We have attempted to list the most frequent questions we encounter,
with informative answers hopefully!
Quick Jump:
General Procedure,
Benefits, As-Built,
BOMA Standards, Pricing,
Service Area
- How long does it take
to measure a building for a set of
Floorplans?
- Do you need access to
mechanical rooms? Basements?
- What about high-security
areas? Are you bonded or insured?
- Do you find a building's
RSF generally increases or decreases after a resurvey, and by
how much?
- Do you do structural,
electrical or mechanical systems inspections/surveys?
- Do you do site surveys?
We need to show the location of our buildings with respect to
property lines.
- We have some existing
CAD files on our building, but we're not sure how accurate they
are. What options do we have?
- What is the difference
between Rentable and Usable area?
- What is the difference
between the "old" BOMA Standard and the "new" BOMA Standard?
- Does BOMA apply to Industrial
Buildings and warehouses?
- Do you charge the same
for large warehouses, and industrial buildings?
- If you have to make several
return trips to my building, is that going to cost me more?
- How does your pricing
work?
- Do you require an up-front
deposit?
- I have a building to measure,
but it is not near one of your current offices. Can you do it,
and if so, how?
- We're on the East Coast,
will you have an office here soon?
General Procedure
1. How long does it
take to measure a building for a set of 
Floorplans?
It depends on the size of the building
of course, but the short answer is "not
very long!". Field work generally proceeds
at the rate of 2000 sq.ft. per hour, depending
on the complexity of the layout. Lots
of interior partitioning, angles and curves
will slow down the process. Additional
complicating factors are tenants (empty
buildings go faster), security issues
and availability, lighting, and clutter.
CAD work in general takes a similar amount
of time, though can go faster depending
on whether BOMA calculations are required
or not.
2.
Do you need access to mechanical rooms?
Basements?
Yes, in order to prepare an accurate
"as-built" plan, as well as
do a proper ANSI/BOMA analysis, we need
access to EVERY room in the building,
including all tenant spaces, all landlord
storage, and all mechanical rooms. With
the latest BOMA Stanadard (1996), floors
containing mechanical rooms only (eg rooftop)
are now included in Rentable space, and
therefore very important to have access
too.
3.
What about high-security areas? Are you
bonded or insured?
We will work closely with building site managers and/or tenant
management, to ensure all such issues are addressed. High-security
areas will typically require preset appointment times, which will
be arranged with our local office. Security clearance, if required,
would pose no problem. In addition, all
field staff are fully insured, ensuring your protection against
such risks.
Benefits
1.
Do you find a building's RSF generally
increases or decreases after a resurvey,
and by how much?
As a general rule of thumb, we find
that if a building is resurveyed to BOMA
1996 Standards, there is typically a 3-5%
increase in gross rentable square footage.
Click
here to read a testimonial from Robert
Law of Colliers
Obviously, such an increase more than offsets the costs of the
plan preparation. Studies by the US Federal Government (Public Buildings
Service) have found similar results.
As-Builts
1.
Do you do structural, electrical or mechanical
systems inspections/surveys?
We specialize in layouts only, the preparation
of accurate base plans. Our LTS Survey Software is designed for
us to locate and record visible objects only, to the level of detail required.
We do not crawl up into ceilings,
or into crawlspaces, nor do any sort of
inspection or certification of any electrical
or mechanical equipment. We can locate
data and telephone jacks, ceiling lighting,
etc on our Floorplans, but beyond that
you would require a certified engineer.
2.
Do you do site surveys? We need to show
the location of our buildings with respect
to property lines.
We are not land surveyors, which is
the profession you require to locate legal property
lines. We measure building interiors only,
and any attached structures such as loading
docks, decking, balconies, etc. We can
prepare plans of parking lots as well.
3.
We have some existing CAD files on our
building, but we're not sure how accurate
they are. What options do we have?
Our
Survey System shines in projects like this! We will take your existing
CAD files (DWG or DXF format), and load them into our custom LTS
survey system in the field. We will then walk through the relevant
sections, and do a verification on the accuracy of these drawings.
If sections have been deleted, we can delete them directly in the
field; similarly, if new sections have been added, we will measure
and add them to the existing drawings directly in the field. We
can then prepare a report summarizing our findings, and recommending
either a complete resurvey (in the case of poor original CAD files),
or hopefully only a partial survey. Detailed cost estimates to complete
can then be accurately prepared.
The BOMA Standard
1.
What is the difference between Rentable
and Usable area?
The easiest way to think of Usable area
is it represents the area within a tenant's
four walls, the actual area available
to him/her for business activities. It
does not include any common areas such as restrooms, hallways,
janitor rooms, nor does it include stairwells
or elevators (unless a private stairwell/elevator),
or void areas occupied by such things
as ventilation shafts or ducts. Rentable
area is always greater than Usable area,
and includes a tenants pro-rated share
of common areas such as washrooms, lobbies
and hallways, janitor closets, and building
mechanical rooms. Under BOMA, rents are
based on Rentable area.
2.
What is the difference between the "old"
BOMA Standard and the "new" BOMA Standard?
The BOMA Standard was first adopted in
1915, and stood for over 35 years until
1952, at which time it was updated in
accordance with more modern building practices.
It has since been revisited about every
5 years, usually simply reprinted, but
occasionally there are major updates.
Since 1952, major updates have occured
in 1971, 1980, and 1996, with minor updates
most recently in 1989. When people ask
the difference between the "old" and the
"new" Standard, they are in general referring
to the 1980 (old) and 1996 (new) Standards.
The major difference introduced in 1996
is the concept of Building Common Areas,
and the changes in calculating Rentable
Areas resulting from this new term. Prior
to this, BOMA was applied on a floor-by-floor
basis, and there was only 1 type of common
area. It did not matter whether that common
area was for the benefit of tenants on
that floor only, or whether it benefited
the entire building. As a result, most
landlords came up with their methods for
handling areas such as ground-floor lobbies,
service corridors, mechanical rooms, daycare
centres, exercise areas, etc. With the
"new" 1996 Standard, though the calculations
are now more difficult, the result is
a much more fair Standard. Areas defined
as Building Common are correctly allocated
to all tenants, based on their pro-rated
share of total rentable space. Common
areas defined as "floor common" are now
correctly allocated to only the tenants
on that floor.
3.
Does BOMA apply to Industrial Buildings
and warehouses?
The ANSI/BOMA Z65.1 Standard (1996) applies only to office buildings, with or
without ground floor retail space.
However, BOMA and SIOR have now released
the BOMA/SIOR 2001 Standard which now applies
to industrial and retail space, basically any building with more than 50%
of its space non-office. It should be adopted by ANSI soon.
Pricing
1.
Do you charge the same for large warehouses,
and industrial buildings?
Our square foot rate is generally used
in office and retail space. For large
open areas such as warehouses, we generally
prefer to visit the site prior to preparing
a quote, but will often quote such space
based on an hourly rate rather than by
the square foot. There are other factors
such as ease of access, clutter, lighting,
and suitability of wall surfaces to the
use of laser equipment which may affect
the pricing.
2.
If you have to make several return trips
to my building, is that going to cost
me more?
No, our price is based on square footage.
If we have to return several times to
a site, either because of the size and
complexity, or because of errors or ommisions
on our part, and have to remeasure or
check areas again, there is no extra charge
to you for that. However, if we are requested
to return for any additional work above
and beyond what was originally contracted
for, then there may be an additional small
site-revisit charge.
3.
How does your pricing work?
Pricing for most office and retail buildings
is based on the gross square footage measured.
(For industrial buildings, see Question
1 above). Pricing may vary slightly from
office to office, but is generally in
the 7-9 cent/sqft range for the as-built floor plan, depending on
building size, urgency, "clutter", design,
occupancy, and as-built requirements.
For a firm quotation, call our Head
Office, at 1-888-393-6655.
4.
Do you require an up-front deposit?
For buildings under 50,000 sqft, our
usual policy is no deposit required, balance
in full due upon completion and delivery
of final plans. For buildings over 50,000
sqft, we will generally require a deposit
of 25%. Final terms are negotiated as part of the project contract.
Service Area
1.
I have a building to measure, but it is
not near one of your current offices.
Can you do it, and if so, how?
Yes. Our goals are to setup local offices
in all major US centers. If there is the
potential of a large project in an area
in which we do not currently have an office
established, we may use that as an opportunity
to open in that area. In this way, you
would obtain plans at the local rate,
without incurring additional travel costs.
For smaller, 'one-of' projects, or urgent
large projects in which we do not have
sufficient time to setup a local office,
we do have several mobile field contractors
available to fly in on short notice to
handle the field requirements
Regardless, you will find our total package
cost to be significantly lower than alternative
methods. Combined with our quick turnaround
times, guaranteed results, and superior
end-product, this should not be a concern.
2.
We're on the East Coast, will you have
an office here soon?
We have done many projects on the East Coast, and should be thought of as a truly National Service
Provider. Our technology and efficiencies allow us to be more than competitive with any local providers.
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