Healthcare practice conversions or more specifically, converting a residential or commercial property into a healthcare practice is becoming an increasingly popular option for dentists, doctors and vets looking for a new premises. While it may seem like an easy option for finding the perfect location for your new clinic, there are a lot of details to consider when choosing a property for conversion.
Key Considerations
The configuration for a healthcare practice will typically be very different to a residential home or commercial business. However, if you choose a suitable property, reconfiguring or extending the existing building can be well worth it if the location is perfect for your practice. Like with any renovation, you need to be aware of the time and budget required to reconfigure rooms, upgrade electrical and move existing fixtures such as plumbing connections. Before you commit to the purchase or lease of a property, consult with an experienced healthcare fitout specialist such as Elite, to obtain guidance on your proposed new premises.
Parking is also a key factor when it comes to a healthcare practice conversion. While a commercial property would typically have sufficient parking for your patients, a residential property can prove more difficult. The specific requirement for parking varies depending on the type of practice you are planning to open. Engaging your neighbours early in the process can prove advantageous in addressing any potential concerns about your new business.
If your chosen property has only been used as a home or commercial business, you may need to apply for ‘a change of use’ approval to allow the provision of healthcare services. Council approvals can also take longer than you think, so it is recommended that you engage a healthcare fitout specialist early on in your property search.
Let’s look at three recent healthcare practice fitout conversions Elite has completed.
Repurposing a Hair Salon into a Medical Centre
Premises located in high-rise residential buildings provide a ready-made patient base, making them attractive options for healthcare clinics. In inner-city South Melbourne, a former hairdressing salon located on the ground floor of a 30-level apartment building made the perfect location for a medical centre.
The open-plan nature of the hair salon made it easier to reconfigure the space into a five-consult room medical clinic. However, being located in an apartment building did create some challenges. Accessing the area immediately below the premises was very difficult, yet was solved by the Elite team by creating a void in the partition walls. This new space could then accommodate the services required for the medical clinic.
The modern and minimalist design of Albert Road General Practice made the most of the unique warehouse-style space, making a feature of the high ceilings, curved walls and exposed concrete ceilings. The medical centre features a spacious reception and waiting area, five consult rooms, treatment room, pathology areas, staff office and amenities.
Converting a House into a Dental Clinic
Elite recently transformed a tired-looking house on the Sunshine Coast into a modern and spacious dental clinic.
The existing house provided the base structure for the dental practice conversion. The plain exterior of the house was overhauled, with charcoal sheet metal cladding giving the building a chic, industrial feel. Stylised beam supports for the awning were also added and painted in the same orange as the brand’s logo and signage.
Internally, the house needed some significant configuration to make it suitable for use as a dental clinic. The conversion resulted in a 170sqm dental clinic, with four surgeries, steri area, consult room, OPG, and admin, reception and waiting areas. The second level of the house has been configured to be ready for the clinic’s expansion in the future.
Transforming a Retail Store into a Vet Clinic
Veterinarian Remona Horn had a clear vision for her vet clinic – she wanted it to look like a boutique space. So, when a former retail store became available in the inner Brisbane suburb of Paddington, it was a perfect match.
Being a retail premises, the fitout of PetKind Veterinary Wellness Boutique needed some significant reconfiguring to make the space work for a veterinary practice. The tenancy was quite small, had an extensive shop front with five large windows, and plumbing needed to be upgraded. Elite Fitout resolved the issues with the use of some imaginative wall configurations and drainage redirection. With clever design, the shopfront was fully utilised to bring abundant natural light into the reception/waiting area and consult rooms.
The colours and finishes featured in the clinic work together to create a calm, stress-free environment for animals and their owners. The overall appearance of the clinic has delivered on Remona’s vision, and looks much more like a high-end retail store rather than a vet.
Learn More
Are you considering converting a residential or commercial property to a healthcare practice? From the start of your property search, through to the design and fitout of your new practice, we are here to help.
Give the Elite team a call today on 1300 765 344.
If you would like to see more photos from the featured projects or other completed work, visit our project gallery.
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