Buying a Building Permit For Your New Optometric Office

Looking For Space Tips – Series 2 – Building Permits Need a Set of Plans

Further to our previous blog on “Looking For Space”, there is more to just finding the right space, we also need to get a building permit…….

To get the building permit for the interior space of your new Optometric office, you are required to have a set of plans that shows the following information:

1. Space Plan and Furniture Layout:Layout of all walls, Hallways, Doors and Furniture
2. Reflected Ceiling Plan:Layout of ceiling grid (usually T-Bar style ceiling) generally shows the position of the Lights, Heating/AC diffusers, Return Air Grills
3. Electrical Plan:Lays out the position and Height of all Switches, Plug Outlets, Data Jacks, Plug Outlet Types and general information.
4. Drywall Partition Plan and Door Schedule:Layout of all Walls, Doors and Furniture according to your Wish list.
5. Bulkhead Design:Design of Bulkhead over Reception desk and instructions to build it.
6. Flooring Plan:Layout of Flooring materials and Design of the Floor, showing where the materials are going and necessary dimensions and information for the Flooring person to lay down the floor.
7. Site Plan:Layout of the property, the Position of the building on the property
   and the surrounding streets, relating to the property.
8. BCIN Number (province of Ontario only):Is a number provided by an accredited Designer,  applied to each page of the drawings and the signature of the person belonging to the assigned number. At the end of the Design process, the building department wants someone to take credit for the Architectural aspect of the drawings, being submitted for permit.

Both the Reflected Ceiling Plan and The Electrical Plan are not to be confused with Mechanical and Electrical Engineering drawings, also known as M & E. Whereas both these drawings have some of the required information that will be included in the Engineering Drawings, the engineering drawings provide extensive information required by the building department.

The Engineers, both Mechanical and Electrical, require the Design and Construction plans for your new Optometric office on which to base their work.

If you have any questions about obtaining a permit for your optometric office, please contact me.