Clear height, floor flatness and electrical capacity are the three numbers that decide whether an older building can be modernized or has to be replaced. We start renovation work by measuring them. A laser scan of the floor, a review of the service entrance and panel schedules, a survey of the joist or truss depth under the roof, and a structural check of column footings give the plant manager a go or no-go answer before any design money is spent.
Most of what we do under this heading falls into five groups: power and controls upgrades, floor repair and replacement, dock and door modernization, roof and envelope work, and process or automation additions. Each of them has to be done in a building that someone is using, or that someone will lease once the work is done, and in Colorado each has to be done within a local code that may have changed since the building was permitted.
We will tell you when the best answer is not renovation. If the structure cannot carry the load, if the clear height cannot be recovered, or if contaminated soil under the slab changes the economics, a new building on a clean parcel may cost less over the life of the asset. We would rather give you that comparison early than manage a renovation that never pays back.
Why owners modernize in place
Space is tight in the metro industrial market. Westminster's 2024 economic profile reports 3,582,581 rentable square feet of industrial and flex space at a 2.4 percent vacancy rate (CoStar, September 2023). When vacancy is that low, relocating means paying for a move and for a new building envelope, and upgrading the building you hold can be the faster option. Englewood, where much of the industrial and production activity sits in its southwest section, is another submarket where the buildings are established and the land is gone.
Older buildings in the metro were often designed for lower rack heights, smaller electrical services and less demanding floor tolerances. Tenants and owners now ask for the opposite. We bring the existing drawings if they survive, field-verify them, and draw the conditions that matter. Englewood and Westminster provide examples of areas where we regularly assess such buildings before a client commits.
What we check before design starts
The structure is first. Roof framing determines how much new rooftop equipment, solar or sprinkler piping weight can be added, and column footings determine whether racking or a mezzanine can be placed. Next is the floor: thickness, joint layout, condition of joints and the reinforcement present. A slab with curling at joints may need grinding and joint repair, while a slab with a poor base may need to be replaced in sections. See our industrial concrete floors work for details on flatness and joint design.
Then the utilities. We compare the present service to the connected load and the planned load, and we ask the utility whether the transformer serving the building can be upgraded. Fire protection is checked against the intended storage. A building sprinklered for light-hazard storage will not meet requirements for high-piled commodities without a new design, and that change is often the largest line in a renovation budget.
Typical modernization scopes
Typical scopes include new dock positions and levelers, door replacement, interior racking support slabs, new mezzanines and platforms, conveyor or robot foundations, electrical service upgrades, lighting and controls replacement, and building additions that join to the existing structure. For owners adding capacity at an existing campus, our distribution center expansions work can add bays without disrupting the operating side.
Roof work deserves its own mention. Denver ranks 10th among U.S. areas of at least 50,000 people for hailstorm risk, and has had three of the ten costliest U.S. hailstorms (July 1990, July 2009, May 2017). When a roof is replaced, we recommend impact-rated membranes and screening for rooftop units. We also check insulation levels against the energy code that applies to the permit.
Code triggers for existing buildings
Renovation triggers code compliance for the altered portions and sometimes for the building as a whole. Which provisions apply depends on the scope, the jurisdiction's adopted edition and its existing-building provisions. Since Colorado's HB22-1362 requires a county or municipality updating its code on or after July 1, 2023 to adopt an energy code at least equal to the 2021 IECC, roof and lighting replacements may carry energy requirements that were not in force when the building was built.
We meet the building department early for any change of occupancy, structural alteration or significant fire protection modification. A pre-application meeting settles which provisions apply before the design is finished. The result is stated in writing in the design basis, so the architect and engineer are working from the same assumption we are.
Where renovation budgets move
Renovation budgets move on hidden conditions: unexpected slab thickness, undocumented utilities, deteriorated roof deck, asbestos-containing materials in older roofing or insulation, and structural members that do not match the drawings. We run an investigation phase with selective demolition, core samples, and test pits so that these conditions are found before the price is fixed.
We also separate costs that depend on operations. Work in a live building takes longer than the same work in an empty one, because of shutdown windows, protection of operations and shifted hours. We price off-shift or weekend premiums transparently, so you can compare phasing options. The logistics and distribution owners we work with often find that a longer, quieter schedule costs less than a fast one that disrupts shipping.
Measure first, then decide
Tell us the building address and what you want it to do. We will propose a survey scope that answers whether renovation makes sense.
Common Questions
Can an older warehouse support automation?
Sometimes. The slab needs to meet the flatness and levelness the automation vendor specifies, the structure has to carry the load, and the electrical service and fire protection have to be adequate. We measure each before you commit, and we price floor grinding or replacement if needed.
How do you keep operations running during a renovation?
We phase the work into zones, use temporary partitions and dust control, schedule noisy tasks for quiet periods and prebuild assemblies off site. A written phasing plan states which services are interrupted and for how long.
Is a renovation cheaper than a new building?
It depends on the condition of the structure and site. Renovation saves the cost of land, foundations and shell, but limits clear height and layout. We prepare a side-by-side comparison with both costs and schedules so the decision rests on numbers.
Will a roof replacement trigger code upgrades?
Often, yes. A roof replacement typically brings insulation and sometimes structural or drainage requirements under the current adopted code of your jurisdiction. We confirm the requirement with the building department before pricing.
Can you modernize a cold storage or food plant?
Yes. Those buildings add sanitation, vapor barrier and refrigeration constraints. We coordinate with the refrigeration contractor and the owner's quality group, as in our refrigerated dock retrofits work.