The commercial real estate sector has struggled since the pandemic and the rise of remote work. According to Moody’s Analytics, the national office vacancy rate was 19.6% in the fourth quarter of 2023. That’s a significant chunk of the market, and it’s concerning for cities. Many large cities have a large downtown or business sector of office buildings, and when that sector is emptier than usual, it can affect the whole region. With this drop in commercial occupancy in downtown cores, there are fewer property taxes and fewer local businesses in the affected area, and property values tend to drop. So what can be done?
One option being considered is converting commercial office buildings into multi-family housing. This option is attractive because it’s fairly doable. Most commercial buildings have sufficient space for multiple units and already generate enough power for multi-family use. But the plumbing and HVAC needs can get a little tricky.
Multi-family buildings have unique plumbing and HVAC needs. For example, each unit must have its own HVAC system and controls and its own plumbing amenities. Most office buildings have centralized restrooms and plumbing on each floor, so converting a commercial space to a multi-family development would require significant overhauls of the current plumbing and HVAC systems.
While it would be challenging to make the necessary changes to convert the plumbing and HVAC systems in a commercial building to multi-family, it’s not impossible. An experienced multi-family plumbing and HVAC contractor like us can help developers prepare for such a project. But there is a lot to consider. For example, here are a few plumbing challenges you’d likely encounter on such a project.
- The size of the sewer utility connection: A multi-family development uses much more water than a commercial office building. Residents will be doing laundry, washing dishes, showering, and more. During the development stage, it would be wise to check the size of the sewer utility connection the building has to ensure it’s sufficient for the increased water needs. If it’s not, it will have to be increased.
- Reworked plumbing chases: In a large commercial building with centralized restrooms, it’s likely that there are large horizontal pipes for sanitary sewer systems to move the water from the central restroom location down to the sewer output. However, when the system is reworked for individual multi-family units with separate restrooms and plumbing, this type of piping may not work. In this case, the plumbing chases in the building may need to be redone which could require drilling into the floors and concrete of the building. It’s a significant redesign that can be costly and time-consuming but would be necessary for multi-family conversion.
These are just a few of the plumbing issues that would come up when converting a commercial space to a multi-family development. There are a lot more plumbing and HVAC issues to address as well. So, if you’re considering taking on a commercial redesign to multi-family, make sure you choose an experienced multi-family plumbing and HVAC firm like us. We offer turnkey services, so we know the ins and outs of multi-family plumbing and HVAC from top to bottom!
