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Make a Space Feel Larger with Design Psychology

Is your office feeling a little cramped? Looking to have an office built but don’t have the budget for something massive? If so, Heidan Construction has some great news for you. There are a lot of neat tricks we can use to make a space feel larger than it really is. That means remodeling a small space or building an office on the small side doesn’t have to mean feeling like sardines with your employees. Let’s take a look at some of these design psychology tricks.

Big windows

The first must-have in any office space is some big windows. This really can’t be overstated; windows make such a massive difference in perceived space. When you work in an office with 4 solid walls and no windows, it can feel like you’re underground. The cramped feeling of the space is 4 times stronger. Introduce some big windows on 2 or more walls and you let in a lot of natural light and the ability to see outside. Being able to see out past the walls of the building can trick the brain into believing you’re in a bigger space than you are.

Floating Stairs

If your office has stairs, make sure they’re floating. Whether the stairs lead up to a break room on another floor, or even a loft, they should be floating. 

Floating stairs come in two general flavors. There are those where the side of each step is mounted to the wall, and there are those where each step is attached to a long, center beam so that it looks kind of like a spine. Both of these styles mean being able to see through the stairs, between the steps. Plus, because of their more minimal design, having floating stairs means removing any surrounding walls.

Standard stairs are often boxed in with walls, even on the outer side. This makes the entire office space feel smaller because that area is no longer visibly accessible. Removing walls and simply letting your floating stairs exist out in the open means expanding the actual visible space in the office.

Glass Dividers & Dynamic Layout

Next up, if you have divided offices, use glass dividers. These are often called frameless systems, as they’re made of frameless glass. By taking down any walls between offices and leaving only the necessary supporting columns, you increase visibility by a lot. Plus, frameless systems are usually quite soundproof, meaning you no longer have to hear your coworker’s phone calls while you’re trying to write a report.

Additionally, you can get opaque panels to limit visibility where desired. If you would prefer not to see your nextdoor office neighbor, you can put opaque panels between the offices. This maintains privacy while still allowing a lot of light flow and visibility to other parts of the office.

Office Remodeling and Construction

If you’re looking to improve your current office or start again from the beginning, Heidan Construction is here to help. Give us a call with your office design and construction needs and we’ll make the process easy.

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High End Luxury Custom Homes for Professionals in Toronto

Whether you’ve made it big while you’re young or have worked your way up the corporate ladder with years of commitment, you need a home that reflects your needs as a professional in Toronto. A luxury custom home design is something everyone can get behind, but not every luxury custom home is made for you. Let’s talk about how you can get high end luxury custom homes made just for you and your needs as a professional.

Walk-In Closet

Put the days of sliding closet doors behind you. Any luxury custom home design worth its salt is outfitted with a walk-in closet. A walk-in closet, attached to the master suite, is big enough to comfortably walk into, display a large collection of clothes, get dressed in, and feel great doing so. 

There are some smaller walk-in closets in your everyday homes. Don’t get the two mixed up. While some master bedrooms have a few feet of space to step into your closet and look around, the kind of walk-in we consider luxury is one that feels like an actual room of its own. You should feel completely at ease storing your hamper, moving around, and dressing within the closet, with plenty of room to spare. If you want your closet to feel like a personal getaway, we recommend putting down a throw rug or even introducing an armchair for optimum comfort.

A walk-in closet is a must-have for a professional. Working in a classy office building means keeping a collection of suits, dresses, or other professional clothing available. A true walk-in closet provides plenty of space for variety in work clothes as well as space for the everyday clothes you change into when you’re off the clock.

Luxurious Kitchen

A big kitchen is a big kitchen, but we want to kick it up a notch. Instead of big, think luxurious. Space isn’t all there is to a successful kitchen. State of the art appliances, spacious, comfortable, bar seating, and tons of counter space is just the beginning. We can’t discount the profound effect of things like bay windows, high quality lighting, and even a mounted flatscreen where you can follow along with The Cooking Network.

After a long day at work, it’s easy to avoid the temptation of fast food on the way home when you can come home to a gorgeous kitchen that feels like eating out.

High End Office Space

For most people, it’s discouraged to bring work home with them. However, a lot of professionals work from home all the time – and not just because of COVID-19. Lawyers, editors, and agents are just some of the professionals who can work without an outside office space.

To make working from home a real success, high end luxury custom homes bring with them a high end office space. Here are just some of the things you can have in your luxury office space:

  • Plenty of room to move around
  • Large windows for plenty of sunlight
  • Smart home controls
  • Sliding lights, for comfortable computer use during any hour
  • Sturdy, built-in shelving for storing work texts, binders, files, and more

Sprawling Master Bath

And, last but not least, we can’t forget the sprawling master bath that you’ve wanted since your first apartment. The average person’s idea of a spacious master bath might include a double sink and a separate shower and tub. We can take it further. When you get done at the office, taking a shower should feel like a spa treatment. Have your soaker tub and a spa quality shower as well. Make taking a shower feel as lavish as a bath. 

Bay windows can let the morning sunshine in as you bathe. A tub frame will give you space to store candles, incense, and all the fancy soaps your heart desires. A luxury custom home is about more than getting what you need; It’s about getting what you want. Give us a call at Heidan Construction if you want to talk high end, luxury custom homes in Toronto.

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Remodel Instead of Moving Away from Your Empty Nest

When the kids have finally moved out, couples are often left with a big house and more space than they know what to do with. One of those bedrooms could become a computer office, but what about the other three? If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed with the amount of space you now have and don’t know what to do with, you may be considering moving. However, before you take the leap to find a new house, let’s talk about the possibility of a remodel instead of moving away from your empty nest.

Make a Pros and Cons List

It may sound silly, but it’s best to start with a pros and cons list. Write down everything you feel about your current living situation. Do you like the neighborhood? How’s the commute to work? Is there something missing from your current home that’s been driving you crazy? Put down all of the things that have been nagging you for the last 20 years so you can compare. If most of the cons are related to the house, rather than the location, you might be able to knock out most of the list with a remodel.

Remodel Instead of Moving

People are often under the impression that remodeling is more expensive than moving. This can come from the belief that you have to pay for remodeling out of pocket. However, remodeling is often much cheaper than moving. Here’s why:

  • Remodels can be funded by taking out home loans.
  • Moving out of an old home can lose you a significant amount of money if the building has aged poorly. Not getting back the same amount you paid for your home means having to take out more loans to buy a newer home anyway.
  • Moving to a new home means paying moving expenses, such as truck rentals, movers, storage fees, and more.
  • Remodeling can bring your old home more into the present, meaning that if you decide to sell later down the line, you’ll often increase the sale price by more than you spent on the remodel.

Plus, when you remodel your home, you can expand the parts that matter. Consider a expanding your kitchen or getting a second floor addition to a house that you’ve outgrown.

Rediscover Yourself as an Individual

While remodeling opens the door of opportunity for all kinds of upgrades, it also offers you a new opportunity to rediscover yourself. All of those rooms your kids grew up in aren’t entirely useless. Not only can that space be used to expand spaces like the kitchen or living room, they can also be turned into personal space for you and your spouse.

With your kids out of the house, you have the rest of your life to spend occupying yourself. You don’t have kids to haul to soccer practice anymore. What will you do with your time? It’s never too late to learn a new trade or pick up a new hobby. Having a little extra space on hand to help with that never hurts. So, consider sewing, crafting, baking, painting, filming, collecting, woodworking, and more. There are endless things to learn and having space to collect new tools and materials for those hobbies is a luxury many don’t have. Take advantage of it!

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What Is Involved in Getting a Custom Home?

Getting a custom home is something most people consider outside of their ability – even if they don’t know what’s involved. It’s one of those fancy and ambitious things that people equate with unimaginable wealth. The truth is, if you can buy a moderate-sized house, you can have a custom home built. Let’s run through the main points of what’s involved in getting a custom home.

Custom Designs

The first thing you need when you plan to get a custom home is a custom home design. It’s helpful if you already have an idea of what you want your floorplan to look like. However, you can have a design made from scratch if you’re willing to work with your designer. If they can figure out what things you need in a home, they can make a design you’re happy with.

Heidan Construction does design build for people all over Toronto. Design build means we do both the designing and the building. This is much more straightforward than having to commission a design from one company and then bring it to another to have it built. We know what needs you brought to us when you had your new home designed and we can ensure those needs are met all throughout the building process.

Getting a Plot of Land

The plot of land a house is on contributes to the cost in real estate. So, when you have a custom home built, you’ll have to buy a plot of land for it to be built on. It may feel like an additional cost when you’re buying it, but it’s not. You would have been paying for the land in the price of an already-built home as well.

Getting Home Loans

People often don’t realize it, but you can get a home loan for a custom home just like for an existing one. You don’t have to buy a custom home out of pocket. Getting loans can also help in paying for your new piece of property. This is something you’ll need to discuss with your bank, but is an important thing to know when comparing custom design prices with real estate.

Waiting for Construction

When your custom home design has been finalized, you’ll have to wait for construction. This is the biggest difference between buying an existing house and having one custom built. If you can get your current home sold and finalize the purchase of your new home quickly, moving into an existing home can be done in less than a month. Custom homes, on the other hand, can take over 6 months to build. That means sitting tight for a little while – but the extra time is worth it.

Moving into Your Beautiful Custom Home

When your custom home has been built, all that’s left is moving in. Moving in is a special feeling. Not only is it brand new – you being its first tenants – it’s made with your specific needs in mind. Nothing can beat the feeling of living somewhere made just for you. 

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4 Things Your New Pediatric Clinic Needs to Succeed

A pediatric clinic is an important fixture in any neighborhood. After all, healthcare is a universal need and ensuring kids grow up healthy and well taken care of is on any parent’s mind. If you’re planning to open a new pediatric clinic, you’ll want to know these 4 things a new pediatric clinic won’t succeed without.

Visibility

The first thing a new pediatric clinic needs is visibility. If you have preexisting branches of the same clinic, ensure your new branch is well advertised within them. Put up an eye-catching notice within other branches alerting people to the new branch. There’s a good chance that many of your existing patients and their families live closer to the new branch than the one they currently visit. You should also update current business cards to include the new branch and its phone number.

While branch visibility within your existing network of patients is important, what’s more important is expanding your reach. Building a new branch means taking on more patients. The #1 thing that brings in prospective patients to a new pediatric clinic is an attractive clinic building.

When a new building is constructed in a a suburban or commercial area, the locals take notice. If you intend to build an entrance sign that’s separate from the building, install your sign before construction is finished. This will give locals time to spread the word that a new pediatric clinic is being built.

Your finished clinic being attractive and modern is the final, key step to visibility. Heidan Construction is well-versed in medical clinic construction. However, we also have a focus in modern design. We’re the perfect company to provide eye-catching brilliance in the form of a shiny, new, clinic office space.

Welcoming Interior

While curb appeal is important for a new pediatric clinic, so is interior appeal. When a new or prospective patient steps into your clinic, their first impression is everything. This is especially true for a pediatric clinic. Children make snap judgements very quickly. If your interior doesn’t immediately satisfy them, they may decide they don’t like your clinic at all. While parents make the final say in what clinic their kids go to, a child committed to complaining or one who’s intimidated by your interior is one who can convince their parents to take them elsewhere.

Ensuring the color design is friendly but professional is a balance that many people fail to strike. Toddlers aren’t the only ones your clinic will serve. We can create a design that appeals to toddlers and teens alike.

Child-Accessible Building

When designing a medical office that’s specifically meant for children, it’s important to make the building child-accessible. This means placing windows low enough for children to comfortably look out. It means including sinks at a lower height in restrooms. We should also be providing gender neutral bathrooms with changing spaces that any parent can use. Your new pediatric clinic should never prove to be an obstacle for parents or children.

Comfortable Waiting Area

And, finally, we can’t forget the importance of a comfortable waiting area. While any medical clinic or doctor’s office should have a waiting area, pediatric waiting areas come with extra needs. There should be enough space for small children to entertain themselves, but also for adults to sit and relax for a while. While many adults show up to adult clinics by themselves, nearly every patient at a pediatric clinic will have someone with them who has to wait.

Give us a call at Heidan Construction if you need someone to design and construct your new pediatric clinic in Toronto. We know what makes a medical office successful and we look forward to putting that knowledge to good use.

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What 3 Things Make Patients Return to a Clinic?

Keeping patients happy with your medical clinic is the #1 most important way to keep them coming back. After all, there are plenty of other clinics around. What makes yours so special? If you don’t know the answer, it’s time to create one. There are 3 big things that make patients return to a clinic. Make sure you have all 3!

1. Professional Management

The first think people notice about a medical clinic they like is professional management. A patient may return to a clinic with professional management, even if the building is a bit outdated. What this means is:

  1. Ensure scheduling is appropriately timed.
    If you find your clinic is consistently behind on taking in patients who arrived on time, change your scheduling practices. If each of your doctors has a patient scheduled every 15 minutes, change that to 20 minutes. You may get a few less patients per day, but your reputation will improve and your existing patients will be happier with the care they’re receiving.
  2. Handle cancelations and rescheduling with compassion.
    Whenever possible, allow cancelations and rescheduling for free. Some clinics charge fees for cancelation, but this is a poor management choice for an industry founded on caring for people who may be disabled or lower class. You’ll retain more patients if you’re lax about these things.
  3. Support patient-first policies.
    Patients should always have the choice of how they receive care. Insist all of your doctors put the patient’s desires before what they may consider their needs. Inform patients and then allow them to decide what’s best for their treatment, unless explicitly asked to make an executive decision.
  4. Make your clinic accessible.
    Clinics and medical settings are here to treat those who are sick, injured, or disabled. Ensure your clinic is physically and mentally accessible and you’ll retain more patients.

2. Friendly Staff

A clinic that’s professionally managed is great, but to make patients return, you also need a friendly staff. A doctor who’s able to convey accurate medical advice is worthless if they disrespect their patient and make them uncomfortable. The same goes for a desk clerk who’s rude or unfeeling toward people looking to check in or get information about the clinic.

3. Comfortable and Attractive Building

Finally, last but not least, one of the most important things needed to make patients return is a comfortable and attractive building. When a clinic is full of friendly people who are competent at their jobs, but the building is dingy, they’re at a disadvantage. Leave your patients more than just satisfied. Make them happy with your services.

Older buildings may be suffering from years of wear and tear. Even well-maintained, old buildings look outdated and unattractive. Ensure patients are greeted with a comfortable and modern interior and they will come back. Plus, having your medical office renovated, remodeled, or rebuilt means a prime opportunity for recommendations. Doctor’s office recommendations are one of the biggest ways a patient pool will grow. If someone has a good experience, they’ll pass it on. What better way to start a conversational recommendation than being able to say, “My doctor’s office just got renovated. It’s so nice!”

Get Help with Your Clinic Design

If you need help with your clinic design, contact us at Heidan Construction. We have exactly the experience you need to improve your existing office design or create a new one. Never heard of design build? Read more about it here to see if it’s the right fit.