Your General Contractor Knows that Offices are Getting Smaller

When working with general contractors, Bay Area business owners used to want to create the biggest office buildings that they could afford. Nowadays, however, smaller is considered better, and more and more professionals are choosing to create compact office buildings. Not only are smaller office buildings much more affordable to design and build, but they also contribute to a more collaborative feel amongst co-workers. Big, massive offices can feel impersonal, while smaller spaces facilitate sharing and connections.

Furthermore, there’s really no reason for those giant office buildings anymore. More and more people are working online or from home these days, reducing the need for constantly-available space. Also, many of today’s records and files are kept virtually, allowing professionals to bypass filing cabinets and file rooms full of paperwork.

When they start building with a general contractor, Bay Area professionals are encouraged to remember that less is more.

Touchdown Spaces the Next Big Thing in Commercial Remodeling

In terms of commercial remodeling, San Francisco office workers are regularly requesting more open work spaces.  The days of the old closed-off, individualized offices have passed and people are now requesting interconnected work spaces, free from doors or other boundaries that can cut off communication. One big trend is to create small touchdown spaces throughout the building. These might be spots with desks, laptops, printers, and other basic necessities. Anyone is invited to use these stations throughout the day and to move around freely, as opposed to people having one defined space where they spend their entire days.

The addition of touchdown spaces is made possible by the fact that most businesses and other organizations don’t rely on big old-fashioned filing cabinets or other outdated methods of recordkeeping any longer. No, these days, most paperwork and other necessary information is contained online or on computers, giving office buildings the ability to be more spacious and free.

For more info on what’s new in commercial remodeling, San Francisco residents can check out Richlen Construction.

The Importance of Flexibility in a San Francisco Contractor

You deserve to work with a San Francisco contractor who will be flexible and willing to listen to your wishes during the building process. Many people don’t know exactly what they need when building first starts but, over time, they come to learn more about the building process and their options. It stands to reason that, as people’s knowledge expands, their wishes for what they need in their establishment might change. A good contractor will allow for small changes and dealing with details in each step of the building process.

Obviously, you can’t make major structural changes once building has commenced, but a good San Francisco contractor will be able to handle small amendments to the original agreement. Any changes you agree upon with your contractor should be reflected in regularly updated building schedules.