THE NORWEST BLOG
The Perfect Veterinary Construction Checklist
Veterinary Construction: Your 4 Part Checklist If you are planning veterinary construction in Portland or elsewhere in a major city, you’ve stumbled upon the right blog. At Norwest Construction, veterinary construction is one of our specialties. We have an...
How to Reduce Medical Clinic Construction Costs
How to Reduce Medical Clinic Construction Costs | Portland, OR Medical clinic construction is not for the faint of heart -- especially when it comes to costs. Luckily, there are plenty of things that companies and contractors can do to mitigate the high costs...
7 Tips for Starting a Commercial Construction Project
Tips to Get Started with Your Commercial Construction Project If you are looking to start a commercial construction project in the near future, this article is for you. No matter where you are in the process, there are several tips described below that you will...
How to Find the Perfect Construction Contractor in Portland
How to Find the Perfect Construction Contractor Starting a commercial construction project is no small undertaking. We applaud our clients for taking the plunge and trusting us to assist them on their journeys. We know how uncertain, intimidating, and exciting...
Building Design with Social Distancing in Mind
It would be a vast understatement to say that COVID-19 has changed life as we know it permanently. Even if/when things go "back to normal," no one can say for sure when this time will come and how society will look. While most assumed that business, as usual, would...
Hiring a Portland Contractor: Everything You Need to Know
Read This Before Hiring a Portland Contractor Once you’ve decided to move forward with an idea for new construction, the hardest part is around the corner. Deciding which Portland contractor to work with can be just as difficult as committing to a project in the first...
DesignLab: The Secret to Your Design Success
A Unique Commercial Design Resource If you are designing and constructing a new office space, medical facility, gym, retail space, or another commercial outlet, you likely have felt out of sorts -- to say the least. Luckily, we are here to help. It is no easy feat to...
How-To Build an Office Space that Will Increase Productivity
Did you know that the layout and design of an office space can affect office productivity? According to a massive 250,000 person study conducted by Leesman, an independent assessor of workplace effectiveness, just over 85% of employees surveyed feel that the design of...
Retail Design Considerations for Small Businesses
Deciding to open a business can be both exciting and intimidating. Designing a brand-new business location is unlike opening a franchise or other type of business that may already have a typical layout or floor plan that can be emulated. Starting from scratch is...
Incorporating Evidence-Based Design in Your Healthcare Facility
Are you currently in the process of designing a medical build-out of some kind? Are you wondering how to construct a facility that will ensure that your patients and staff members can achieve the best outcomes? While there are plenty of methods for coming up with the...
Construction and Remodeling Challenges for Veterinary Clinics
Veterinary hospitals and animal clinics provide invaluable services that most of us have had to rely on for our furry friends. Sometimes, visits to the vet consist of a quick check-up, while other times, we may receive devastating or heartbreaking news about the pets...
Hiring the Right Industrial Contractor: What You Need to Know
Industrial construction of any kind can be daunting, to say the least. If you are planning to bring to life an industrial space of any kind, you likely have a lot of questions or concerns about the overall process. There are lots of things to consider such as...
7 Ways to Create a Dental Office That Will Ease Patient Anxiety
For the majority of us, going to the dentist can be a stressful and fear-inducing event. Did you know that nearly 60% of dental patients feel some level of anxiety when it comes to visiting the dentist? According to a 2014 study conducted by Dental Research Journal, a...
7 Reasons to Hire a Design-Build Contractor for Your Medical Office
Whether you are building a new medical office space or looking to remodel an old one, hiring the right commercial contractor is crucial. Before you hire a separate design team, it’s worth considering a design-build contractor. Design-build construction accounts for...
How Interior Design Elements Affect Your Customers & Staff
The way a commercial space is designed affects anyone interacting with it. This includes customers walking into the office, the staff working the front desk, potential investors coming in for a meeting, and more. Interior design elements can set the tone for the whole...
Can My Commercial Rebuild or Remodel Be Completed On Budget?
One of the things our clients most often tell us is that they can’t believe we completed their work on time and on budget. It’s much more common to go over budget on a commercial remodel or rebuild, with several change orders submitted during the process and...
Psych of Design
How do we address the psychology of winning small medical office design? Research shows that connecting patients to nature-inspired surroundings works as a “positive distraction” and helps to keep patients feeling more positive, upbeat and motivated.
Balancing Ideal Location with an Ideal Office Space
Making the right decisions when it comes to office location, essential services for customers, and your own business needs can be overwhelming for any business owner. However, it is possible to find the perfect office space and add in the crucial rooms, equipment,...
Medical Office Contracting
Looking to build or remodel a medical office? Norwest Contractors offers tips for choosing a medical office contractor in Portland.
The Difference Between a General Contractor & Construction Manager
Sometimes the terms general contractor and construction manager are used interchangeably. If you don't work directly within the construction industry it can be difficult to make sense of who does what. Let's jump into these two roles and see where the differences...
Interior Design VS. Interior Decorating
Interior Design and Interior Decorating can sometimes be used interchangeably, so knowing the differences might not be so apparent. Each play their part in the design process, just in different ways. Interior Decorating Interior decorating is all about making a space...
Find the Right Contractor For Your Construction Project
3 Guidelines to Helping You Find the Right General Contractor There are many aspects to consider when choosing the right contractor for your project. Choosing a construction company solely on one or two criteria might not be the best move. Consider these three...
Knowing the Construction Project Costs Up Front – A Testimonial
We were very excited to work with Dr. Jean Battig, one of only 153 Board Certified Veterinary Dentists in the world. She teamed up with Norwest construction contractors to design and build the unique and spacious Animal Dental Clinic. One of the challenges we faced...
“No Surprises,” Says Dr. Hsu
No one likes bad surprises, and yet it seems as if the majority of the construction industry is created just to make unfortunate surprises happen. In this way, Norwest Contractors differs from the industry standard. Our goal is to give you all of the information about...
5 Things You Need to Think About Before Building Your Dental Offices
Building a dental office can feel very daunting. There are many aspects to think about, from nitty-gritty structural issues to where the wall plugs should go. These essential construction and design decisions can become overwhelming quickly if you haven’t made some...
“We Were Under Budget!” | A Construction Contractors Client Experience
Norwest recently completed a project for Dr. Jay Bayat of Multnomah Endodontics and Microsurgery. Norwest works with many dentists specializing in everything from family dentistry to endodontics. These highly trained specialists are often hoping to create a friendly,...
What Does it Mean to “Know Your Building”?
Every project commercial construction project Norwest works on begins with a “Know Your Building” evaluation. Many contractors will do a walkthrough assessment of a building and then provide a bid with several caveats. Norwest does things differently. We begin a...
Being a General Construction Contractor in Portland
Construction Challenges in Portland Oregon Portland is a great place to be, and seeing as many move from around the country and from different parts of the world to be here, few would likely disagree. It's a beautiful area surrounded by gorgeous mountains and...
