As part of our standard procedure, we take photos of the store's existing conditions.
Existing Photos
After speaking with the mall's tenant coordinator, Mr. Dennis Groom, I was able to obtain the previous floor plan. I used this as my as-built drawings to accurately assess the store's layout and dimensions.
During our initial meeting with the client, we informed them that the rear room would need to be expanded as per their request. Following this, I arranged a meeting with the city's building department to discuss the necessary permits for the extension.
Here is the Demo Plan and the Existing Ceiling Plan. As indicated by the dashed dark blue lines, we had plan to remove the rear wall as well as the furred walls surrounding the store. Additionally, the rear ceiling will need to be demolished in order to install a new hard-lid ceiling that aligns with the rest of the store's ceiling.
Working in this particular mall was quite challenging due to its specific regulations. The mall is located in a restricted area, and for any construction work, they strongly recommended using union contractors and subcontractors, while making it mandatory to hire the mall’s designated electrician. Since our office is based in California, we needed to find a local architect who could review and sign off on our drawings in compliance with the mall's requirements. At the same time, I reached out to four or five licensed contractors outside the union for quotes, while also obtaining a bid from a union-affiliated contractor. In terms of cost, the union contractor’s price was nearly double that of the non-union options. Ultimately, our client chose to proceed with a non-union contractor and agreed to take full responsibility for any potential consequences.
In our last discussion with the client regarding the floor plan, we decided to close off the rear side of the store to create a room that fully complies with ADA regulations. After identifying a suitable contractor, and once the client approved the floor plan, we entered into a contract with the contractor. We then sent all the construction plans, which were reviewed, signed, and sealed by a licensed architect, for the necessary permit submissions.