BUILDING OR REFRESHING YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE 9 Obtaining a Permit from Your Municipality to Begin Construction If you hire an architect who is licensed in your state, he or she will send the completed construction documents to your municipality to obtain a permit to begin construction. After review, the architect will receive the initial “city comments” from the planning board. These comments are typically questions or concerns that the city planners want your architect to address before they issue a permit. The architect will address these comments and resubmit for permit. The city will then respond either by issuing your permit or with more comments. You should expect your architect to continue addressing the city’s comments in a timely manner until the permit has been received. The architect only occasionally receives city approval after the first submission. If you hire an out-of-state architectural firm, its service may be limited to completing your construction documents and sending them to you. You may then have to hire an additional architect with a license in your state to file for your permit. There may be certain regional exceptions to this regulation, so do your homework to understand the time and total costs involved. After review, the architect will receive the initial “city comments” from the planning board. These comments are typically questions or concerns that the city planners want your architect to address before they issue a permit. Creating a Custom Dental Equipment Specification Sheet with Your Dental Equipment Consultant/Supplier Consider these two alternate scenarios: 1. Before the engineering stage, my architect and dental equipment consultant/supplier created a custom “dental equipment specification sheet.” This sheet became part of my official construction documents that went out to contractors to bid. When the contractor finished my project, the final payout was virtually identical to the original bid quoted. I stayed within my budget. 2. My architect and dental equipment consultant/ supplier were lax in providing the necessary written detailed equipment information. As a result, many equipment requirements were missing from my construction documents. This lack of detail created an abundance of change orders during tenant improvements, and my construction costs spiraled out of control. When the contractor finished my project, the final payout was much higher than the original bid quoted. I was well over my budget, and my available working capital shrunk dramatically. Unfortunately, the second scenario happens too often in the dental industry. The industry’s failure to provide the architect’s engineers with detailed written dental equipment requirements is the single biggest flaw in the process of opening a new dental office. Not having complete control of the engineering phase in your project will adversely affect your budget. Only two people can provide this written information for the engineers, your dental equipment consultant/supplier and your architect. Spend more up front to hire the companies willing to create a custom dental equipment specification sheet for you. They will save you many times the cost of this investment, as well as time delays and complications.