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I am a building professional who has been participating in Austin commercial construction and tenant finishes for over 30 years. I've watched beginning business owners sign a lease and blow through their seed money by purchasing costly ammenities like window walls or commercial cabinetry that could have been staged later after their initial door opening and they've logged their first dollar.
The beauty about metal stud walls below a grid ceiling is the ease of altering a given situation or floorplan. It is easier to add or remove these walls than it is the ones within your home. Electrical devices can be easily added or a lay in light fixture placed within the grid for additional lighting. That is why the systems were created since not every office configuration will work for every tenant. Even the door and window systems clip together so that they can change locations without being destroyed.
First find a trustworthy leasing agent with a good portfolio of available space for lease. If you're just starting your business find a property that you can live with for a while until your cash flow allows for office improvements. If you're established check and see if there is room for any needed expansion. Check out things like break rooms in nearby suites for future plumbing needs so that you can share a costly drain for sinks. Locate the electrical room because shorter wire runs for future circuits can save you money. Where is your space in proximity to the restrooms? Are the fire exits marked? Is the building ADA accessible? Next negotiate a multiyear deal so that your rent remains at a constant level.
Once you move in it's time to plan for the immediate future. Remember that any improvements that you make that are attached to the building must remain in place when you vacate. Be smart and be sure any alterations you perform will enhance the way the space fits your needs. Think it through and who knows, you just might become a permanent tenant at your new address.
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Last time in Fine Kitchen Cabinetry in Austin, Texas I wrote about the cabinet carcass and the finishes applied to it's front making up a Northern face frame or a frameless European look of your fine fine cabinetry. Each type will accomodate mounting doors using a concealed Euro 32 mm bore hinge and installation is accomplished by varying the type of mounting plate that attaches to the carcass. The mounting plates are specific for the design once the doors are applied in an overlay fashion. If the doors are recessed to be flush with the carcass face then other types of hinges can be used such as wrap around or door stile bore types. Non concealed hinges come in many forms such a strap, Youngdale kerf units, flush, or offset and are used to create a certain style such as an antique look. These hinges also come in many finishes like brass, chrome, or black to name a few.
Frameless European cabinets can either be wooden or covered in plastic laminate per your choice. The laminated application makes for a cleaner application and provides for easy maintenance. These doors are flat with no crevices to conceal grease and grime.
If you go for the wooden model there are many choices from which to choose. These include a slab as above with the edges banded with heat tape or a 1/4" rip of the same wood specie as the door, a flat slab using a lip molding on the edge creating a 3/8" offset door, a raised panel with a 3/4" insert, a flat panel with a 1/4" insert, or a Shaker style with a varying divisions of the face.
Any of these will work and are truly a personal preference. So whether you are furnishing a new kitchen or bathroom space or are going for a kitchen or bath upgrade be sure you consider all the possibilities and design the room for function.
To determine what style of kitchen cabinets are in your home you need to look directly into their face beyond the doors. Are they the face frame North American type or are they the European frameless version?
The face frame North American type has long been a popular cabinet style. It is characterized by the plywood cabinet box, or carcass, having a 3/4" thick hardwood front frame application of 1 1/2"-2" widths. These are present on both the vertical components, or stiles, and on the horizontals called rails.
The frameless European style is just the carcass without any face frame yielding only a 3/4" outward appearance at the stiles and rails. Both the frameless and the face frame styles use the same carcass body enabling the same European hinges, drawer guides, and cabinet legs to be used.
The greatest difference is seen once the door or drawer fronts are mounted. The European frameless type makes the adjacent door spacings smaller showing less of the stile beyond. The framed units have more space between the door applications showing more of the stiles and rails beyond.
Frameless is a little less expensive to construct than the face frame style so that it really becomes a matter of personal preference and different styles can be mixed within the same house using one type in the kitchen and the other in the bath.
Energy Minded Construction
Photo Credit: Electric Tower by Flavio Ewerton
Are you Energy Minded?Energy Minded Construction Photo Credit:Electric Tower By Flavio Ewerton
Are you Energy Minded?
Photo Credit:Electric Tower By Flavio Ewerton
