Utilizing Consultants

The title of this week’s e-bits is pretty straight forward. For the most part, everyone knows what a consultant is, but not everyone knows how to utilize one properly. We at PDMi consider ourselves a consulting firm and we consult on many things from building design to project management to building code studies to master planning. We consider ourselves quite good at many things, that’s why you hire us! However, there are times when we need to bring in more specialized consultants to assist in the design process.   

We are currently working with a manufacturing client in the Ft. Wayne area that is looking to add 10,000 s.f. of woodworking shop area to their existing facility that is well over 70,000 s.f. They hired us in the fall of 2024 to produce state submittal documents for the addition. What we found after a few weeks of working with them on the planning portion (planning is very important) is that they really need to have the addition open to the rest of the building due to product flow issues within the woodworking shop. This posed a problem, as the code requires a fire separation wall between the new addition and the existing facility. PDMi has a great working knowledge of the building codes, but this particular situation brought up a much larger issue relating to filing for a variance with the State of Indiana. We referred the client to a consultant that specializes in the area of building code variances and had them work with the consultant to obtain a variance for the fire separation. Once that got resolved, we were able to finish up our state submittal documents so that the building owner could proceed this spring with getting his building addition started.       

Many times specialized consultants are not needed, but it sure is nice to have them when you need them. PDMi has the relationships and knowledge to take your project from planning to completion using all the tools at our disposal. If you run into a situation where you need added guidance from a consultant, give us a call and we can get you connected with the right people to keep your project on schedule.

Restrooms

When working with clients on designing their new facilities, building additions and/or interior renovation projects one topic always seems to come up: Restrooms. The questions about restrooms range from; How many do I need? Can they be unisex? Where should they be located? And the biggie; Do all of them need to be Handicapped Accessible?

A while back, we were working with a client on a renovation and addition to his office building. There was only one existing unisex restroom in the building, and it was very small. In fact, as my grandfather used to say “It was so small, you’d have to step outside to change your mind!” During the planning process, we told him that due to the specific conditions of his building, the building code would not require him to change, enlarge or relocate his restroom. That was good news to him.

The most frequently asked questions we get about restrooms seem to be about required handicapped accessibility. They include…

• Do all restrooms need to be handicapped accessible?

• Do I need to upgrade my existing restrooms to meet today’s ADA requirements?

• Why do the accessible restrooms need to be so big!

The answers to each of these questions are not always the same, as they are based on the specific conditions of the building. Give us a call and we will be glad to answer your restroom questions.

One last final thought: It is true that all restrooms must comply with the current building codes, but remember those requirements are the minimum and what your final restroom layout looks like in your facility must support your business. That is a successful design!

Planning for the Expected & Unexpected

We talk a lot about planning here at PDMi. It really is THE single most important part of a building project. I won’t bore you with specifics of how many projects we’ve seen go sideways over the years due to lack of planning, but I will remind you that projects do tend to go sideways when you rush the planning process (or skip it all together). With all that said, I’d like to share a quick story of a client that we are currently working with that has embraced the importance of planning.  

We met with the client at their Detroit facility earlier this week, as they are looking to remove two very old manufacturing lines, renovate the existing building and then install two new state of the art manufacturing lines to increase output and profit at the bottom line. The existing facility is a 60+ year old building with multiple challenges. In the 1970’s a large underground utility vault was abandoned inside the building and they signed papers with the city stating that they would not remove it at a later date, so we know that is a monument that cannot move. The issue we face is that we need to install a 12’ deep pit for the new equipment that is in the general location of the underground vault. Since no one is exactly sure what the vault entails and why it could not have been removed 50 years ago, we are doing extensive due diligence (that’s a fancy way of saying planning) to be sure that we do not disturb the underground vault while still optimizing the space constraints of the new manufacturing line. It is a project we have been working on for most of 2024 and we now have a solid plan in place to move forward with the renovations of the building and the installation of the new manufacturing lines this spring. 

Despite all of the time it has taken to get everything correct, we now know that the location of the manufacturing line is in the right place to optimize the space. We went into the planning portion of this project not knowing exactly want to expect, but have gained knowledge through the process of what the best outcome will be. If PDMi can help you get through the unexpected portion of your next project, give us a call and let us help you put a plan in place.