Building out your veterinary practice or starting a veterinary construction project from the ground up? Before you break ground on your next big project, you have a lot of important decisions to make around objectives, costs, and timelines.
What new services are you intending to offer? How do you anticipate to meet the needs of future growth? How will construction impact your business? The answers to these questions will ultimately determine not only the scope of your project, but the way your practice will function upon completion.
In this blog we go over all of the steps you’ll need to take before starting your next veterinary construction project, and help you build out the vet space you need to push your business forward.
Wants and Needs of a Veterinary Construction Project
What is your primary motivation for wanting to expand or modify the building of your veterinary practice? While veterinary construction can take a variety of forms, you should focus your efforts primarily on your end goal. This typically amounts to things such as:
· More exam rooms
· More services
· Animal-sensitive spaces
Veterinary spaces are in many ways comparable to dental build outs, as they both require specialized equipment and regulations in order to operate, yet aren’t as regulated as a doctor’s office. Because of this, many veterinary owners looking to expand their offices can be surprised by the expenses incurred in build out costs compared to traditional commercial construction. Thus, it is essential to evaluate what is absolutely necessary, and what is desirable.
Below, we have compiled a list of considerations you may want to take to mind when planning your veterinary build out.
Expanding Your Specializations
Unlike doctors and dentists, veterinarians serve patients of all shapes and sizes. From cats and dogs to guinea pigs and iguanas, the specialization of your practice may vary considerably.
Your veterinary clinic’s specializations should largely be dictated by the needs of your community. Urban veterinary clinics, for instance, may consider specializing in exotic animals, as the density of the population makes pets like birds or reptiles more common. Rural veterinary clinics may consider expanding their specialization to livestock. With both of these, special equipment or expertise may be required.
You may want to expand the ancillary services available at your clinic as well. Rehabilitation services might require specialized treadmills designed around pets. X-rays can be essential for diagnosing ailments and fractures.
Consider where the greatest need lies, and expand forward from there.
Designing Animal-Sensitive Spaces
While dogs may be our best friends, they (like all animals) experience the world in a very different way than we do. Designing a veterinary construction project should consider the needs of both the animals and their owners.
When planning out your new veterinary construction project, designing a warm and inviting lobby space should go beyond just the comfort of owners. Using noise-reductive surfaces, for instance, can make animals sensitive to noises like dogs or guinea pigs immensely calmer. Animals are also prone to accidents, so using flooring that is easy to clean can be a boon.
Minimizing Disruption to Services
A veterinary construction project is a great way to expand your business, whether that means refreshing your lobby, building out more examination rooms to accommodate more patients, or offering more services. If you’re building a new veterinary clinic elsewhere, you likely won’t have to worry about disrupting day-to-day operations. However, a veterinary remodel of your existing clinic can cause complications such as reduced working space, or a pause to operations altogether.
When you’re looking to build out your veterinary space, finding a contractor that is sensitive to both you and your patients’ needs is essential. An animal clinic build out is different in that, unlike their owners, pets may not be as tolerant of ongoing construction noises. Build outs that happen outside of regular office hours can help ensure pets and their human companions are happy during construction.
Tackle Your Veterinary Construction Project with Buildout Pros
Ready to get started with your next veterinary construction project? Buildout Pros can help! We specialize in build outs of all kinds, including animal hospitals. Contact us today to learn more about how we can build the animal clinic you’ve been waiting for.