructed, Class-A office building in an active commercial district, he felt that a feasibility study wasn’t warranted, but he reluctantly agreed to proceed. The structure is a two-story, 20,000 square foot (10,000 per floor), L-shaped building. At the time, the only occupant was located on the ground floor directly below the suite that my client had selected. Admittedly, the angled front of the building was appealing, as was the view of the surrounding business community from the second floor suite.

However, hidden in the beauty were two mitigating factors:
1. The highly glazed suite had both a southern and western exposure, which would have created a heat load on those sections of the building, not to mention the oppressiveness of afternoon sunlight.
2. The acute angles created by the perimeter walls created a challenge for strategic placement and ideal use of the interior space. Although we pride ourselves with the ability to maximize every square inch of space, there’s only so much that can be done with a diminishing dimension.

The majority of plumbing and electrical service in a dental suite is run under the floor of the office, which is, of course, above the ceiling in the suite below. Since it would be necessary for the tradespersons to gain access to the lower-level suite, we visited that business to determine if there were any challenges. We discovered that the ceiling was entirely sheet rocked, and was detailed with architectural appointments such as soffits and crown molding. Additionally, all of the lighting fixtures were recessed and/or surface-mounted track lighting. It would have been impossible to penetrate that ceiling and maintain occupancy of the suite.

Unfazed by this discovery, my client declared that we would simply elevate the floor in his suite and run all of the utilities above the existing floor. Having done that for another practice in Boston, I said that the floor could be constructed as he proposed. However, it would have been an extremely costly endeavor — approximately $40,000. Those expenses included framing, decking, ramping, railings, and more. Additionally, the encroachment of the ramp and other architectural barrier compliances would have consumed over 200 square feet of otherwise useable space. Those implications were exacerbated by the position of the suite by virtue of it being adjacent to a stairwell, and its demising wall to the neighboring suite. In short, the space was somewhat pie-shaped, with the entry being the narrower portion. Since the space was large enough to need two means for egress to comply with life-safety regulations, there were additional design challenges needed to accommodate a ramp. By code, the egresses must be a defined distance apart from one another.

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Based on that knowledge, we evaluated another suite on the same floor. Not only did that suite offer equivalent amenities (except for the angled walls), it featured a land-locked space that was created by a base-building condition. That space was approximately 40 square feet, and could not be defined as leasable space. But it certainly could be used for dental equipment and storage. The client was slated to sign the lease for the angled space on the following day. The lease was signed — for the alternate suite. Our feasibility service was completed in one hour.

RELATED VIDEO:Dental office design tips with Garrett Ludwig ... how to stay on budget

The lesson here is that there are dozens of mitigating factors that may not be apparent to the untrained eye. We highly recommend that every opportunity to lease or purchase an office be evaluated by a professional.

Garrett Ludwig founded Diversified Design Technologies Inc. in 1971. The company has specialized in the design and construction of private-practice, health-care facilities since 1975. During that time, Ludwig has designed more than 300,000 square feet of professional office space. He has a U.S. patent on his emergency services “crash cart” design. Ludwig has shared his experience in dental office design in numerous trade publications, and continues to lecture on the subject throughout the United States. He can be reached at (800) 622-5563 and [email protected]. Visit his Web site at www.profitbydesign.us.