Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — New Jersey — August 16 - 29, 2013 — B
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C entral N ew J ersey
By Gary Fleming, G William Group Property Condition Assessment leads to additional work
G
WilliamGroup’s client found us on the inter- net when they were
sure gas line that they were torching but didn’t check to see if the gas was turned off! We advised the client to hire an environmental consultant and to insist on a “hold harm- less” clause in their contract for any future environmental problems that may be associ- ated with the present opera- tion. There was significant con- cern with possible contamina- tion of the soil under the con- crete floor because even with a “hold harmless” clause an environmental authority could possibly have them remove
the slab and clean up the soil in the future and disrupt our client’s operation. The present owner should have asked the NJDEP to be present on site to witness and attest to the proper environmental decom- missioning. Our newly hired environmental consultant ad- dressed this with the owner and both agreed on an accept- able solution. One of our other concerns was the size of the building and how it related to their present operation. Many times when a private business is looking for a new site the owner will scout
out facilities and base their decision on gut feelings and pricing. The owner usually commits without any plan- ning. Little is done to actually figure if the new facility is the correct type and size before a buying decision is made. Although we were not orig- inally retained to provide a feasibility study we were subsequently hired to pro- vide design, architectural renovations, and operations and storage planning. Using innovative storage and ma- terial handling methods we were able to provide for their
historical business growth although there was little room for an unexpected increase in this growth. It is vital to retain a knowledgeable party before any commitments are made and a feasibility analysis is essential for an accurate busi- ness decision. We completed our property assessment and helped our client receive concessions from the owner. We have now com- pleted the planning and design phase of this project and have furnished the client with a budget, timeline, specifica- continued on page 9B
searching for a Property ConditionAs- sessment ser- vice. While we were dis- cussing our services they r e c e i ved a phone ca l l
Gary Fleming
from their attorney and put us on hold. They came back and apologized as they were just informed that their bank had a favored inspection firm and must use them. We were disappointed but told them we understood the situation as certain clients favor us and we’re not hypocrites. We decided to follow up by explaining our method of as- sessing a building by looking at their operation before we go to the new site. The majority of building inspectors will do the usual assessment of the site, structure and mechanical systems but fewwill look to see how the client’s operation fits into the new building. A building can be perfect in every structural and mechani- cal aspect but if the client’s operation isn’t a good fit, the building could be useless or very expensive to modify for the client’s operation. We also noted that their storage requirements for garments made with synthetics is clas- sified as a class IV Commodity according to NFPA and could require stricter fire protection then other commodities. The next day we received a request for a proposal that was accepted and the project sprung to life. Some free ad- vice and persistence go a long way! After a quick tour of their present operation we went to the building they wanted to purchase. The building was previously used for a print- ing operation and the pres- ent owner was in the middle of removing all the presses. These were very large multi- color, solvent ink presses that presented an environmental challenge. Luckily the owner was a major corporation with deep pockets however their methods of decommissioning left a lot to be desired. The subcontracted demolition com- pany was far from professional as was evidenced when they set a major electrical panel on fire and ignited a high-pres-
G William Group LLC Commercial Building Consultants Serving the Tri-State Area with Decades of Experience At GWG, we start every project with our clients’ vision. Our experienced design team will walk you through every step of the process, from getting your first ideas on paper, to developing a full set of plans for construction. Contact us and see how we can bring your vision to life. Services: •DESiGn •EnGinEErinG •OpErATiOnS iMprOVEMEnT •COnSTruCTiOn & prOjECT MAnAGEMEnT • BuiLDinG inSpECTiOnS
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