Few things can feel as stressful as falling behind on your schedule, or worse yet, feeling like your project is in freefall with no end in sight. Engaging a design professional early on in a project’s life can make a huge difference towards avoiding this situation.
Unfortunately, consultants are often brought in far too late on a project. In some instances - especially with tenant fit-up projects - by the time design professionals are engaged, a lease has been signed and a schedule is already in place before a project’s true requirements have been understood. As a result, unknown site conditions or building code issues that could greatly affect the design and project timeline will not be discovered until later on. As well, there is a chance that the size or proportion of the selected space is found to be less than ideal and significant design compromises will need to be made. Ultimately, these challenges could be avoided if a design consultant was engaged at the very beginning of the process.
In conclusion, signing a lease before engaging a consultant might add unnecessary risk to your project. Ideally, owner, designer, and real estate agent can work together as a team during the lease negotiation period. An investment in upfront planning at the earliest stages can minimize stress and expensive delays during construction.