Every commercial building is watching the days slowly tick off its life. Ideally, you can demolish a structure before it becomes problematic or a danger to people and property. You will, however, have to keep an eye on these 5 signs it's time to bring in the commercial demolition contractors.
Maintenance Exceeds Replacement Cost
A business should be able to project the long-term maintenance costs of its buildings. When this figure for a single structure exceeds the projected cost of demolishing it, you should start planning the building's end-of-life cycle. This is particularly true if you value the property's location enough that you don't want to explore other options, such as selling the building.
Catastrophic Event
Major events can seriously damage even the newest and best-constructed buildings. Hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, civil unrest, and floods can all leave a structure in terrible condition. Even if you want to rebuild, local officials may reject the proposal. Similarly, the insurance company may prefer to pay for commercial demolition services so you can start fresh. If a catastrophic event has left the building in this level of disrepair or damage, the smart move is to accept the situation and get on with demolishing the structure.
Design Impedes Work
A building doesn't always meet its demise because it's in bad shape. A structure can sometimes just outlive its useful life. If you're at the point where you find the overall design of a building to cause more problems than it solves, it may be time to tear it down and begin anew.
For example, a business might need more elevators. However, the building could limit the ability to install enough elevators as part of a retrofit. In that scenario, the simplest solution may be to demolish the current building and put up a new one.
Property Value
Many buyers of commercial locations want to start fresh with the property. Consequently, there is often an incentive to demolish structures to increase the property's value. If you're planning to put a property up for sale, you should discuss the possibility of demolition.
Rising Utility Costs
As a building ages, its utility costs can skyrocket. This often happens because systems start to strain as they approach failure. Likewise, the system costs may be very high relative to using more modern and energy-efficient options.
You could probably retrofit the structure with new insulation, efficient lights, windows, doors, and other features. However, unless there's an aesthetic, historical, or emotional reason to go that route, it may be easier to tear down the structure and construct a new building.
For more information, contact a company like Cecil Holcomb Demolition.