One hears the term “general contractor” a lot in the construction world, but for those unfamiliar, this term denotes the role of overseeing day-to-day operations on a construction site. A general contractor steps in when designs, budgeting, and schedule are in place. A general contractor can make or break a project, but at Western Constructors we pride ourselves on having reliable and highly experienced general contractors that have a long-standing repertoire with their clients.

At Western Constructors, we understand that one of the most critical phases of project management takes place before ground is broken. You receive the most value for your project when we work collaboratively with you from the earliest possible planning stages. The reason is simple: design and construction are one fluid process – one that deserves careful attention to create an outstanding experience and product. Working together, we provide critical, thorough analysis of design concepts to ensure that your vision and your budget come together. And when budgetary challenges arise, our experienced team provides creative solutions and attractive alternatives that help you make informed decisions and keep the project on track.

• Site Feasibility Studies and Site Development
• Budget Development
• Schematic Design & Drawings Review
• Design Development Review
• Contractibility Reviews
• Critical Path Scheduling
• Municipal Planning & Approvals/Permits
• Cash Flow Projections

So, if you are just at the beginning of a project and unsure of what steps to take next, talk to one of our construction managers (CMs). CMs can aid designing and planning, all while monitoring budget and seeing that the project stays within a set timeframe.

With our decades of experience, from working on projects both locally and nationally, we can truly say that design-build construction is very much a mentorship process. We are with our clients from the very beginning, from planning and designing. We want to be there before a client even meets with their engineer, so we can know their overall goals: what will the building look like? What image are they trying to convey to customers? By helping clients from the very first with their projects, we provide them a realistic perspective, in what concepts are feasible, and what may entail adjustments. The result is a much clearer and concrete view of the project, which in turn expedites all aspects of the project: planning, design, and construction, while helping to stay within budget.

Western Constructors proudly offers design-build for financial buildings. Financial construction is designing and building structures for financial buildings, namely banks. These buildings include commercial, retail banks and mortgage banks. Our completed projects include US Bank in Fruita, Major Mortgage in Grand Junction, and Timberline Bank in Montrose.

As with retail construction, financial construction places importance on aesthetic, or look of the structure. Both the interior and exterior of the building must draw in clients. You wouldn’t want to go to a bank that looked unwelcoming. Key also to financial construction is safety and security. Western Constructors take into account how money and funds will be safely stored and locked away. As banking becomes more digital, vaults are less needed; however, we understand that the presence of a vault makes customers feel safe about their funds. In bank design layout, we are sure to optimize both lobby space and secure storage.

Unlike older financial buildings which tend to be dark outside and almost cave like inside, our completed bank structures are light colored both outside and inside. This approach with lighter colors and a brighter, open interior make customers feel more welcome and secure. Our financial buildings also follow the current trend of moving away from rectangular structures (most common bank layout), to one that is squarer. A square makes traffic flow smoother and helps increase interactivity between customers and bank staff. More equal in space, a square layout is more pleasing to the eye, and helps eliminate inefficient traffic flow and long lines.

In addition to overall look of a structure, Western Constructors also consider logo or brand layout. Financial structures benefit from a combination of local branding---i.e., regional photos of landscapes, landmarks, local mementos---and corporate branding. Having the right balance of both creates a feeling of community while maintaining corporate/ branch support.

Whatever a client’s needs in a financial building, Western Constructors will design-build a structure that will maintain and bring more clients, ensures staff and customer security, and increases client-staff interactivity.

Food service construction is the construction of buildings that cook, prepare and/or serve food, namely restaurants. Food service construction projects we have worked on in Western Colorado include Café Rio, Rib City, Panchero’s, and more. As with many other types of commercial construction, aesthetics is crucial in constructing food service buildings. A restaurant can have the most delicious food, but this will mean absolutely nothing if the building’s exterior and interior are not “appetizing” in their looks. In building restaurants and other food service buildings, we build strictly to Health Code safety standards, to ensure safe and proper food storage, preparation, and consumption.

A business may be housed in an office building, but when it comes to a company producing and/ or storing an item, an industrial type building is needed. Western Constructors design-builds buildings that meet all safety requirements (such as correct height for ceilings), while ensuring the efficiency of manufacture and fabrication. Two industrial projects we’ve produced, Allen Museum of Unique Autos and BOS Solutions, both have steel construction, high ceilings, and adjoining storage space: industrial type construction can be easy to spot. Next time you’re out and about, keep an eye open for these types of buildings. Along Grand Junction’s I-70 Business Loop are several examples of these buildings.

Whereas retail and financial construction focus heavily on aesthetic, industrial construction focuses on the actual demands and needs of whatever is being manufactured. As retail/ commercial structures serve as the face of a business, in conducting customer-employer interaction, industrial buildings are more “behind the scenes.” In fact, a company may want their customers to never see their industrial building, in where the manufacture occurs. That being said, this aspect does not lessen the integrity of construction, far from it. As a design-build general contractor, we see that all design and safety aspects are met, no matter if the project is a factory, storage center, warehouse, distribution center, etc. You will note that with our industrial construction projects, the buildings are usually of steel construction. Steel is durable, cost efficient, and can be built to whatever specifications needed, to accommodate manufacture and storage space.

One of Grand Junction’s greatest appeals is that it is a family friendly community. In keeping with the ever-increasing need for residential construction, Western Construction proudly offers multi-family construction. This type of construction is the building of multiple but separate housing units that are within one building, or are several buildings within a singular complex. The most common example are apartments. We have built several apartment complexes in Grand Junction, such as the multi-family Peppermill Lofts, and in several out of state areas, such as Williston, North Dakota. We especially take pride in the River Front Townhomes, part of the Los Colonias area. The former site of abandoned industrial projects, this once stark area is now thriving.

It is worth noting that we have built over 2,700 single family homes in Grand Junction, since 1974. Several generations of families have grown up in residences we have built, aligning with one of our core beliefs, in that we build communities. In building multi-family structures, we aim to do the same, in providing a base for residents to live, grow, and work. As folks continue to flock to Grand Junction for education and work---in particular, younger folks, such Millennials and Zoomers---the need for multi-family dwellings won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. And Western Constructors is here to fulfill that need.  

Retail and financial construction may make sense to clients, but you may find yourself asking, “What is Tenant Improvements Construction?” Also referred to as Leasehold Improvements, this type of construction deals with customization: customizing an existing building for the needs of the tenants. A building owner may want to renovate interior aspects of a building. These include, but are not limited to, carpeting, lighting, walls, floors, ceilings, etc. Western Constructors have worked on several tenant improvements (abbreviated as TI) throughout Grand Junction. Such projects include Enstrom’s Candies, Re/Max 400, Fidelity Title, Icon Lasik and more. Currently we are working on tenant improvements on the strip mall in front of Edgewater Brewery. As Grand Junction keeps growing, businesses will need to continue maintaining and renovating their buildings.

Whenever tenant improvements are considered, one must look to the agreements of the lease. The lease itself will outline what kinds of improvements can be made, and to what extent the property owner will be involved in the process. TI construction negotiations are critical, as they lay what to expect and the process. In a nutshell:

The Turn-Key Build Out: The most tenant-friend TI construction. Basically, all improvements are listed within the lease. The landlord is the party who deals with permitting, construction, and paying for the project.

Rentable vs. Usable: The type of space, rentable or usable, can greatly determine the cost of TI improvements. Depending on what the lease allows, this will determine where and what kinds of improvements are made. For rentable space, TI will be done to common areas. For usable space, project allowance will be based on usable square footage of the building.

Scope of Work: What does the lease say about what kinds of TI work can be done? Basically, can improvements be made to HVAC, installing/ demolishing walls, electrical work, etc.

Substantial Completion: A lease with TI construction needs to include a substantial completion date. All project time needs to be tracked properly.

Additional Costs: A lot of factors come into play during TI construction. A lease should address what occurs when a project goes over budget. In other words, who will be the one responsible for these costs? Is there an allowance cap? What other fees may there be?

No matter what kind of Tenants Improvement are needed, Western Constructors is there for all three phases of TI construction: design, planning, and construction cost estimation.

When it comes to retail commercial construction, aesthetics and easily accessible layout are critical. Western Constructors will work with you in collaborating with your ideas for design and layout, whether it be for a brand-new building or rebranding/ remodel. The goal is a building that is welcoming to customers, both inside and outside. The interior will help conduct the flow of customers, while the exterior helps bring in both regular customers and potential customers. Think about it: the construction and look of a building can make or break a customer base. With these buildings you’ll note an easily recognizable storefront, and classic brick and mortar construction. We have built new and/ or added tenant improvements for several companies, such as the line of strip malls from 24 ½ and 25 Road in Grand Junction: PetCo, Maurices, RadioShack, and Famous Footwear. And just recently we completed Rocky Mounts in Las Colonias Park, just one of several projects we are currently working on in the area.

As Grand Junction and the Western Slope continue to grow, so does the need for retail construction. Wherever you may live, chances are there are older retail buildings in need of renovation, or to be rebuilt. As mentioned above, Western Constructors builds new buildings, rebrands, or remodels existing structures. No matter the type of build, the goal in retail construction is to not only maintain the current customer base, but to also expand business.

In retail construction, there are several types:

Rebranding/ Remodeling: Renovating an existing space.

Storefront: Constructing a new entrance. This is a great way to “grab” customers, without further changes to the structure.

Buildouts: Rebuilding from the ground-up, from a pre-existing structure that has been demolished.

Turnkey: Building a new building for the owner to sell, upon completion.

Sustainability: Making an existing building “green,” or sustainable in its energy consumption.