Many commercial property owners and facility managers avoid routine foundation inspections because they’re afraid that discovering a problem could interrupt business. However, you will only cause more disruptions if you let foundation problems grow over time until there is a major complication like a collapse. It also increases the total cost of repairs, further affecting your bottom line.
With the right repair team, you can likely keep your business open while they tackle the work to restore and stabilize your foundation. Learn how to minimize disruptions and get the foundation repairs your commercial building needs to last for decades to come.
Why It’s Best to Avoid Repair Disruptions
First, business interruptions can cause you to lose thousands of dollars of income per hour. That’s especially true for commercial structures housing retail, restaurant, and hospitality, where maximizing hourly income is key to long-term success. If you manage a large commercial facility with multiple tenants, you can avoid dissatisfaction and the potential of broken leases by minimizing disruption of their operations.
Don’t forget about keeping customers happy if you’re a direct operator. Customers who arrive to find your business closed for repairs are likely to turn to your competitors and may never return. Consider employee happiness as well. No one wants to lose valuable hours from their schedule, which could lead to wasted labor costs if you don’t pay hourly and must maintain the same payroll level while your business is shut down.
Staying open is a matter of staying alive for some businesses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that 40% of businesses that close for a major emergency never reopen. Getting the foundation repairs you need without shutting down or interrupting business can help you avoid losses that could eventually lead to a permanent closure.
6 Ways to Reduce the Impact of Foundation Repairs on Your Business
Even when your commercial building needs extensive foundation repairs to stabilize, there are ways to keep your business open while the work is carried out. Working with an experienced repair company like Pinnacle Foundation Repair can minimize the impact on your normal operations. Consider these six tricks for getting the work done while you’re still running your warehouse, retail business, or other operation.
Phased Work
Consider having part of your foundation repaired while the rest of the facility remains open. For example, start working on repairs for storage areas while using shipping containers in the parking lot for temporary storage. Then rotate through the rest of the building, leaving half of the space open for use while repairing the other half. If you have tenants, you will only have to ask them to pause their own operations for a few days each rather than expecting them all to vacate the building until all foundation repairs are done.
After-Hours Access
Some businesses, like restaurants and office spaces, don’t work well when divided up for phased work. Instead, these operations tend to offer off-hours during which the foundation work can take place without interrupting workers or customers. You’ll need to give the foundation repair team after-hours access to your building, and communicate your needs to prevent messes or stored supplies from interfering with the next day’s work. With extra planning, this can allow for uninterrupted operation without requiring schedule changes or delaying the repairs.
Smart Repair Method Selection
No matter what other techniques you use to stay open while undergoing repairs, the key to a rapid foundation repair is finding the right repair method. For example, choosing injection methods for stabilizing a sinking slab or selecting piers that are quickly installed could reduce the total repair time by days or even weeks. Rapid repair methods can provide just as much durability as long as you work with an experienced team with a wide range of options for stabilizing damaged commercial foundations.
You don’t have to make decisions about which repair method is right for your building alone. Discuss your options with our experienced team members to get expert recommendations on the least disruptive methods that work for your particular issue. Not all foundation issues are the same, and not all rapid repair methods provide the necessary support.
Regular Inspection
Timely inspections help you discover foundation problems during their earliest stages. That means you can greatly reduce the scope and extent of necessary repairs, keeping them quick and easy to handle without completely vacating the commercial building. Putting off these inspections only leads to worsening problems, which generally require your business to shut down temporarily if the structure becomes unsafe to occupy. Before anything gets a chance to grow out of control, tackle small foundation issues early and stay in operation.
Temporary Relocation
Moving around storage racks, retail zones, or guest accommodations within the same commercial building provides the access necessary for zoned foundation repairs. You can use safety barriers and clear signage to close off just part of the building for work, along with sheeting to control dust and noise-blocking panels. In extreme cases, planning a temporary relocation to a leased building can provide total access to the damaged foundation without requiring you to shut down for days or weeks.
Constant Cleanup
One of the key considerations to staying open while undergoing any construction work, including foundation repairs, is staying on top of clean-up. Hourly sweeps to remove debris, dust, and unnecessary materials lying around can reduce the potential hazards created by active repair sites. Communicate your need for routine clean-up with the team responsible for handling the day-to-day foundation repairs. There’s no need to stress that dust and noise will affect your customers with some proactive planning to prepare for potential disruptions.
Pinnacle Foundation Repair has the skills and techniques to help you stay open while we handle foundation repairs on your commercial buildings. Don’t settle for business interruptions that eat into your profits and make it harder to get started again once the work is done. We’ll work around your requirements, and we serve businesses across Texas. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your commercial foundation issues.
