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Commercial Construction Pricing/Design
Posted on 11/9/26 at 3:26 pm
Posted on 11/9/26 at 3:26 pm
For the sake of controlling variables, assume all finishes are the exact same.
We are looking to construct a 12,000 sq ft office building. We need this building to be attractive, but as cost effective/no frills as possible. Must be ADA compliant.
So - the real question. Are there significant savings to be had by building 2 floors (a rectangle on top of a rectangle) vs. a single floor? The major difference I know of would be the elevator, which is certainly costly....
In my head, I'm thinking a 6,000 sq ft foundation and a 6,000 sq ft roof would be more savings that than the cost of adding an elevator....but I'm not a general contractor or an architect. Just looking for some unbiased info. Thanks
We are looking to construct a 12,000 sq ft office building. We need this building to be attractive, but as cost effective/no frills as possible. Must be ADA compliant.
So - the real question. Are there significant savings to be had by building 2 floors (a rectangle on top of a rectangle) vs. a single floor? The major difference I know of would be the elevator, which is certainly costly....
In my head, I'm thinking a 6,000 sq ft foundation and a 6,000 sq ft roof would be more savings that than the cost of adding an elevator....but I'm not a general contractor or an architect. Just looking for some unbiased info. Thanks
Posted on 11/9/26 at 3:37 pm to AUjim
Not a contractor or anything, but yea the general scenario the single floor wins. A single floor strucure is generally going to be more cost effective and efficient than going to a second floor because 2nd floor is going to bring in loss of workable space due to the added vertical components needed, as well as additional code requirements and framing complexities, not to mention the additional costs of the eleveator, stairs, additional fire precautions and such.
It isn't universal, but if there aren't any land constraints, going the single floor route in a simple comparison will be the less costly option. You save some on the foundation and roofing going to a 2nd floor, but the other adders usually more than offset that savings, *most* of the time.
It isn't universal, but if there aren't any land constraints, going the single floor route in a simple comparison will be the less costly option. You save some on the foundation and roofing going to a 2nd floor, but the other adders usually more than offset that savings, *most* of the time.
This post was edited on 11/9/26 at 3:57 pm
Posted on 11/9/26 at 4:22 pm to AUjim
single floor is almost always cheaper. If you are in BR area I can send you to a design build contractor you can trust
Posted on 11/9/26 at 7:48 pm to AUjim
You need to factor in the cost of land if you have not already.
Posted on 11/9/26 at 10:21 pm to AUjim
A two story building has a significantly smaller foundation and roof than a singles story of the same area. That doesn’t necessarily offset the cost of stairwells/elevators/elevated floor construction, but it can. It really depends on the type of construction among many other factors.
Posted on 11/9/26 at 11:17 pm to AUjim
Whatever you’re building, you need a Levrack.
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