FOUR FACILITY TYPES
The difference between a dental office and a cath lab is not finish level - it is structure, shielding, power and the agencies that have to sign off. Pick the one you are building.
Office-Based Lab
Ambulatory Surgery Center
Clinics, Dental & Urgent Care
Hospital Renovation
BEFORE YOU SIGN THE LEASE, KNOW WHAT THE SPACE WILL TAKE TO BUILD.
Most of what blows up an OBL budget is decided the day the lease is signed, not the day construction starts. We walk the space, check it against your equipment and program, and send you a written review. No charge for Greater Houston projects.
01 ย STRUCTURE & CEILING HEIGHT
A fixed angio system hangs 3,000-5,000 lb off the structure and needs 10 ft or more of clear height. Not every second-generation suite has it.
02 ย ELECTRICAL SERVICE
480V three-phase through a 100-150 kVA transformer, plus cooling and UPS. We pull the building's service capacity before you commit.
03 ย SHIELDING
A Texas-licensed physicist sets the lead. It affects wall type, door cost and sometimes the floor and ceiling above you.
04 ย HVAC & MEDICAL GAS
Procedure and recovery zones rarely match the existing system. Sedation and sterilizers change exhaust, plumbing and gas.
05 ย SCHEDULE VS. RENT
Permit review plus construction plus equipment install runs 3-12 months. Rent commencement should not start before you can bill.
WHAT GOES WRONG, AND WHO OWNS IT
FIVE THINGS THAT COST MEDICAL PROJECTS MONTHS. HERE THEY ARE OURS.
01 ย The equipment drawings arrive late
The vendor site-planning set is what tells the architect and engineer where the walls, ceiling height, slab recesses, cable trenches, chilled water and electrical go. When it shows up after design starts, the plans get redrawn and the schedule slips.
02 ย The physicist report lands after framing
The shielding report is what tells the contractor how much lead goes in the walls, doors and windows. When it shows up after framing, walls get opened back up and the schedule slips.
03 ย The building service will not carry the lab
A fixed angio system needs a 480V three-phase feed through a 100-150 kVA transformer, plus HVAC and UPS loads. If the building service cannot carry that, the owner either pays for a service upgrade or walks away from the space.
04 ย Plan review comes back with comments
City plan review, fire marshal, TDLR and HHSC all have a say in how the project is drawn. When the first submittal is not coordinated to their rules, it comes back with comments and the schedule slips.
05 ย Everyone points at someone else
When the architect, engineer, physicist and contractor all work under separate contracts, no one owns the whole picture. Design, engineering, permitting and construction sit under one contract with us, so there is one person to call.
WHO CALLS US
PHYSICIANS & PRACTICE OWNERS
Opening or expanding an OBL, ASC or clinic, usually with one shot at getting the space right and a lease decision already in front of them.
MSOs & PLATFORM GROUPS
Rolling out the same facility across multiple markets and needing a contractor who can repeat a build without relearning it every time.
DEVELOPERS & BROKERS
Fitting a medical tenant into a building and needing a real number on what the space will take to build before lease terms are set.