As small business owners, most of you at sometime searched for lease space to accommodate your business.  For some of you the space you leased continues to meet your needs.  But for others the space may be either too big or too small.  What can you do with your space in either scenario?

“Got too much space”?  With the current economic situation, many small business owners have had to move out of their lease spaces but still need someplace to work.  Many would prefer not to work at home for various reasons.  If you have extra office space, subleasing it could be an attractive solution to those in that situation.  By sharing the facilities and possibly personnel (receptionist, clerical or computer people) it could be a win/win situation for all.  Maybe you don’t have extra offices but you do have available space where additional offices, meeting rooms, etc. could be created for another business to use.  Careful space planning and coordination with the jurisdiction can make this plan a successful one.  In either case be sure that your current lease allows you to sublease a portion of your space to another individual or business.

“Not enough space”?  If you are fortunate enough to have outgrown your space, you are faced with the dilemma of “how do I get more space”?  If there is vacant space next to you, you could renegotiate your lease to include all or part of the available space.  If you choose to expand into another space, most city and county jurisdictions require that drawings be submitted for review in order to obtain a building permit.  Most jurisdictions require that the drawings be prepared by a licensed Architect.  An architect can be of great help to you with space planning your expanded space to make sure it functions well for your business as well as making sure it complies with all local code requirements.  If no space is available in your current location you may end up having to move to a new bigger location.  Again by using an architect to plan your new space for you, you can be assured that your new space will be efficiently designed.  The architect is also responsible for hiring engineers (plumbing, mechanical, electrical and structural) as required to provide the required drawings for permit submittal.

With so many new and existing shopping centers and office developments having vacant lease space, now could be a good time to get a great deal on lease rates and other incentives to lease.

 “Too much space”, “not enough space”, either way space planning is vital to the success of any project be it new construction or remodeling.  If your company has a current need for architectural services, call my office to set up a free consultation at your earliest convenience.

Gil Montoya, Architect

Gil Montoya & Associates

(770) 205-9764

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Gil Montoya & Associates are Trusted Advisors of the BUSINESS HOUSE inc.^SM