Let’s say your current healthcare facility seriously needs remodeled. The paint is wearing off, the roof leaks when it rains, and the layout is unaccommodating to new healthcare technologies. However, your patients rely on you for quality care and you can’t exactly shut down your practice while you remodel. Luckily, there are a couple solutions to remodel your healthcare facility without disrupting your patients!
Remodel in Chunks
Instead of shutting down your entire office, you can remodel one part of the office at a time. This gives you the flexibility to stay open while making progress towards your remodeling goals. It also allows you to tackle the areas which need the most renovations first. When you shut down a commonly used area, you can temporarily utilize under-utilized sections of a building, such as conference rooms or an office that is only occupied one day of the week.
The biggest disadvantage with this strategy is that you might find parts of your office cramped. For example, if you have three patient rooms and one is closed, your patients might experience a longer wait time. While you might not be able to prevent this disadvantage entirely, you can choose to remodel critical parts of your facilities during slower parts of the year and remodel chunks which aren’t as critical to your patient operations, such as the waiting room, when your office is busier.
Consider Remodeling When the Office is Slow Closed
Similar to remodeling during slower times of the year, you can choose to remodel on weekends or days off. Similarly, if you have planned times when the healthcare facility is closed or you can shorten the hours on slower days, you can remodel then without disrupting your patients.
However, because of labor shortages, you might not be able to coordinate projects during off hours. In fact, because of how much disruption happens during construction, it is actually better to perform most of it during normal working hours. This helps to minimize major issues that can be resolved quickly should something happen.
The biggest disadvantage of scheduling work during slow times is that the project might get done slower. If your construction team only comes in near holidays or days off for the office during a normal work schedule, it will take them longer to finish the project.
Buy and Renovate a New Space
Another option which can be great if your vision is to expand to multiple locations or if you want to upgrade your space is to buy a new space and renovate that space instead. Buying a new space will give your patients updated facilities for future appointments and allow you to make a profit when you sell the old office space. Additionally, you’ll be able to keep serving your patients as usual during the entire renovation. This option is also the speediest of the three and the remodel will most likely be done faster.
However, the biggest disadvantage with this option is cash flow. Not everyone can afford to buy a new space to renovate. To address this, you can cut costs elsewhere or save up more money for your renovation project.
At the end of the day, the correct option will differ from healthcare practice to practice. What works for you might not work for others and you have to weigh the cost, pros, and cons of each option. No matter which option you chose, a good contractor will be able to accommodate your needs and create a flexible plan which allows you to serve patients throughout your remodel.
Frequently Asked Healthcare Construction Questions
Still have more questions? Check out the answers to the healthcare construction questions we get asked as a commercial general contractor.
What should I look for in a contractor for my medical center?
Besides the obvious green flags in a commercial contractor, you also want to consider their experience and past healthcare construction projects. If they have experience with outpatient centers, medical centers, ambulatory surgery centers, or other medical renovations projects, they could be a good fit for the job.
Who is the best healthcare construction company in Virginia?
We don’t want to name names, since our answer would be biased, but we can name traits your health system should look for. Find a construction provider who is local to your area, has a good track record, and experience working on past healthcare construction projects. Good communication and project management skills are added bonuses.
How can I make the renovation of my health center cost-effective?
The cost effective solution isn’t always the cheapest. It’s the contractor who’s good at communicating, works on a contract, and has done high quality work for other healthcare organizations.
Carlton Building Services in Hampton Roads Virginia
Carlton Building Services specializes in repairs, maintenance, renovations, remodelings and build-outs for a variety of clients in Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake areas. We have years of experience handling projects in the retail, office, and healthcare space and would love to work with you on your next project!
To learn more about our services, check out past project highlights or contact Carlton Building Services to see how we can help with your next project.
