Multi-family apartment complexes often face fierce competition and must constantly evolve and demonstrate their value to attract and retain tenants. One key aspect of a successful and appealing multi-family complex is amenities. Whether it’s upgrading leasing offices, revamping fitness centers, enhancing outdoor spaces, or modernizing pool areas, it’s essential that your amenities are aesthetically pleasing, well maintained, and add value to residents.
At ASH, we have years of experience with multi-family apartment renovation. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore some of the most common amenity renovations, including how you can add value to your space and ensure compliance with ADA and accessibility standards.
Types of amenity renovations for multi-family complexes
Leasing offices
The leasing office is potential tenants’ first point of contact, so it is important to create a welcoming and professional environment. Consider incorporating modern design elements, comfortable seating areas, and technology-driven features such as self-service kiosks. Optimize spaces for privacy during consultations and provide ample storage for paperwork and marketing materials.
The leasing office is a crucial destination for both tenants and prospects, meaning it’s important to complete your renovation in a timely manner and minimize disruption. Partner with a leasing office renovation partner who will meet deadlines, clearly communicate about potential disruptions, and find alternate work spaces for leasing agents.
Fitness centers
Tenants are placing increasingly high value on convenience and wellness amenities, which makes welcoming, functional, and well-designed fitness centers essential. Create an inviting atmosphere with ample natural light and vibrant color schemes, and consider incorporating smart technology such as fitness tracking apps or virtual training sessions.
Outdoor spaces
Outdoor areas like gardens, grill areas, sporting courts, and more offer residents opportunities to relax and socialize. Enhance the appeal of your property with greenery, comfortable seating arrangements, and recreational zones such as paved patios or pergolas. Consider lighting renovation to extend the usability of outdoor spaces into the evening.
Pool areas
Pools are staple amenities in many multi-family complexes, and residents expect a clean, modern, functional pool environment, especially in summer months. Renovations may include installing, repainting, or repairing fencing, staining or painting the pool deck, and replacing moldy or cracked pool coping and waterline tile. Consider completing pool area renovation during the winter to minimize disruption for residents.
Dog parks
These increasingly popular amenities should prioritize safety, cleanliness, and functionality. Install durable fencing, pet waste stations, dog wash stations, agility equipment, and landscaping features that can provide shade and comfort to both pets and their owners.
Package centers
Whether your package delivery system is through Amazon, FedEx, or another provider, efficient package management centers are essential for multi-family communities. Ensure your renovated package center can accommodate increasing package volumes, with a streamlined retrieval process for residents that might include secure lockers, electronic notification systems, and designated pickup areas.
Cost and time frame for multi-family amenity renovation
Wondering how long your renovations will take or how much they might cost? Pricing and timelines for multi-family amenity renovation depend on a wide variety of factors, including the type of amenity, size of your complex, geographic location, materials used, and more.
Before you select an amenity renovations partner, conduct thorough cost estimates and collaborate closely with contractors and suppliers throughout the process to develop realistic timelines and minimize disruptions for residents.
ADA compliance and accessibility for multi-family amenities
Accessibility is a critical aspect of amenity renovation to ensure inclusivity for all residents, including those with disabilities. Incorporate ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant features to allow all tenants to fully enjoy the renovated amenities. When planning renovations, consider the following ADA guidelines:
- Leasing offices: Ensure that the leasing office is wheelchair accessible, with wide doorways, accessible counters, and low-height desks. Provide signage with tactile lettering and braille, and consider offering alternative communication methods such as video remote interpreting for deaf or hard-of-hearing residents.
- Fitness centers: Designate accessible parking spaces near the fitness center entrance and ensure barrier-free pathways into the facility. Install accessible and adjustable-height exercise equipment and grab bars in restrooms and showers.
- Outdoor spaces: Create accessible pathways with smooth surfaces and gentle slopes. Ensure that seating areas are spacious enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and provide accessible amenities such as water fountains and picnic tables with clearance for wheelchairs.
- Pool areas: Create accessible routes to the pool area and incorporate ramps with handrails and pool lifts. Ensure that pool decks have non-slip surfaces and sufficient space for wheelchair users to maneuver. Install accessible changing rooms and restrooms with grab bars.
- Dog parks: Designate accessible entrances and pathways within the dog park, and create surfaces that are firm and stable for wheelchair users. Ensure that waste disposal stations are within reach and that seating areas have sufficient space for wheelchair maneuverability.
- Package centers: Add accessible counters and clear signage to package pickup areas, and ensure that package lockers and retrieval systems are easily reachable. Provide alternative delivery options for residents who may require assistance retrieving packages.
How to select a multi-family amenity renovations partner
A good multi-family amenities contractor should be able to help you maximize your budget and add value to your property: enhancing curb appeal, attracting more prospective tenants, and increasing current residents’ satisfaction. Not only that, but your renovations partner should minimize disruptions to employees and tenants by communicating clearly, leaving worksites clean, and adhering to budget and timeline restrictions.
Before hiring, here are a few important questions to ask:
- What is your experience with multi-family amenity renovation? Do you have historical data that can help me figure out which amenities would add the most value to my property?
- What is your approach to project management and communication?
- Can you find alternate temporary workspaces for leasing agents if the renovation disrupts their work?
- How do you ensure compliance to building codes and regulations, including ADA compliance and accessibility considerations?
- What are your strategies for cost control and timeline management?
- What brands and materials do you use for internal and external amenity renovation?
Ready to get started?
If you want to learn more about how to transform your multi-family property through strategic and cost-effective amenity renovation, our experienced team would love to help. Get in touch with us today!
