July 17, 2006

How Much Will My New Office Cost?

Q. How much will my new office cost?

REMODELING PROJECTS are the most difficult to "guess-timate" before you have actual plans in hand because the amount of work can vary so much. If you are remodeling a small dispensary you probably need to budget at least $20,000. to do enough to make a real difference. Medium to large dispensaries can cost $30,000. to $50,000. or more.

BUILDING OUT AN INTERIOR SPACE varies according to labor costs in your area. Generally it's more expensive to build on the East Coast or West Coast and less expensive in the Midwest and South. Figure on spending $75. to $100. per square foot on the average for a nice office with good quality materials, custom cabinets and state of the art dispensary lighting.

BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP starts at about $125. per square foot (not including the land) for a simple building in a medium or small size town with lower construction costs. You could easily spend $150. to $250. per square foot and more for a building in or around a busy metropolitan area.

You can ask contractors in your area what a typical commercial building costs in your area, but the numbers he quotes you will not include the specialized display fixtures and lighting you'll need in the optical area. Be sure to add on $25,000. to $50,000. more for your optical.