At Denco Medical Construction Specialists, LLC. our goal is to listen and understand where the dental practitioner is coming from. Especially when they are looking at hiring a general contractor for their dental office construction. If we can answer all their questions, understand their needs and set up a plan to execute for their needs, then we will have a great relationship. We want to inform you of everything there is to possibly know upfront to avoid any issues down the road. The more questions you ask the better. There are some questions that are more important than others and do not need to be forgotten. These are 11 of the primary questions any dentist looking at a dental office construction (i.e. finish out, remodeling, or ground-up) should make sure they have answered. And if you are not comfortable with the answer, or if it is still unclear, always ask for clarification. The General Contractor and the dental office construction takes up a large portion of the money you need to start your dental practice, so do not leave any stone unturned:
Questions to ask your General Contractor
1. How did you get into Dental Office Construction?
This is important for two reasons: One, it gives you insight into their actual expertise and two, their backstory can give you an idea of how excited they are about the work they do. If they say we started 5 years ago because my buddy asked me to build his dental office and we've been doing it off and on ever since, it doesn't give you a feeling they actually enjoy what they do.
The team at DMCS has been building dental offices since 1982. During that time, we have done other types of projects, including residential and larger commercial, but we noticed the relationships we built with so many of our dental clients seemed to be the most lasting. Not only do we get repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals from our dentists, but we also spend time with them outside of their offices and have made real friendships. Those friendships are what took us back to a large focus on Dental Office Construction and we are proud of those relationships.
2. How many Dental Offices have you built?
There are general contractors who do not build dental offices, but are experienced general contractors. Dental office finishes outs and construction are very different from other commercial or residential construction. Knowing how many offices they have built gives you a good idea of their capabilities.
The team at DMCS has built around 2,000 offices since 1982.
3. How long will it take to build my office?
You want a company you are considering hiring to be honest with you. Some GC's will say a dental finish-out will take about 60 days. That may sound like what you want to hear, but once you take into account, permitting, dental equipment, lenders, cabinetry, etc, 60 days is just a number that GC is saying that will essentially let you down.
DMCS is typically 75-90 days after we receive permitting.
4. Can you propose a written deadline in your contract?
DMCS will put a written deadline in our contract.
5. How much attention will you give my job?
This is a big one. There are GC's that are so large, once you have a signed contract, you become another job in their assembly line. There are other GC's that will show you a ton of attention upfront, but as soon as they close that next job, you will hear a lot less from them. You can also run into a Superintendent they have spread too thin, who can barely keep up. These are all things to be aware of.
DMCs's primary goal is to build a relationship with their clients and help them grow into multiple practices. That means our attention to you is of primary concern. You will be working not only with our Superintendent, but also our Operations Manager and our President. Also, we do not allow our Superintendents to have more than 2-3 jobs at a time, so they can make sure your job is running smoothly and efficiently. Along with that, we will have weekly progress meetings with you.
6. How many jobs do you currently have going on now?
This is a simple follow-up to the previous question. You mainly want an idea of how focused they will be able to be on your Dental Office.
DMCS tries to keep no more than 6 jobs going at a time, so we can make sure our Superintendents and Subs can keep everything moving efficiently and correctly.
7. What is included in your fees?
The main reason to ask this is permitting fees. Most GC's do not include this because it varies so much per city and per project. It is typically paid for outside of the contract. If you want your loan to include permitting fees, DMCS can work that out for you.
Other things that may not be included are architectural fees, MEP Engineering fees and Fire Alarms. This is a case-by-case issue. The main thing for you to be aware of as you are bidding your Dental Office, is to make sure the numbers are apples-to-apples. If one contractor includes permit fees, full architectural and fire alarms, his number could be $10-20k higher than someone else, but if you took those numbers out, they are actually lower.
8. How do you handle Change Orders?
This is important. You do not want to get walls up and have the place sheet-rocked, then you notice you need 20 extra plugs and 5 extra lights, etc. Some GC's see it as an opportunity to make extra money.
All GC's should set up a walk-thru with you before walls are sheet-rocked to make sure everything is how you want it. Adding a plug here and there isn't worth a change order, considering it can hinder the relationship. If you do want to change doors, or go with higher end lighting than originally specified, there would be a change order. Dependent on the circumstance, DMCS would charge for the cost of the material and labor and there would be days added to the schedule accordingly.
9. Do you have your own crews, or do you use sub-contractors?
Most GC's use sub-contractors. When it comes to your Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, you want them to have a licensed sub-contractor. If the GC says they handle it themselves, make sure they are licensed to do so.
DMCS uses licensed, experienced MEP sub-contractors for all of our work. We do have qualified in-house crews that handle framing, sheetrock, painting and punch-out, but we also have sub-contractors available too.
10. How involved do I need to be during the building process?
DMCS has weekly progress meetings to keep you up-to-date, but anytime you want to see the progress is great. We just ask for a heads up, so we can ensure your safety.
During permitting we set up a meeting with our Interior Designer to select all the finishes. We also have a walkthrough with you and the dental equipment supplier before we close the walls up to make sure there is nothing that needs to be added, or changed. Then we have a punch out walk and final walk. If there is ever anything you want to discuss on site, we are available for that as well, but these are the main meetings. Our goal is to be pro-active. We set up expectations and communicate everything as early on as possible, so the build-out is as stress free as possible.
11. Are you Licensed and Insured?
Not all states require a General Contractors License, but if you are in a state that does, make sure they have their license. Regardless of where you are building, your MEP contractors have to have a license, so also ask to see that. With insurance, make sure they have General Liability and Worker's Comp.
Texas does not require a GC License, but all of DMCS's MEP sub-contractors are licensed. DMCS has the proper insurance and all of our sub-contractors do too.
These are what we would consider the most important questions to cover, but there are many more. As I said earlier, if you ever need any clarification do not hesitate to ask. this is an important and costly step in the process of starting your Dental Practice, so do not leave any stone unturned. If you have any questions, please give us a call. 469-939-2989.
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