We create unique and exclusive dental office designs that enhance your dental practice in 4 important ways ...
Innovative - you will stand out from the rest with a unique and beautiful dental office design that surrounds your patients with a feeling of comfort and inspires a sense of trust and confidence.
Efficient - you'll appreciate an efficiently designed space layout that will significantly improve your productivity and make your dental practice a joy to operate.
Painless - we ensure that you avoid the many complex code, zoning and regulatory pitfalls saving you thousands of dollars and mountains of grief.
Unique - we offer unparalleled service from the beginning to end of your project. No other design firm delivers the level of service we provide.
Smart dental office design is important to your bottom line but building a new dental office today has become a tangle of complexities and pitfalls and many doctors are unaware of the potential problems.
Being in the unique position as an expert in dental office design and with many years experience dealing with city planners, I can help resolve issues that may save you thousands of dollars.
As a Certified Interior Designer with over 1,300 dental offices to my credit, I use a an exclusive customized pre-planning approach that ensures we address the potential issues and design your office to fit your needs, guaranteeing your plans will go through plancheck.
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Working through the many gotchas in a dental office design is trickier than it looks. One of the best ways I can illustrate the critical benefit of using a qualified dental office interior design professional is to share with you actual “real-world” case histories from working with some of our clients.
In this dental office design case history we’ll focus on the pitfalls and problems that can occur when you’re forced to rely on the landlord’s office designer, building architect or general contractor.
Are You Forced To Use The Landlord’s Building Architect or General Contractor For Your Dental Office Design?
Dr. L. signed a lease for a space in a Medical/Dental office building. To complete the dental office design, the lease required that he use the building architect and general contractor. Dr. L. assumed it would save him time as he wouldn’t have to find an outside professional to do the design or build-out. Using the landlord’s resources, he believed he would be able to move in quickly with the least amount of effort.
Unfortunately for the doctor, he was very disappointed in the space plan provided by the landlord’s building architect. The Business Area was so small it was virtually useless. When Dr. L. complained about the inadequate dental office design, the architect said that was the only possible design based on the configuration of the suite. Dr. L. was very upset and spoke with his equipment supplier who suggested that Dr. L. give me a call.
Upon inspecting the configuration of the dental office suite, I quickly realized that by moving the interior entry door three feet to the left, the Business Area would gain the needed space to function properly. I knew there were no accessibility code issues and moving the door would be a simple matter. But the landlord refused offering only vague excuses. I encouraged the doctor to pursue the matter and soon the landlord relented, giving him the space he needed for a very workable Business Area.
The doctor was happy with the outcome. However, moving to the next step with his dental office design project, we began talking about the build-out process and I asked the doctor if he got competitive bids from other general contractors. I explained to Dr. L. that in my experience, doctors who did not get competitive bids generally have paid more for the construction. Sure enough, after receiving competitive bids, Dr. L. showed the landlord that three other competent general contractors would cost less money by anywhere from $30.00 to $40.00 a square foot. The landlord agreed to deduct $30.00 per square foot from the doctor’s bid. Dr. L. was very happy.
When choosing a dental office location, it’s best to keep your options open when signing your lease. If you eliminate your opportunity to get competitive bids, you may be putting yourself in a position where you can be taken advantage of.
I hope you’re enjoying these case-histories based on my many years of experience dealing with dental office design. I’m sure many of you have had interesting experiences regarding your own dental office design projects, lease negotiations, general contractor dealings, etc. If you would like to share, I would love to hear about your experiences. Feel free to post your comments and feedback below, or contact me and I’ll be more than happy to answer any of your dental office design questions.
For more dental office design case histories, see these previous “Don’t Assume Anything” dental office design articles that you might have missed …
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume That All Interior Designers Are The Same
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume You Have Enough Square Footage For Your Dental Office Needs
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume A New Property Has The Necessary Underground Requirements
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume Your Build-out Fees Are Correct
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume A Low Price Is Your Best Deal
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume You Can Build At The Location You Select
- Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume Your Landlord Knows The Disable Access Regulations
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This installment in our series of dental office design case histories focuses on the importance of selecting the right dental office designer. I’d like to start off with a testimonial from one of my clients that highlights the issue precisely (it really is much more compelling when if comes directly from a dentist that I’ve worked with).
“Dear George,
I wanted to thank you for a job well done. As you know I started the design process of my office about a month prior to contacting you. I started working with a company that had an ‘in house’ architect and was well into the bidding and planning when we ran into some issues that in my opinion should have been apparent from the beginning! That’s when I hesitantly contacted you and asked for help – I was hesitant because I did not want to spend the extra money. But I have to admit that I was wrong and that this was the best money I spent.”
The above is an excerpt from a testimonial I received from one of my dental office design clients, Dr. Mahallati. Unfortunately the situation he experienced happens too frequently. Selecting the right dental office designer is as important as selecting the right location to do your dentistry.
A dental office is one of the most complex offices to design. It has more of everything including plumbing, electrical, lighting, etc. Not only does the dental office designer need to know the specifications of the dental equipment to be installed, but they need to know how it will fit into the design and meet the building codes.
Every doctor is an individual and an interior designer must determine that dentist’s particular needs. As an example, one of the first questions that I ask my clients is: “What don’t you like about your existing office?”
For some doctors the answers come quickly. Other dentists, after giving it some thought, realize they have been living with an uncomfortable work environment and their workday could be made easier in the new dental office design.
In addition to getting references and seeing some completed dental office design projects in person, listed below are questions you should ask when considering an interior designer for your dental office.
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This next installment in our series of dental office design case histories talks about upgrading computer equipment in your dental office. We’ll highlite some of the challenges you can encounter when you integrate computers into your dental office design.
It’s almost impossible to go to a movie or bank or any place of business today without seeing a computer happily humming away. And how many desktops, laptops, tablets and all other forms of computers do you have in your home? Computers are ubiquitous, and once you get used to having them it’s hard to live without them.
Up until recent times a dental office could function extremely well without a computer and many offices still do. But as the 21st century speeds forward, more and more dental offices are adding computers and most new dental offices plan for them.
It would seem pretty easy to incorporate computers into your dental office design. Just go to your local electronics store and pick up some computers and monitors, plug them in and you’re set to go.
Unfortunately it’s generally not that easy. At least that’s what a customer of mine, Dr. S. found out when he purchased some computers for his new office.
When Dr. S. hired me to work on his dental office design he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do about his computers. I suggested he contact an Information Technology (IT) specialist so that his office would function smoothly from a computer standpoint. This was the second dental office for Dr. S., and he said it wouldn’t be necessary since he had done this before. He felt confident he could make the right computer decisions.
Posted in Dental Office Design by .
Aug 11
15
Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume You Have Enough Square Footage For Your Dental Office Needs
Next in our series of dental office design case histories that focus on “don’t assume anything“, let’s talk about square footage. We’ll clear up some of the confusion about dental office square footage that can get you into trouble.
Understanding square footage can be a challenge. Square footage terminology like rentable, usable, load factors, common areas refer to some of the different measurements involved in determining how much usable space you actually have available inside your dental office suite.
This common confusion over square footage resulted in a major disappointment for my client Dr. F.
Do You Have Enough Usable Square Footage To Meet Your Dental Office Design Requirements?
When Dr. F. leased his dental office he was under the impression that he had 3,200 square feet within his space. He was quite happy about it as his lease permitted him to sublet some of the space. Since he only needed 2,500 usable square feet he envisioned that he would be able to sublet the remaining 700 square feet and use the income to put towards his lease payments until he needed the additional room.
When Dr. F. hired me to do his build-out plans he showed me the footprint of the space and told me to design only 2,500 square feet. I measured the space as I always do to confirm the actual amount of space we had to work with. Unfortunately I had to give him the bad news. He only had 2,550 net usable square feet.
He was quite upset when he handed me the lease and said “see, it says 3,200 square feet!” After reading it carefully I explained that the 3,200 square feet actually included 650 square feet of common areas. The common areas can include hallways, outside walls and other non-usable space.
In frustration, Dr. F. complained “Why do I have to pay for non-usable space, that makes no sense!”
Posted in Dental Office Design by .
When I kickoff a dental office decorating job with a new client, the process begins with a great deal of discussion looking at different dental office flooring options.
In our conversation the three most commonly asked questions I hear are:
- Is the flooring easy to keep clean?
- How long will the flooring last?
- How much will the dental office flooring cost?
To answer these questions we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of some of the most common commercial flooring types.
But first, below are some general dental office decorating questions for you to consider. Your answers may help you determine what will work best for your needs.
Posted in Dental Office Decorating by .
Jun 11
27
Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume A New Property Has The Necessary Underground Requirements
Continuing with our series of dental office design case histories that focus on “don’t assume anything“, in this installment, I want to share with you an example where we discovered an essential underground service was missing and how we handled the situation.
While you never want to assume anything, you can almost always expect something somewhere will go wrong or be amiss. Often times, it’s how you handle and manage these exceptions that define a dental office design success!
Don’t Assume A New Property Has Has All Of The Basic Underground Requirements
Dr. W. purchased a newly constructed condo office. We reviewed his needs, finalized his dental office design, and obtained all of the necessary city approvals. We then had the general contractor begin the building process.
When the contractor started trenching to do the plumbing he realized there was no sewer line in the dental office suite. The contractor and I had reviewed the as-built drawings provided by the condo builder before construction began and it clearly showed a sewer line in the suite, but it was never built.
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In this next in a series of dental office design examples that focus on “Don’t Assume Anything”, let’s talk about dental office build-out fees. As we’ve touched on many times, hidden fees and unexpected charges seem to pop up all the time. If you’re looking at a new dental office build-out or remodel, always go in with your eyes open, and don’t necessarily accept all of the fees, charges and assessments at face value.
Don’t Assume Your Dental Office Build-Out Fees Are Always Correct
Dr. K was very excited about the new ultra-modern shopping center just built in his neighborhood. He knew this impressive property was exactly the type of place he wanted to locate his new dental office. He set about selecting a space and we began the design phase of the building process.
I was especially happy to work with him on this project because we were going to have some amazingly unique features that mirrored the concept of the shopping center. But the doctor’s excitement began to fade when he received his sewer fee assessment. He showed the sewer bill to me and asked my opinion about why it should be so high. I was really surprised that the fee was over $7,000! This seemed quite exorbitant so I checked into it for him.
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I hope you enjoy this next in a series of dental office design examples about “Don’t Assume Anything”. This example touches on two mistakes that seem to come up more often than they should.
First is that impulse to grab the lowest price, bid or offer that comes in. We all like the “best deal”, and a dentist office remodel or new office design is no exception. But be careful, the lowest price can often cost you much more in the long run than first meets the eye.
Second, when you’re evaluating new properties and locations to setup your dental practice, you should always have a qualified dental office interior designer or contractor come in and help you review the property before you sign that lease and make the commitment. A professional designer can help you spot many of the hidden problems that the landlord or leasing agent either doesn’t know about or understand.
In fact, this is one of the big mistakes I see dentists make time and time again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called in after the fact to try and fix a situation that could have easily been avoided with a little bit of preventive legwork up front.
Posted in Dental Office Design by .
Jun 11
6
Dental Office Design – Don’t Assume That You Can Build Your Office At The Location You Select.
Another in a series of dental office design examples about “Don’t Assume Anything”. I hope you find this example informative about carefully checking the building codes and regulations for the location that you select.
Don’t Assume That You Can Build Your Dental Office At The Location You Select.
Dr. M. thought she had discovered the perfect location for her new dental office in a strip mall in Los Angeles. There was plenty of foot traffic and the leasing deal was just what she wanted.
She quickly signed the lease and hired me to design her office. However, when I proceeded to get the plans approved by the city I was informed that there wasn’t enough parking for a dental office.
I was confused because the location clearly met current parking code requirements. I researched the records and found that many years prior there had been a ruling that this particular area would be considered to have a special parking variance allowing only minimal parking. The variance stipulated that even the restaurants could only be open at night so as not to use up the parking spaces for an undo amount of time during the day.
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