New book coming soon! Subscriber only discount!

My new book, Optometric Office Design Process and Pitfalls, will save you thousands of dollars and help you avoid the exasperating problems and runaway costs that other practitioners experience when they build a new office.

We’re in the final stages of setting up the web page for the book and it will be available as an instant downloadable e-book on or before February 15. We’ll be offering a subscriber-only discount for a limited time, so watch your in-box for the announcement.

You also get a valuable F*R*E*E* bonus – Barbara’s Best 25 Floor Plans – with the book if you order by the deadline.

First Look – Mother Nature Meets High Tech

(CLICK IMAGE FOR FULL VIEW)

Here’s a first peek at the office of Todd Wylie, O.D. in Spokane, WA, a 5,550 square foot 2-story building for a one-doctor vision therapy practice. That’s not a misprint: one doctor, 5,550 square feet. This view shows the main area of the optical, which occupies most of the first floor.

For the whole story of how Dr. Wylie developed such a successful practice with 10 employees and zero associate O.D.’s you’ll have to wait for the article to be published. We’ll let you know when and where it will appear as soon as we know.

When I first spoke to Dr. Wylie he said that he wanted a “Northwest woodsy feel” in the design of the office but also wanted to emphasize patient education and the latest technology. You could call it “Mother Nature meets high tech.” We used a combination of natural greens and browns with rich cherry and maple wood tones.

This optical is a good example of how to merchandise for a wide range of income groups—something for everyone at a glance. Frame bars hold the lower-priced frames, cabinets with open glass shelves present mid-priced frames organized by brand name, and curved cherry cubicles show off high-end frames, one designer per cubicle.

New Name – Optometric Office Design Ideas

We’ve got a new name for our newsletter that better describes what you will be receiving every month: Optometric Office Design Ideas. You will be the first to see a new office the moment we photograph it. I’ll continue to give you my tips and opinions on all things related to office design.

If you like this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to colleagues who are likely to be interested in office design.

Bad News for Builders is Good News for You

The media is having a field day with the latest economic figures released by the government. All the business commentators are talking about the country going into an economic slow-down (no one wants to use that bad word "recession" just yet).

They love to sound the alarm and play on the public's fears. It's good for ratings. When housing starts slow and home prices slide backwards the construction industry is the first to feel the pinch. People start cutting back their spending because of the bad news, and sure enough, the economy slows. Many practitioners see their numbers drop and start crying the blues, blaming it all on the economy.

However, well-prepared practitioners have nothing to fear. If you have had a good marketing program going all along, you might have to turn up the heat a bit to keep on the same growth curve. If you have no regular marketing program or if you just do it hit or miss, you could be in trouble with no quick way out.

Getting a good marketing program in place takes time. It requires testing for results and then tweaking to make improvements gradually. When you first start out with a new plan it's like the flywheel on an engine. It takes a lot of effort up front to get it spinning, but once it gets going it has momentum on its own. The time to get it in place and working is before the economy gets rocky.

Successful people don't sweat it when the real estate market and the construction industry are down. That usually means interest rates are down too, so they can see opportunity where others see lack.

What are smart practitioners doing these days? They're out finding new space to lease or buying an existing building or land for a new building. Contractors have had a long run of fairly good times and high construction prices in the last few years, but now that's all changed in most parts of the country.

For people who have all their ducks in a row this is a great time to build a new office. Contractors don't have as much work as they used to, so there is more competition for the work that there is and bids are lower. That's good news for the customer.

Let the rest of the world run scared. If you have worked hard to make your practice successful and are ready to take a step up, 2008 could be the perfect year to build the new office you've been wanting!

Construction Costs - Reality vs. Wish

When people call me to talk about building a new office, one of the questions I ask is, "How much per square foot have you budgeted for construction?" The answers mostly range from "I don't know" to $50 per square foot, which is way too low for an all-new interior build-out.

My rule of thumb for estimating construction costs is to figure $100/SF or more for interior only projects. If a client budgets for that amount and it comes in under, then we celebrate. For new buildings you can figure $250 per square foot or more.

Florida is one of the most expensive places to build, topped only by California and New York.. The last project I did in Florida, which was completed in the spring of 2007, came out to $125/SF. And that was for a very simple, no-frills design!

When you are planning a new practice you need to be informed on the realities of construction and design costs. People in the midwest and rural areas like West Texas can often get their construction done for less. But just about anywhere on the East Coast or West Coast it's always higher than you thought it would be. I'm hoping that my projects that are going out for bid in the next month or two will come in for less than last year's average. That's because there's less construction going on and more competition among the contractors now at the start of 2008.

You have to keep in mind that we work almost exclusively with clients in zip codes where at least two out of the top five lifestyle groups have a median income of $75K or more. When all the median income figures fall below $50K, we may not be the right design firm for the project. We don't go overboard with expensive finishes, but we do design to high quality standards that perform well for our clients for 15 to 20 years or more. Quality does not come cheap.

The point is you must do a lot of planning and research when it comes to opening a new practice or moving your existing one. Make sure you get realistic average construction cost figures for your area. If you are going into a higher income area that fits our profile, you can call me and I'll tell you what the latest "BWD Construction Cost Index" is.

Don't be discouraged if the numbers don't look like they will work out the first way you try. You may have to look for a smaller space or a place with lower rent. If you want to attract higher income patients, you can't skimp on construction costs, but there may be another strategy you can employ to make your project work.

Top 10 Reasons and Ways to Go Green

By National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)

Should you use green (environmentally friendly) building materials the next time you remodel or build a new office? The National Association of the Remodeling Industry shares reasons and ways to go green.

1. Lowers energy consumption
2. Reduces operating costs by increasing efficiency
3. Conserves natural resources
4. Increases the value of the building
5. Improves indoor air quality and in turn, overall health
6. Reduces waste and emissions.
7. Lowers pollution causing less harm to the environment
8. Increases productivity of occupants
9. Improves quality of life and raises comfort
10. Saves money

Design Blunders: Display Background Color

Optical design and theatrical design have much in common. Both have a stage (background)
upon which the star (merchandise) is presented. Both rely on strong lighting to bring the audience’s attention to the star.

To make your frames into star performers, show them on a white or very light-colored background with the best lighting you can afford. Frames displayed against a dark background or mirrored surface are not seen as well because the background absorbs the lighting. There is too little contrast between eyewear and background.

Light backgrounds make the light bounce and reflect off the delicate details and subtle colors of the frames. It’s easier to bring out the jewel-like qualities of the frames on a light background.

Fortunately this can be an easy problem to fix. If your frame backgrounds are dark, simply paint them white. If your frame backgrounds are mirrored have a contractor install white panels over most of the mirrors, leaving an adequate amount of try-on mirror space exposed.