You may be wondering why our Long Beach architecture firm is just now posting about our response to COVID-19. Up until now, we’ve just been communicating with our current clients on a case-by-case basis, assuring them that their projects are still moving forward while our staff works from home or at safe social distances from one another. However, we thought we should put something out to communicate with those who have been on the fence about starting work with a Long Beach architect during this time.
First of all, we want to let everyone know that we are still working at full capacity at this time. We know many offices are shut down or greatly reducing their workloads as people stay home, but the nature of our work allows us to continue doing what we do, without putting our employees, contractors, or clients at risk.
We have made some adjustments, however. We now meet with clients on video conference calls for things like marking up plans. This has worked out extremely well, and is something we may continue doing even after the shelter in place orders subside, since it saves our clients from having to drive to our office. When it’s necessary for us to meet with people in person, like for site visits, we are careful to maintain social distancing and keep our personal protective equipment on. We’ve also initiated a policy where we check the temperatures of our employees before sending them out to take measurements or to check on the progress of a project.
Is Now a Good Time to Start a Building or Remodeling Project?
We understand there’s a lot of uncertainty right now. Will things return to normal when the COVID-19 outbreak subsides? Will the economy fully recover? While we don’t have the answers to these questions (no one does), we do know that despite everything that’s going on, the housing market remains strong in the Long Beach area. If you’ve been considering remodeling your home or building your dream home, there’s no reason to put that on hold. Investing in your home is still a good idea.
For commercial property owners, now is also a good time to start that improvement project you’ve been thinking about. Maybe business is a little slow for you right now and you have some extra time to dedicate to a project like a remodel. Let’s get started!
The design and approval process can take a good amount of time (it can take several months to get projects through plan check alone), so even if you’re not sure you can start the construction process right away, you can still begin the design process and have everything ready to go when the time comes.
So many industries have completely shut down. Fortunately, ours is not one of them. Our architects are still designing, and general contractors, engineers, construction workers, and others are still working. Even most of the city offices are still open. The City of Long Beach, for example, instituted an online submittal process a couple of years ago, which means the submittal process during the pandemic has not been affected at all.
If you’re ready to start your project or if you just want to start the conversation, Grisafe Architecture is here and ready to talk! Contact us today.
