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Would You Ask Your Toddler to Rewire the House?
Of course you wouldn’t, because he has no experience and well … he’s only three. However, in between naps he might be able to install a 200 amp service better than some residential contractors can design, develop and build your restaurant or retail facility. There are many special codes, requirements, materials and techniques inherent for all trades in restaurant, retail and commercial construction that do not apply to residential. You’re going to want qualified, experienced professionals.
The Lindy Construction Company Specializes in Commercial & Retail, Restaurant & Bar, Design, Development & Construction. Throughout Upper & Lower Michigan Since 1979
Services, Rates & Policies
INTRODUCTION: The Lindy Construction Company provides commercial, retail, restaurant and bar Design, Development and Construction services throughout Michigan. If you’re planning on purchasing, leasing, building or remodeling your own facility, we can be of help. While some commercial or restaurant construction or remodel projects might be considered only cosmetic, most will require review by your local Health and/or Building Departments. Either way, it’s never advisable to proceed without inquiring and gaining these approvals. In the event that permits are required, engineered plans will also be required. In Michigan, any commercial construction project requiring a permit will require plans which have been approved by a professional Architect or Engineer.
THE PROCESS: The State of Michigan makes distinctions between residential and commercial construction. A Residential Builder License is required for residential projects the value of which reaches $600.00 or more. In contrast, professional engineering is required for commercial projects where the concern is more for public health and safety. Special codes apply that do not apply to residential such as those for zoning; occupancy; parking and handicap accessibility (ADA); fire alarms and suppression systems; emergency egress and lighting; energy management systems (EMS); energy conservation (ASHRAE) plus the Department of Agriculture, Health Department and Liquor Commission requirements for restaurants, bars and other food service facilities.
As a general rule, Designers design and Builders build. This is never more true than it is with commercial construction where professionally engineered plans are required. When contemplating a restaurant or retail facility, one of the first calls made should be to a design professional rather than to a builder. It’s become common for potential clients to first call on random residential builders for ideas, designs and estimates, many of whom have little to no experience with commercial, retail or restaurant design, development and construction.
The normal process is as follows:
1) Secure funding – Have your financing ready before selecting a location
2) Find a location – Retain an Architect or other licensed design professional and not a Builder for insight, design ideas and estimates
3) Design and develop the facility – Produce engineered plans that match your vision and meet the approval of your local authorities
4) Obtain prices – Finally, with approved plans in hand, gather bids from qualified contractors
If you’re a potential client trying to develop a restaurant or retail project, you’ll want to consult with an experienced professional. The Lindy Construction Company provides all of the services necessary to navigate through this process including Consulting, Estimating, Design & Development, Project Management and Construction. Please, call (517) 699-4585 for details and rates.
DESIGN: If you retain an Engineer or an Architect, your drawings will be completed in part by their in house Draftsmen and with the Engineer or Architect providing oversight and approval. Charges can run from $100.00 to $300.00 per hour or more and into the many thousands of dollars for a complete set of plans. In a similar scenario, if you retain The Lindy Construction Co to produce your plans, we are not the Engineer or the Architect…..we’re the Draftsmen and can produce the same set of plans, typically for much less. We then submit our electronic drawing files to one of several independent Engineers for treatment and approval. The Engineer’s involvement is less, therefore your price can be much lower and sometimes as little as half as much for the same approved drawings. As part of a Design and Development agreement, it’s typical to produce Conceptuals and either a Permit Set or a Bid Set of plans.
Conceptuals – Based on your ideas plus those of our development team, along with information garnered from your local authorities regarding items allowed, not allowed and those which are required, we’ll provide a series of conceptual sketches from which we can make refinements and decide which items you would or would not like to be incorporated into your final plan. Once a final design has been decided upon, we’ll produce either a Permit Set or a Bid Set of plans for review.
Permit Set – A permit set will contain only the minimum amount of information required by your governing agencies in order to approve your permits. This lack of detail lends itself to Contractor’s providing a “time and materials” rate rather than a firm bid price. Pages might include a Floor Plan; Lighting Plan; Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Plans (MEP); Equipment Plan & Schedule; Site Plan including Parking and Dumpsters; Fixture Plan including Egress and Occupancy; Fire Suppression and Fire Alarm Plans; A.D.A. Compliance; ASHRAE Compliance.
Bid Set – A Bid Set will include additional information and design details not found in a Permit Set such as those for specific materials, sizes, dimensions, finishes, etc. This is necessary if you intend to gather firm contractor bids. All Contractors will be bidding on the exact same things and you’ll be able to compare bids “apples to apples”. Without detailed plans to bid from, Contractors will only be guessing….Do you really want several verbal guesses? These preliminary estimates are not bids, quotes or proposals, they’re only guesses, they can vary greatly and are rarely accurate or enforceable. Some might intentionally provide you with a “low ball” estimate in order to secure the job and then charge high prices for extras later on, claiming that this and that was not included in the estimate. Whether working from a bid or on time and materials, be careful and get it all on paper.
DEVELOPMENT: Once you have retained our services, we will:
• conduct research and make the initial inquiries in order to determine the requirements of your local authorities.
• perform a thorough site survey in order to take measurements and gather other information crucial to the design of your facility.
• produce a set of plans as required by the governing agencies and as described in the Design section of this document
• submit the required documents, plans and applications to the governing agencies in order to expedite your permits.
It’s important to note that most Engineers or Architects do not provide complete development services. They might have limited experience with Restaurant Development, dealing with Health Departments or expediting permits. All of these services including design, development, permit expediting, project management and complete construction services are offered by The Lindy Construction Co.
CONSTRUCTION: Whether working from a firm bid or on a time and materials rate, we can perform any part to all of the construction of your facility, including the Project Management.
Firm Bid – From bid set plans as described in the Design section of this document, we can provide you with a firm bid or a “fixed rate”. Unless you make design changes yourself or a governing agency does, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting and how much it will cost.
Time and Materials – Without bid set plans to bid from, we can provide you with a time and materials rate. This can be beneficial if you wanted to get started sooner or make design decisions as you build, however you will not know the final project cost up front.
Project Management – Whether using your subcontractors or ours, we can manage your project from start to finish. We’ll ensure that all documents are in order and develop a critical path schedule which all trades will follow. We’ll be on your job site daily to ensure quality control and forward progress. You’ll know exactly when it will be done and when you can open.
GENERAL CONTRACTING: Once you have commissioned a set of plans, it’s time to gather contractor bids. You’ll hire either a General Contractor (GC) to manage and build the entire facility or Subcontractors (Subs) if you’re acting as your own GC. If you hire a GC to build or remodel your facility they will handle every aspect of the project from pulling permits to hiring and paying subcontractors and the daily on site management. Your dealings and transactions will be with the GC alone and not with any of the Subs.
The Lindy Construction Company has an extensive network of professional contractors with which we work, including Designers, Engineers and Tradesmen. As General Contractors we’re able to provide every service and all of the trades required to present you with a start to finish “turn key” project. We’ll just hand you the keys.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Most clients are looking for ways to lower costs and some want to be more involved in the construction of their facility. One of the best ways to accomplish both is by the client acting as their own General Contractor (GC).
If they were to hire an independent GC to build their facility, that GC would then hire all of the personnel required to complete the project including the subcontractors, general laborers, project manager and project superintendent. He would add his total costs for labor and materials and then add from 5% to 15% or more profit on top of it all. On a $200,000 project these charges could be as much as $30,000 additionally. Clients are able to save most or all of this by acting as their own GC and hiring their own Project Manager (PM).
As General Contractor, the client would be responsible for hiring the subcontractors and general laborers as needed, approving and signing the subcontract agreements and approving and making the progress payments to the subcontractors. The GC (client) will deal mainly with the PM who will manage the transactions between the GC and the subcontractors as approved by the GC.
As Project Managers for the client, The Lindy Construction Company will develop a critical path schedule, petition and gather subcontractor bids, insurance documents, W-9 forms, lien waivers, change orders and other required documents. We’ll create and manage subcontracts as approved and executed by the GC. We’ll be on site daily as Project Superintendent to manage the day to day operations such as the scheduling of subcontractors and inspections, to oversee in the quality of the work being done and to ensure forward progress and that the project is completed on time and within budget.
QUOTES, BIDS & PROPOSALS: There is sometimes confusion as to the differences between a quote, a bid and a proposal. Each is a formal offer to provide a product or a service for a stated price but each has a different meaning and function.
Quote – A quote is a fixed price, usually for an existing item or a simple service with minimal variables. Something that you can point to, such as “I can mow that yard for twenty dollars” or “You can buy one of these for fifty dollars”. Material suppliers can provide a quote from a takeoff. Some quotes tend to have a limited duration, such as 30 days, due to market and price fluctuations.
Bid – In the construction industry a bid is a fixed price given for something that another has pre-defined, typically with a detailed set of plans and specifications which describe the scope of work to be done, the materials to be used, the time frame required, payment terms, insurance requirements, etc. All bidders bid the same work per the same plans and specifications. If the scope of work changes, plan revisions are drawn up and bidders can adjust their bids by submitting change orders.
Proposal – A proposal is drawn up by the one who is pricing the work. Unlike with a bid, the work or the product has not already been clearly pre-defined, plans and specifications are incomplete or even non-existent. The scope of work, the materials, the price, terms, etc. will all be described in the proposal. “I propose to do this using these materials in this amount of time for this much money”.
ESTIMATES: We’re often asked for estimates by potential clients who are considering the lease or purchase of a space to construct their own restaurant or retail facility. If the intent is to use the estimate to help determine whether or not to move forward and lease or purchase the space, it stands to reason that they would want it to be as accurate as possible and would want the Contractor to honor it if they were to lease or purchase the property. In reality, what they are really seeking is more of a quote, bid or proposal than an estimate. Sometimes these terms are conflated and used interchangeably.
It’s understandable that someone would want to know the expected cost before making a major financial commitment, however an estimate is not a firm and calculated price like they might get with a quote, bid or proposal. Without plans or clearly defined specifications for reference, an estimate is merely a guess at how much the project might cost. Given the lack of detailed design information, estimates are highly subjective and therefore also highly unreliable and not enforceable. However, most potential clients are only speculating so it wouldn’t be practical to purchase plans just to see if a location is viable, especially if multiple locations are being considered, so they seek estimates.
Preliminary estimates come with no guarantees, but one way to help ensure better results is by asking the right Contractor. Anyone can throw out an ill conceived “guess-timate” but a qualified professional can turn a wild guess into an educated one. Would clients really do their planning and budget, sign a lease or even purchase a building based on an arbitrary guess made by a potentially unqualified contractor?
The Lindy Construction Company has been providing Commercial, Retail, Restaurant and Bar Design, Development and Construction throughout Upper and Lower Michigan since 1979. In those years our portfolio has grown to include hundreds of independent and national brands. We can draw from that experience when evaluating your restaurant or retail project for an estimate. In order to produce a reliable estimate, a site survey may be required.
SITE SURVEYS: If you’ve decided that you want a preliminary estimate but have no detailed plans, we will need to perform a physical site survey. A service charge may become necessary depending upon the scope of work and the project location. However, our ultimate goal is to design and build your facility and this initial survey fee can be refunded if we are hired for Design, Development or Construction. This policy helps to compensate us for time spent estimating for those who are merely curious or possibly bid shopping.
During the survey our estimator will walk through the site with you, listen to your ideas and present some of our own based upon our experience and general knowledge of Building and Health Department codes and requirements. We’ll suggest options for you to consider, as well as likely requirements and prohibitions. We’ll provide possible layouts, equipment options and estimates based upon these ideas.
Site survey charges are calculated using mileage, travel time and a flat survey fee. No physical drawings or plans will be included. Estimates provided during the survey will be verbal, additional charges may be incurred if written is required. As mentioned previously, the initial survey fee will be fully refunded if we are hired for Design, Development and/or Construction. Call (517) 699-4585 and ask about our rates.
BID SHOPPING / PEDDLING: The practices of bid shopping and bid peddling are common in the construction industry. Bid shopping is when a general contractor or a potential client gathers bids for a project with no real intent to hire any of the bidders and divulges the low bid to another preferred contractor (often a friend or relative) in order to get a lower price and award the project to that contractor. Bid peddling is when a contractor initiates the bid shopping of a potential client by offering to meet or beat the low bid. Both of these give an unfair advantage to one contractor over the others, they waste the time and devalue the estimating work of all contractors involved and can lower the overall quality of the work. The Lindy Construction Company has been the victim of these unethical practices and will never knowingly participate.
RATES: Each project is unique and with it’s own scope of work and it’s own local codes and governing agencies. Our Design and Development fees are charged at an hourly rate plus the Engineering and Permit fees. Engineering fees are determined by the Engineer of record and usually based upon an hourly rate. Permit fees are determined by the governing agencies and are usually based on the total project cost. If you decide to retain our services, we will provide you with a detailed proposal for any of the following options:
• Site Survey as described in the Site Survey section of this document, based on the location and calculated using mileage, driving time and a flat rate survey fee.
• Design and/or Development Services as described in the Design and Development sections of this document and at a time and materials rate.
• Partial to Complete Construction and/or Project Management at a time and materials rate as described in the Construction section of this document.
• Partial to Complete Construction based on a fixed price made from bid set plans as described in the Construction section of this document.
SITE SECURITY: With everything from copper piping, electrical wire and other building materials to expensive contractor tools and equipment, construction sites are a magnet for thieves. One of the most popular things taken is dumpster space by the upstanding neighborhood citizens. It’s not uncommon to arrive in the morning to find anything from furniture to appliances and mattresses sticking up over the edge. They seem to think that it’s there for the public and that it’s not thievery.
One of the first things that we do on a new project is to set up security measures. We’ll replace the existing lock cylinders with construction cores. We can distribute keys as we see fit or place a key lock box at the entrance. Both are great ways of knowing exactly who has access. Once the project is complete we return the original lock cylinders as they were.
On most jobs that we manage we’ll set up our mobile surveillance system which consists of up to eight (8) high definition pant tilt zoom cameras distributed throughout the site, typically with three (3) inside and one (1) outside on the back of the building overlooking the rear entrance and the dumpster area. Signs are placed around the site indicating that security cameras are in use. The cameras are able to be viewed and controlled remotely via client software for Windows, Android and IOS.
The system will do just about everything but make coffee. It provides 24 hour motion activated recorded video and can be programmed to notify you in the event of a breach by means of a text, a phone call or even posting to social media. It can also emit an audible alarm such as a warning telling intruders that the police are on their way.
CCTV:
WEB DEVELOPMENT:
SUMMARY:
We welcome the opportunity to work with you and wish you the best in your endeavor.
Please, contact us with any questions.
Services, Rates & Policies, Rev. Aug 2025