Finding the Right Site for Your 2021 Construction Needs

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Looking for a site for a new commercial facility can be a chore. It’s important to find the right match to meet your business needs and ensure your success. As the saying goes, it’s all about “Location, location, location.” It’s important for any business. Is there enough traffic to justify building a retail location? Can the property be easily accessed or will inconvenient roadway access drive away customers?

Site Assessment

Leon Williams Contractors, your Maryville construction expert, can help you find the perfect site for your facility. Our preplanning and site assessment services are thorough. We’ll ensure there are no unexpected, expensive surprises at a proposed location such as environmental issues requiring remediation, geotechnical issues that would need overly-extensive sitework to overcome and insufficient utilities or infrastructure.

If you think that finding the right site for your commercial facility will take care of any potential issues, that’s not quite the full story. Businesses also have to consider what happens to the site once construction begins and design plans are being implemented. A construction company needs expertise and the ability to work well with designer and architects to execute their vision exactly. Otherwise, problems can creep in.

We Can Help

That is where we can help. The team at Leon Williams Contractors has decades of design-build construction experience working closely with our clients and their design firms on commercial construction projects. We take pride in properly executing all aspects of a project, ensuring that both commercial facilities and sites are built out in the best way possible.

At Leon Williams Contactors, we’re ready to assist our East Tennessee clients assess the right site for their building projects. If you are ready to talk about your construction plans for 2021, contact us today.

Etowah City Hall

Looking Back at the Accomplishments of 2020

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This has been a challenging year in East Tennessee, but Leon Williams Contractors has been proud to continue helping our clients create new and renovated spaces.Etowah City Hall

Etowah City Hall

After beginning work in late 2019, Leon Williams Contractors completed construction on a new 3,200-square-foot city hall in Etowah, Tennessee. The new Etowah City Hall is the city’s new permanent dedicated building for municipal government. The new one-story structure complements the historic L&N Depot, which was extensively renovated in 2012. The depot currently houses a railroad museum, the Etowah Chamber of Commerce, and serves as a facility for public and private events.

Benchmark Physical Therapy

Leon Williams completed the new Benchmark Physical Therapy location in Maryville in July. “We were thrilled with the work done by Leon Williams Contractors,” said Jason Hutcherson, Benchmark Physical Therapy facilities director. “They brought our project in on budget, ahead of time, and with a great final product. Their communication and professionalism is above board and they went above and beyond to make sure our move was a success. I will certainly use them again for projects in the area.”

So Many Projects

During the past year, our Maryville construction experts have worked on a variety of great projects around East Tennessee including:

  • The Donut Shop, renovating the flat iron building across from Regions Bank in Knoxville’s Fourth & Gill neighborhood.
  • Renovations for the Blount County Landfill Office.
  • Shift Church Knoxville opened in its new facility on Alcoa Highway.
  • Repair of damages at Everett Hills Baptist Church and Pecks Memorial Church in Blount County and working to help develop upcoming projects for several other area churches.
  • Construction began on the TLC Maryville facility, which is expected to open early 2021.
  • The new Freshens located inside Lupton Hall at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
  • Various trade work on Pellissippi State Community College’s new Multi-Purpose Building at the Hardin Valley campus, the new classroom Building for TCAT Morristown and the new Anderson County Higher Education Center for TCAT.

As your Maryville construction expert, we always love to assist our East Tennessee clients with their building projects. If you’ve seen our work and want to talk about your construction need for 2021, we’d love to talk. Contact Leon Williams Contractors today.

The Basics of Build-outs

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If your retail location or restaurant is looking for a home, Leon Williams Contractors, your Maryville construction experts, can help with build-out needs.

Early Involvement

A build-out of an existing commercial space can be as simple as some light renovation or a refresh or as complex as a total gutting of the old space and refurbishment with new lighting, plumbing, interior walls, furnishings and HVAC.

Even though a build-out might not be as intensive as the construction of an entirely new building, the process should still be approached with great care, because there are plenty of problems and headaches that can occur.

A key to success is partnering with a proactive contractor like Leon Williams. Problems that could affect the project’s budget and schedule need to be found before they occur. Cost overruns and noncompliance with local codes can hurt projects large and small, so having a licensed contractor that listens to the client is essential when considering a buildout.

Staying on time and on budget is vital. If a contractor can’t stick to the timeline, it can hurt your business. At Leon Williams, we respect your time and are committed to meeting all deadlines to make sure your business opens on time.

You can depend on Leon Williams. Our experienced team has helped create quality locations for franchises all over East Tennessee area. We’ve worked with businesses ranging from Benchmark Therapy to Which Wich and more. Check out all our recent projects online.

We Can Help

Leon Williams has been doing buildouts for decades in East Tennessee and has experience with site evaluations, project goals, budgets and project life expectancies. If a build-out is what’s needed, we’re the right choice. Contact us online or give us a call at (865) 982-1734 to learn more.

Building Contractor Listening to Homeowners in Maryville Tennessee

You Need a General Contractor Who Will Listen

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Is your contractor really listening to you? It’s an important question to ask. Sometimes, the answer is no. When that’s the case, an owner can face a long list of potential problems that could result in lost time and lost dollars. 

Building Contractor Listening to Homeowners in Maryville TennesseeFirst off, owners need to be mindful of who they’re working with. Hiring an unlicensed contractor without insurance is never a good idea. Before breaking ground on any project, have a long talk with the contractor and make sure they have the experience and credentials to handle the job. If they don’t want to have this conversation, then they don’t need to be hired.  

Site Design Is Essential 

Another critical issue is site design. The way a building sits on a piece of property will oftentimes determine the success or failure of a building, regardless of its use. A good design-build contractor should know how to take full advantage of a site and increase the structure’s performance, whether it’s a church, office, or a drive-through burger restaurant. If an owner asks about site design and the contractor isn’t listening, there’s a good chance they are not up for the job.  Building expansion and traffic flows should be forecast to ensure the positioning allows for future needs. 

Prevent Problems Before They Start 

Finally, a common issue, and perhaps the most common issue, is cost overruns. If not properly managed, costs can soar and the project run longer than needed. Throughout the lifespan of a project, from site design to the final punch list, a design-build contractor should listen to the owner, respond to their concerns, and solve problems before they occur.  Many times, an owner may not be able to interpret plans and envision a finished product like the contractor can.  It is critical to explain what they can expect before it is installed to ensure they will be pleased. 

If you are looking for a contractor that knows how to do just that, call Leon Williams Contractors, an experienced Maryville construction company, with more than three decades building for clients in East Tennessee. Check us out online or give us a call at (865) 982-1734 to learn more. 

Food Court Construction by Leon Williams in Tennessee

Does Your Restaurant Need Renovations to Support Delivery and Pickup?

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Let’s face it, the disruptions to the hospitality industry created by the COVID-19 pandemic have proven challenging to everyone. The virus, and the premium it places on sanitation and social distancing, could be with us a long time. A new era in food service is already here.

Restaurants of the Future

Food Court Construction by Leon Williams in TennesseeThe biggest problem faced by restaurant owners in 2020 has been two-fold: How do I protect my business while also serving my loyal customers? The answer has been around for a long time — pickup and delivery — but many sit-down restaurants didn’t have the right footprint and set-up to do this, putting them at a disadvantage.

The restaurants of the future, those that can survive in both stable and volatile markets, will likely include enhanced curbside service, double food production lines, kitchens that prepare food for delivery only, robust online ordering and prepay platforms, ample outdoor seating, separate takeout doors, and reduced dine-in areas with increased sanitation systems. There’s a lot of work to do.

Everything you Need

Leon Williams Contractors, a Maryville construction company, has the expertise to help you transition to the new business model. We ensure that you, the stakeholder, have plenty of input at the outset. We have experience in building retail, food service and outdoor spaces, for customers including Which Wich and Chick-fil-A. We can do everything you need to create a winning location for your employees and your guests.

If you’re a restaurant owner looking to modify an existing location or if you want to try something new from the ground up, we might be the right contractor for you. Give us a call at (865) 982-1734, or contact Leon Williams Contractors online to learn more.

 

Renovation can Give Your Commercial Facility a New Lease on Life

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After a commercial facility has seen decades of service and is showing its age, it’s natural for the owners to consider whether the best path forward might be to construct a new building.

This is a decision that shouldn’t be made lightly. It can be more cost-effective to update and renovate the existing space rather than going through the expense of locating and purchasing new property and then constructing a new building. The experts at Leon Williams Contractors, a Maryville construction firm, have decades of experience working with business owners to find the most efficient and affordable solutions for their facility needs.

Take Stock

The choice to renovate or build a new facility starts by evaluating the current property and the needs of the business. Do you need expanded space or to just refresh the facility or tweak the layout for more efficiency?

Whatever the condition of the facility and the property it currently occupies, Leon Williams Contractors can perform a comprehensive site assessment to provide the information needed to prevent unexpected expenses during a building project.

For example, if the space doesn’t meet current building codes, necessary improvements will have to be factored into the plans. It’s more economical to address those concerns up front than in the middle of a construction project.

Another question is what is the state of the building’s mechanical systems? They might be in good enough shape to continue serving the space for years longer, but an investment in new systems can pay for itself in reduced long-term operating costs. The Leon Williams team will talk facility owners through all of their options, identifying possible cost savings and providing the insight to avoid surprises during the building process.

We Can Help

Since 1964, Leon Williams Contractors has been designing and building commercial facilities throughout East Tennessee. Ready to learn how we can help? Visit www.lwcontractorstn.com or call (865) 982-1734.

Foothills Church

Giving Your Old Sanctuary a New Lease on Life

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In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, East Tennessee’s churches have continued to share the light with their communities, even if it’s been online or by video conferencing. But as social distancing requirements fade away, churches will become places of fellowship once again.Foothills Church

All that said, the economic effects of the pandemic might hang around for some time, so when church facilities start showing their age, new construction might not be financially feasible for cash-strapped congregations. That’s where Leon Williams Contractors, a Maryville construction company, can help.

We have decades of experience renovating church facilities. Through preconstruction planning, our experts can help congregations understand their facility needs and what sort of renovations are within their budgets.

Helping Out

Our goal is assisting our faith-based clients in finding the sweet spot between expense and value. We offer pre-construction consultations, site assessments, value engineering and other services to help congregations mitigate costs. Working closely with a design team, our hands-on experts will find and implement the most cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of growing congregations through internal renovations or expanding existing facilities. The Leon Williams team will work closely with the project designer and all stakeholders to ensure smooth communication and no surprises.

The purpose of value engineering is to approach every project with a fresh eye to evaluate the use of materials, reduce waste and avoid excessive expenditures. This could involve swapping out fixtures or features that might result in added costs with little to no benefit.

Communities of faith matter to us here at Leon Williams Contractors. We take pride in helping give congregations the facilities they need to thrive and grow. To learn how we can assist in your next church renovation or construction project, visit www.lwcontractorstn.com or call (865) 982-1734.

 

Leon Williams Helped Create a New Landmark

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East Tennessee is proud of its history, and Leon Williams Contractors, a Maryville construction company, is proud to partner with local governments to create structures that honor that history.

We recently a completed a new 3,200-square-foot city hall in Etowah, Tennessee.  It’s on Tennessee Avenue, adjacent to the historic L&N Depot, a 114-year-old state landmark. We built the new one-story building to complement the depot, which currently houses the Etowah Chamber of Commerce and a railroad museum. The depot has been a centerpiece for the city, serving as a facility for public and private events, and is now paired with the city hall.

For the past few years, Etowah’s city government had been renting offices in a building north of downtown. That was after moving out of a space in the city’s Carnegie Library.

Now, the city boasts a great new building that replaces a vacant lot, complements the L&N Depot and supplements the historic character of the downtown area. We’re glad to give the city employees an excellent new workspace and to provide city residents with an attractive municipal building to be proud of.

We Can Help

At Leon Williams, we have a long history of working with governmental bodies and educational systems to create high-quality spaces. We’ll work with your organization to refine the scope of work and develop a reasonable and accurate budget ahead of time. Our experts will help identify potential cost savings in the design, materials and infrastructure.

We pride ourselves on our communication with stakeholders. We’ll make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to goals, timelines and expectations before a project begins. We also provide site assessment services to help avoid nasty surprises that require additional work after the fact, preventing expensive work delays.

For more information about Leon Williams Contractors, visit www.lwcontractorstn.com or call (865) 982-1734.

How an Experienced Construction Firm Can Prevent Common Problems

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Picture this: You’re a month from opening day for your new building, when your construction firm tells you that, due to mistakes in the process, you’ll need to open three weeks behind schedule. And you’ll need to spend thousands of dollars to do it.Modern skyscrapers in business district.

While this might sound like a nightmare, it can be a reality for developers and business owners across the country. Building projects have so many independent moving parts that, without a skilled and experienced construction firm at the helm, things can quickly go off course and remain unnoticed until it’s too late. But you can trust the Maryville commercial construction experts at Leon Williams Contractors to get things right the first time.

What Construction Problems Can I Encounter on my New Build?

By far one of the most common construction issues that can occur on a project are budget overruns. These aren’t limited to small, unlicensed contractors or inexperienced teams — well-planned projects like government buildings, infrastructure, airports and even the International Space Station have run over budget.

Part of the reason is that, when you’re building a project, small mistakes can add up into big problems down the road. Fixing these problems means more time on the jobsite, more money spent on materials and labor, and hours of lost time.

Even worse, these mistakes can pop up at the most inconvenient times. Right when you think you’re ready to open, a mistake in the process can mean a lengthy delay. For a small business, that means big trouble before you’ve even opened your doors.

What Can I Do to Prevent Construction Issues?

When you’re building a new home for your franchise or want a new office for your organization, you shouldn’t have to face that kind of pressure. You want your project to go smoothly from the start, and that’s where we come in. Leon Williams has more than three decades building for clients in East Tennessee, and we’ve gotten pretty good at preventing problems before they start. Contact Leon Williams Contractors online or give us a call at (865) 982-1734 to learn more.

Protecting the Community During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Leon Williams Contractors is dedicated to protecting its employees and the public from the spread of COVID-19. We enforce workplace standards and procedures as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to prevent infection.

To protect our workers and clients, we are limiting the number of individuals present onsite and requiring they practice social distancing. We’ve also distributed supplies of disinfectant and hand sanitizer to each jobsite.

In addition, all workers are required to clean their hands frequently and anyone with a temperature or symptoms of sickness is not allowed to work. We continue to monitor the situation and follow guidelines provided by city, state and federal governments.

The construction industry as a whole takes coronavirus seriously. Leon Williams remains committed to protecting our communities during this time.

As a provider of essential services, Leon Williams Contractors is ready to help with your commercial construction needs. For more information, see us online or give us a call at (865) 982-1734.