{ from the editor } by Douglas Wyckoff, DDS • Editor What My Remodel Taught Me


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n 2019, I began plans on a redesign/ remodel of my office. I had just acquired an additional 700 square foot space adjacent to my current space. I had been planning on buying a 3D pano machine, but just didn’t have the required footprint for it. With the added space, this could become a reality. After much deliberation and time, a complete new floor plan was developed with many hours of work by my dental supply company. I began the process of securing a contractor, plumber, electrician and HVAC personnel, poring over requirement details and time constraints. In the summer of 2021, it finally was going to become a reality after taking a trip to order new dental chairs and cabinetry. We slated the start of the process to begin November 22, 2021.


The remodel was completed at the end of March 2022. At the time of my writing, we have been back “home” for five weeks, and it definitely feels good to be here. There were times the project seemed to be creeping, but also times it sped by. We were fortu- nate to never have to wait on any supplies or workforce to get the job done. In short, we basically kept the outer four walls of the building, tore down all the interior and started fresh. New walls, flooring, paint, trim, dental equipment, cabinetry and more room to stretch out and not feel so cramped. Now that it’s over (except paying for it), I have had time to think back about this whole project


6 focus | MAY/JUN 2022 | ISSUE 3


and have come away with some learning points I would like to share.


MAKE SURE TO “OVER-PLAN”


I thought we had all the bases covered in planning. I consider myself a pretty good planner and always like to have things in pre- cise order. I quickly learned that with a con- struction project, no matter how thorough you think you’re being, there will always be items you either had no idea would be needed or the project requires modifications. The over planning also spills into making sure you budget more than what you expect. I don’t care how detailed you are, there are going to be additional, unforseen costs. The amount of time this took also was more than expected, even though we never really waited on anything.


HAVE KEY PERSONNEL IN PLACE


I was very fortunate to have a well prepared and experienced dental supply company that made this process very stress free. From the floor design, to equipment and cabinetry, to installation. They went from start to finish without a glitch and absolutely no problems when we moved in. Contractors are a huge key as well. Making sure we went over the project in depth and communicating what my needs and expectations were made the flow go smoothly as well. Communication is vital and having daily contact with all of them allowed us to make sure we kept on


track. Making sure your dental team is on board with a project is vital. Helping with moving out and back in definitely involved them, and I couldn’t have done it without them. They also had to deal with me being in and out and maybe (just sometimes) exhibit- ing some stress. The color schemes, flooring and all the interior decorating takes a huge amount of time as well. What your office looks like is a reflection of you and your of- fice personality or what you want to project. I am so fortunate that my wife, Melinda, has an eye and gift for being able to do all of that and it looks amazing.


PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE …


We have all heard this saying, but until I was knee deep into this project, I really didn’t un- derstand how true it is. Even though things went very well, there were modifications to plans and changes that can wear your nerves thin. We had times during the rough-in phase when things seemed to be going at a snail’s pace. I had to continually remind myself to leave it to the professionals and let them do their job. Rome wasn’t rebuilt in a day!


OUR DENTAL COMMUNITY OF GIVING


Before we started the remodel, I thought we would be able to stay in our office without moving out. I quickly realized that was just a fantasy and there was no way we could make


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