Renovation Rewind

Laboratory owners who have tackled a renovation or built a new facility tell us what they would do differently if they could do it over again. Here's their advice on what to do--and what not to do--to create the most efficient and ergonomic laboratory possible.

Hire a professional to oversee the project

We recently moved our lab into a larger building, taking on a 7,000-sq.-ft. renovation project. A building designer drew up the plans and we hired a contractor to handle construction. Since our new building was only three miles from our old location and I had an architectural background, I felt I could be at the job site on a regular basis and could "keep an eye" on the progress.

However, my mistake was assuming that the contractor would build our project precisely according to our architectural plans (in an ideal world, yes, but in reality, not necessarily). The location of one of our walls--including the plumbing inside the wall--was...