What Is Commercial Construction?
- brittney573
- Apr 3
- 4 min read
While some use “construction” as a general umbrella term, it’s typically divided into a few separate categories. These are residential, state, federal, and commercial. Residential refers to homes and living spaces. State and federal construction refer to building something on land that is state or federally owned. But what about the last of these categories? Read on below to find out more information about commercial construction.
Commercial Construction
Commercial construction revolves around designing, building, renovating, and upgrading structures that are in the public sector. The term can refer to:
Office buildings
Shopping centers, malls, and retail stores
Factories, warehouses, and manufacturing plants
Apartment buildings and hotels
Institutional buildings like universities
Sports facilities
Medical facilities
And even more
While commercial construction can include residences like apartments and hotels, it differs from residential construction in a number of ways:
Commercial projects use different materials. Unlike single or multi-family homes, commercial properties use materials like steel and concrete. Residential projects use materials such as wood, which are much less expensive.
Heavy equipment like excavators, cranes, and pavers are used in commercial projects. These pieces of equipment need to be handled by trained, licensed professionals. The equipment used in residential construction is not as large or complicated.
Additional codes and permits are required for commercial work.
The pace of commercial construction is typically much more rigid than residential.
Types of Commercial Construction
As you can see from the above examples, commercial construction can vary in size. This also means that time, budget, and crew size depends on the job. Commercial construction can be broken down into three different categories of projects.
1. Small Scale
Small-scale commercial construction mostly describes buildings that need rebranding or upkeep. Examples of small-scale projects include building repairs, renovating interiors, upgrading older buildings, and fixing certain systems. More specifically, it can range from a new coat of paint to replacing the flooring to installing more up-to-date technology. Small-scale construction jobs usually take less time than most commercial construction projects. They also typically use a smaller crew, sometimes only needing a few people. And they are less expensive.
2. Medium Scale
Medium-scale commercial construction can be similar to small scale but is more complex work. This category includes expanding, upgrading, or restructuring existing buildings. Medium-scale projects are more time-consuming than small scale. Depending on the size of the project, it can take months to years. They also usually require a larger crew. Examples of medium-scale commercial construction are add-ons or major renovations for small businesses, restaurants, retail stores, or shopping centers.
3. Large Scale
Large-scale commercial construction covers skyscrapers, high-rises, hotels, hospitals, warehouses, office complexes, and other large buildings. Unlike small- and medium-scale projects, there will be no existing structures to work with. Instead, this category exclusively means building from the ground up. In some cases, the construction might have to wait until after an existing structure is demolished.
Due to the size and complexity of large-scale projects, they can take years to complete. When starting from scratch, a lot more planning and many more conversations between the construction company and the clients are required. They are also costlier and require more heavy equipment and a larger crew. There can also be some more difficulty with schedules, budgets, managing labor, and zoning or building codes. Often, the construction can’t even begin until zoning codes are figured out. Because of these factors, they are usually left to commercial construction experts.
Importance of Communication
One important constant of the commercial construction process is effective communication. There are a number of stages before a project can be finished. And in each and every one of them, unclear communication would cause major issues.
First comes development. Clients express their wants and needs, and the construction company should make it clear they understand them. This is the stage where things like location and zoning codes will be figured out. The development stage will give a rough estimate of the price. Given all the unpredictable variables, this doesn’t mean it will be the exact final cost of all the work. But having a rough estimate enables a budget to be set.
The next pre-construction stage is design. Based on the earlier discussions, the construction company will produce a drawing or model of how the business will look. If the client is unhappy with this rendering, more discussions will happen to figure out the necessary changes. There will also be some adjusting of the budget, resulting in a more accurate figure.
Next, the contractor will create a schedule to ensure the work is done by the client’s deadline. Before starting construction, building permits and insurance are obtained. And the crew should also be established.
If the client has a change of mind or something unexpected comes up, adjustments and changes can still be made during construction. However, the contractor and client will have more discussions if these changes impact the schedule and/or budget.
When construction is completed, or close to being done, the client will take another look to ensure it’s what they wanted. If it all looks good, the project moves to the closing stage.
Hire a Professional
One constant of all three types of commercial construction is that they can be very strenuous and complex. That’s why it’s imperative that you hire the best commercial construction companies for your projects. If the job isn’t done well, it could be catastrophic.
For the best commercial construction in the Portland and Vancouver areas, look no further than Robert Hakes Construction. We come with over 27 years of experience, excellent customer service, great and long-standing relationships with clients, and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating. You can find out more about us and our commercial construction services on our website. There you can find testimonials and a gallery of past work, and see that we cover a wide variety of commercial projects. You’ll also see the numerous benefits we provide. For instance, because we work in phases, there’s no need to shut your business down during the process. Whether your commercial project is large or small, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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