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Is your business in a tug of war with the struggling economy?  Are you yearning for an increase in business traffic?  What about your plans to expand the business; is that on hold? Maybe it’s time to move on to the next best alternative – remodel your store/office?

Remodeling efforts are increasing as business owners’ increase their efforts to outshine the competitors and improve their capital investments.  We are seeing it happening, businesses are making the move, they are improving their businesses, they are changing faces, some are even rebranding.  Just a few years ago the Fort Young Hotel, one of Dominica’s most renowned and famous hotels, remodeled their building which improved the visual appeal of some of its public areas.  We also saw the refashion of National bank of Dominica Ltd and we embrace the new look and feel.

Keep in mind, renovations doesn’t have to be grand. Sometimes the minor changes can catch shoppers’ attention, but you would like to maximize your potential so probably you shouldn’t hold back on the remodel.

If your business has been in existence for some time now and more so has been in the same location, now may be the time to brighten up the doorway.  Invite new customers with your fresh look and entice existing customers to enter to see what’s new.  That in itself is marketing for the business.

For some businesses remodeling is not even an option, you have been leading in the battle with the economy but you have a new micro struggle and that is space.  Your door is always clogged with customers; your reception area can barely hold waiting clients and you have no more storage space for new items in demand.  Sometimes business growth demands extra space.  Customer satisfaction and by extension customer experience may also demand some extra space.  Your business is going well? Expand. Build a larger store/office.

Competition may not be the reason why you may need to renovate; perhaps you’re not even reaching full potential but wear and tear, or a disaster demands renovation.  This is an opportunity to deal with existing issues with the current design and layout.  Is everything in the most strategic location?

Women spend quite some time in the salon or at the beauty parlor; some stores have taken advantage of this and have remodeled to include a food department.  We can well imagine how this can make existing customers happy or draw new ones in.

One thing to note however is that although renovations may increase sales and rekindle customers interest, it is also essential to examine other aspects of the business, like product range, prices, staff/management relationships and customer service, they too may need to be remodeled.

Browsing through the web in search of a house plan?  What features are you looking for? Here are a few tips on how to choose the right plan for your new home.

Your land topography will affect your building plans in a big way.  It will save you time and money if you choose a house plan that fits your land rather than trying to make the land fit the plan.  Costly exercises like excavation is often used to amend land to fit plans especially in mountainous countries like Dominica however this may not always be necessary.

The size and shape of your lot can have a great impact on the style of the home you can build, and thus the house plan you will need to choose e.g. a small rectangular shaped lot will restrict the layout and style of the home.

The blueprints commonly referred to as the plan can be changed.  Most times when a plan is selected, the buyer may want to change certain aspects to suit their needs or personal preference or sometimes even the land topography.  Find a house plan that is close enough to what you are looking for and request any necessary changes from your architect.  Say, you spend a lot of time in your kitchen and would prefer have a larger kitchen than a master bedroom; you can request a change to achieve that.

You’ve found the right layout but this house is just too big.  Examine the plans with your architect and discuss cutting down the size of the different areas until you get the house down to the size you are comfortable with.  The reverse is also possible.  It’s a good idea to limit your search, but not too narrow that you don’t allow yourself to see other appealing layouts.

3-D plans are used to assist in visualizing the home when it is complete.  A mistake that some people make is disregarding a home design because of its outer appearance.  The exterior of the house can easily be changed especially if the issue is the finishing like the color, doors and windows displayed.  What is most important is size and layout, so go ahead, examine the house layout and size even though you are not completely sold on the external looks.

Knowing what to look for can speed up the process of choosing the house plan that’s right for you.  It is also wise to have an open mind when searching for a plan.  There are many great house designs out there.  Looking at different homes may broaden your knowledge and may just lead you to a better design that you probably never would have thought of.