Maintenance for the Sales Office

            Periodic maintenance, repairs, and repainting of the sales office should be included in the project budget.

            On one particular project, the sales office was a separate structure from the sales models assembled out of two double-wide trailers joined together in the middle, which resulted in a 40’-0” x 60’-0” office.

            The exterior doors and windows were wood sash with glass panels, and the woodwork was stained a dark mahogany color with a clear lacquer sealer.

            After a couple of years, the lacquer finish started to peel off, and the stain on the wood faded.  The carpeting showed signs of the constant wear and tear of homebuyer traffic.              Several other items needed fixing including the water leaking underneath thresholds when it rained, and doors binding against each other.

            The builder in terms of budgeting might look at a temporary sales office as a one-time expense for the initial construction, without considering the repairs and maintenance costs required to keep a sales office looking nice for several years.

            The painting or staining of exterior woodwork, the interior painting, the doorknobs, and the carpeting or other flooring might not last the two, three, or four years required to sell-out a large project.