HardHatChat

APRIL 11, 2014

Like most businesses, the commercial construction industry is a relationship business. The best work is typically done when a project is viewed as a partnership between a client and commercial general contractor. For us, this arrangement is far more preferable to the common competitive bid process. Setting expectations.

Commercial 292

Commercial Negotiation Bidding Construction 292

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 9, 2014

As we close out another year, we wanted to take a look back at the commercial construction trends that defined 2014 and highlight some of the highs and lows. Overall, this was a great year for the commercial construction industry as commercial construction activity and revenue were up considerably.

Commercial 192

Commercial Retail Construction Chicago 192

HardHatChat

MAY 13, 2014

Be sure to check references of general contractors before entering into a negotiated or competitive bid situation. We never like it when scandal rocks the commercial construction industry. A properly-sized commercial general contractor is going to maintain a certain amount of overhead. That should make a client nervous.

Commercial 281

Commercial Bidding Negotiation Construction 281

HardHatChat

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Michigan Avenue in Chicago is seeing a mix of high-end retailers and value retailers, a trend that will continue in 2013 in markets across the country. This mix benefits retailers such as American Girl, which Englewood built out in 2009 at Water Tower Place, as more foot traffic passes through the area.

Commercial 289

Commercial Retail Chicago Construction 289

HardHatChat

MARCH 28, 2011

Now that spring is officially here, I wanted to reflect on the Chicago retail construction trends and news we’ve seen so far in 2011. From the new commercial construction projects we know are in the pipeline, to what I heard at the recent Bisnow Chicago Retail Summit , I am cautiously optimistic. Good News/Bad News.

Retail 220

Retail Chicago News Bidding 220

HardHatChat

JANUARY 9, 2013

As we welcome in the New Year, it’s customary for us to look back at what the previous year meant to Englewood Construction and the commercial construction industry as a whole. There are still some headwinds out there, but last year brought some interesting commercial construction trends and developments. Bids were up…substantially.

Commercial 240

Commercial News Retail Construction 240

HardHatChat

JULY 11, 2013

Construction season is upon us, and you know what that means…rising commercial construction costs. The summer always brings more commercial construction activity, more bids, and, as a result, higher pricing. If there is one aspect of a commercial construction job worth extra investment, it is the planning and drawing stage.

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Commercial Construction Bidding Chicago 276

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 22, 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, it’s time for us to look back on the commercial construction building trends , news and projects of this past year and share our thoughts on the highs and lows in the industry. In fact, our commercial construction budget work was back to 2008 levels. And some firms had 11 GCs bid on jobs. I was wrong.

Commercial 207

Commercial Union Retail Construction 207

HardHatChat

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

As commercial construction news reports say business continues to pick up, we are happy to see some new faces around the office at Englewood Construction. That’s right; we are adding staff to our national commercial general contracting firm in what has been a very robust period of activity.

Commercial 259

Commercial News Retail Construction 259

HardHatChat

MARCH 28, 2017

Flagship retail stores in busy urban shopping districts, such as this Zara location Englewood built out on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, present their own unique set of construction considerations. Some great examples of this are the variety of restaurant and retail build-outs we’ve completed up and down Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.

Retail 156

Retail Construction Chicago Commercial 156

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 20, 2016

With December here, it’s time for our annual post reviewing some of the positives – as well as a few of the challenges – that shaped the commercial construction business in the past year. Here’s a look at our top 2016 commercial construction “highs” and “lows”: Low: Mall Retail Tenants Choose Local over National.

Commercial 156

Commercial Retail Construction Chicago 156

HardHatChat

MAY 31, 2012

Don't forget to vet your general contractor's background and experience when reviewing bids. This quartet from Englewood Construction has almost 100 years of combined commercial construction experience among them -- (l to r) Chuck Taylor, Bill Di Santo, Kim Redmond and Rod Frank. Playing fair starts at the top.

Commercial 245

Commercial Union Chicago Bidding 245

HardHatChat

JANUARY 18, 2011

January is a great time to create a commercial construction checklist of resolutions to help improve your commercial real estate business in the coming year. Don’t always take the lowest bid. Schedule a commercial construction preventive maintenance visit. While bidding on the commercial construction remodel of a 500+ sq.

Commercial 263

Commercial Bidding Negotiation Construction 263

HardHatChat

MAY 4, 2010

At the end of 2009, I wrote a blog post called “Commercial Construction Trends to Watch in 2010.” With four months under our belt, I think the time is right to revisit one of the trends I mentioned called “Back on Track” and its relevance to the retail construction industry. Think I’ll give myself a “B” on that one.

Retail 159

Retail Commercial Construction Remodeling 159

HardHatChat

MAY 18, 2011

While I think everyone in the retail industry likes to hear news that 2011 retail sales are up – as it usually means new retail construction projects are in the pipeline – it’s still tough for shopping center landlords to make deals work with retail tenants. This is most popular with big retail leases in 2011.

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Commercial Retail Construction Bidding 184

HardHatChat

JUNE 21, 2012

Observations and Conversations about Commercial Construction, Development and Management. What are Today’s Best New Retail Developments? I get asked a lot about commercial construction trends. Recently someone asked me: “What is the best retail center to build today?”. Restaurant. Shopping Center. Hospitality.

Retail 216

Retail Commercial Chicago Leases 216

HardHatChat

AUGUST 31, 2011

I don’t know if the cupcakes were made from scratch or out of a box, but they were the best damn cupcakes for one simple reason – they reminded us how important our jobs are and that commercial construction projects touch the lives of everyone big and small. What about satisfied commercial construction client testimonials?

Commercial 213

Commercial Chicago Construction Retail 213

Wolgast Corporation

JANUARY 12, 2023

In this instance, a chain restaurant or retailer that is in the business, most likely have a staff who are well versed in construction and typically their architectural plans don’t change much from building to building. Having the Construction and Restoration Divisions within the same company speeds up the rebuilding process when needed.

Commercial 91

Commercial Construction Retail Michigan 91

HardHatChat

AUGUST 11, 2010

It’s time to revisit another prediction I made last year in my blog post Commercial Constructions Trends to Watch in 2010 — Outside the Big Box. As for grading myself on that commercial construction trend, I would like to borrow a page from President Obama and say “incomplete.”. Chicago Place shopping mall retrofit. Michigan Ave.,

Retail 209

Retail Chicago Commercial Michigan 209

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 17, 2010

I’ll say it again, 2010 was a rebuilding year for the commercial construction industry. So I’ve created a commercial construction checklist for what we considered the highs and lows of 2010 commercial construction trends. There are still far too many distressed commercial properties on the market.

Commercial 196

Commercial Retail Construction Chicago 196

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 22, 2015

Writing our annual “Highs and Lows” commercial construction blog post was a bit more difficult this year because, on the whole, 2015 was pretty great for Englewood Construction and many others in the construction industry. Yet despite all its positives, 2015 wasn’t without its commercial construction challenges.

Commercial 120

Commercial Industrial Retail Construction 120

HardHatChat

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Working with a client on a design-assist or design-build basis, as Englewood Construction is with the reimagining of Stratford Square Mall, allows the commercial contractor to provide valuable input during the initial planning stages. Design-assist is a bit of a hybrid of the design-build process.

Commercial 120

Commercial Modeling Design Construction 120

HardHatChat

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Value-based retailers like hhgregg, Ross Dress for Less and Savers should experience construction growth in 2012. It’s that time of year when our team predicts the 2012 commercial construction trends – from what’s on tap for Chicago retail construction to national restaurant construction and hospitality construction.

Commercial 179

Commercial Retail Chicago Construction 179

HardHatChat

JUNE 23, 2015

Working with a commercial contractor on a negotiated-bid basis, as Englewood Construction does with long-term client American Girl, can minimize the likelihood you’ll hear “no” from your GC during the bidding process. As a national commercial contractor , we are first and foremost in the business of customer service.

Commercial 120

Commercial Contractors Bidding Negotiation 120

HardHatChat

DECEMBER 15, 2009

At the beginning of 2009, I don’t think anyone, including a national commercial general contractor like Englewood Construction, was prepared for the twists and turns that would face the commercial construction industry. Low – Chicago losing the 2016 Olympic bid. Jobs that used to have 2-3 bids, now have 10. 8 Dollar Tree.

Commercial 196

Commercial Retail Construction Chicago 196

HardHatChat

JULY 19, 2011

It’s a mixed bag of commercial construction news for shopping center developement. On one hand, retail sales continue to show improvement from last year, yet the suburban shopping mall – or at least the traditional enclosed shopping mall – seems to be on the way out. Most retailers today want less space.

Commercial 201

Commercial Retail Change Orders Construction 201

HardHatChat

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

What Every Developer Should Ask General Contractors During the Retail Construction Bid Process. For my first blog post, a lot of people at Englewood Construction suggested I write about how to choose a retail construction company. Does your proposal include the complete scope of work specified in the bid documents?

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Retail Bidding Construction Contractors 136

HardHatChat

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Englewood Construction is an expert in winter condition commercial construction practices. While most businesses, including commercial construction projects, were closed on Wednesday, Feb. After all, shopping center landlords, restaurants and retailers couldn’t afford to be closed two days in a row. Same with brick and mortar.

Chicago 196

Chicago Commercial Retail Construction 196

HardHatChat

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

The use of technology and apps for daily construction reporting, sharing photos and scheduling look-aheads has become common practice on today’s commercial construction job sites. We would send those drawings to a printer to copy enough sets to distribute to all the trade partners we were asking to bid the project – often 50 or 60 copies.

Commercial 144

Commercial Construction Bidding US 144

HardHatChat

OCTOBER 7, 2010

Commercial construction contractors can save clients thousands of dollars by knowing the right time to buy certain materials. I heard a Home Depot ad on the radio recently targeted to commercial general contractors that made me pause. On the surface, the ad is true – buying building materials in bulk is cheaper.

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Commercial Materials Construction Contractors 235

HardHatChat

FEBRUARY 27, 2017

I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a control freak, but as a national general contractor, it’s part of the job description to be the one calling the shots and telling everyone what to do on a complex commercial construction project. One recent project we bid even had the pre-fabricated steel structure of a building as an OFI.

Commercial 156

Commercial Management Project Management Construction 156

HardHatChat

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Value-based retailers like hhgregg, Ross Dress for Less and Savers should experience construction growth in 2012. It’s that time of year when our team predicts the commercial construction trends for the upcoming year– from what’s on tap for Chicago retail construction to national restaurant construction and hospitality construction.

Commercial 120

Commercial Retail Construction Chicago 120

HardHatChat

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

I’ve got to ask, are you still competitively bidding the bulk of your commercial construction projects? And here’s why: 1. Negotiating with a commercial contractor allows you to split unforeseen cost savings. Reviewing bids can take weeks while negotiating takes days. Really, you are? Interesting…. Ahem, right guys?

Commercial 168

Commercial Negotiation Bidding Contractors 168

HardHatChat

AUGUST 21, 2012

The difference is we weren’t on vacation; we were bidding new restaurant and hotel construction jobs to keep up with the thousands of new residents moving to the area due to the oil boom. Wouldn’t it be easier to hire a local commercial contractor? I’m glad you asked. It needs to be apples to apples. Bill Di Santo.

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Commercial Contractors Retail Construction 214

HardHatChat

JANUARY 19, 2010

The same can be said of the relationship between commercial general contractor and subcontractor. We GCs may think we’re the star, but we all know the most successful commercial construction project s require great subcontractors. Without the best bid, we can’t win the project. Most importantly, pay your subs on time.

Commercial 192

Commercial Bidding Construction Retail 192

HardHatChat

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

There’s no doubt that local businesses will have much to celebrate if on October 2, 2009, Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Olympics bid. But just how would Chicago hosting the Olympics affect the city’s restaurant and retail construction activity ? Retail and restaurant construction would most likely start in 2015.

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Chicago Retail Bidding Permits 120

HardHatChat

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

Activity is setting up nicely for commercial construction in 2015, but just as the industry seems to be back on its footing, the dreary recession of years past is giving us one last gasp of annoyance and pain. While activity is good, the recession still hangs over us in the form of a commercial construction labor shortage.

Commercial 120

Commercial Construction Chicago CFMA 120