Chapter Three
Design & Layout
Your Franchise Operations Manual
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Once your lease is fully executed and your Pre-Authorized Account is established, you will begin designing your
Half-Priced Granite. A well-designed store provides the following benefits:
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Enhances the public image of the Half-Priced Granite system
Helps conserve energy, both economically and physically
Presents our products and services to their best advantage
Gives you and your employees a sense of pride in your Half-Priced Granite
Provides proper customer flow
Facilitates easy maintenance
Increases efficiency and security
You will need the help of a designer and various pieces of information in order for your plans to be drawn. Please
be accurate in the gathering of this information. It is better to be "painstaking" now, than to have equipment arrive
later that doesn't fit.
INITIAL VISIT TO CITY DEPARTMENTS
One of the first steps you will need to take in the design phase is to visit the local building, zoning, and
health departments. Each of these departments will provide information you need to plan the design and
construction of your Half-Priced Granite. Your Half-Priced Granite Designer will use this information
to make sure your Half-Priced Granite meets all local requirements. In addition to having your HalfPriced Granite Designer properly informed, this information is vital when procuring bids from your
proposed contractors. If major renovation work will be required because of local codes, your contractor
must know this up front in order to bid correctly. Here is a sampling of the kinds of questions you will
need to have answered by these city departments:
Zoning Department
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Is parking required? How much?
Any seating restrictions?
What are the regulations regarding outdoor signage and interior neon?
Health Department
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Are bathrooms required? How many? Public access? Size restrictions?
Does our decor package comply with local codes?
Are there any restrictions on the equipment to be used?
Plumbing: What fixtures are required?
Building Department
Plans
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Are there any fire rating restrictions?
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Is more than one public access door required?
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Do you need handicapped access, handicapped restrooms, etc? Half-Priced Granite in U.S.
must be fully accessible and in compliance with the requirements described in the Americans
with Disabilities Act. http://www.ada.gov
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Are there specific electrical and plumbing requirements?
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Find out which department(s) must approve your floor plan design.
What procedure should you follow?
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YOUR HALF-PRICED GRANITE FLOOR PLAN
Your Half-Priced Granite Designer needs the following information to begin your floor plan:
1.
Half-Priced Granite Décor Package
You will receive information on your décor package from the Company. Get this information
to your designer so that the décor package can be built to fit your location. This will include
the equipment that will be needed at this stage.
2.
Equipment
There are a few pieces of equipment that you'll need to decide on now. You'll also need to
note if you'll be using any existing equipment or used store equipment in your location. You
must have the prior approval of the Company to use any existing equipment. See Chapter 6 "Construction & Equipment" for approval procedure.
Include Any Additional Information Specific to Your Location
Be aware of items such as architectural barriers or landlord/code requirements must be brought to your
Designer's attention, so your Half-Priced Granite can be designed appropriately.
Drawing Your Location to Scale
1.
We recommend that you use a piece of graph paper with a 1/4" grid to draw a dimensioned
sketch of your location. If you have never drawn a sketch "to scale," do not attempt this
without the guidance of your designer. All measurements indicated in your drawing must
be precise. The sketch can be drawn in ¼” scale (1/4” = 1 foot). Your sketch/drawing must
include the following:
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Existing walls, indicating which are load bearing walls (immovable, structural
support), and including any irregularities (e.g., boxed-in support columns or pipes).
Location of all existing utilities (gas, water, electrical).
Location of existing furnace, hot water heater, bathroom(s), air conditioning units.
Location and dimensions of existing doors and windows.
All interior dimensions.
Thickness of exterior and interior walls.
Location and dimensions of support beams or posts, if any.
All extra requirements according to local codes (e.g., restrooms, handicapped
requirements).
2.
Ceiling and lighting: On a separate sketch show a reflected ceiling plan indicating type of
ceiling, height from the finished floor, location and type of existing light fixtures, and
location of heating or air conditioning vents.
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Local, state, and federal code requirements. All Half-Priced Granite must be designed to
satisfy code requirements.
*Be sure all necessary measurements are noted on the sketch.
PHOTOGRAPHS
If your location is unusual or has existing equipment, take photographs of the interior and exterior of the
location. These photos will assist your Designer in designing your Half-Priced Granite store.
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If you have an idea of how you would like your Half-Priced Granite designed, let your designer
know. Your Half-Priced Granite should be designed to be cost-efficient and productive, and
suggestions should not have a negative impact on the operation of the Half-Priced Granite.
ABOUT YOUR FLOOR PLANS
One-Page Floor Plan
Your Designer's goal, at this point, is to prepare a one-page floor plan. Using the information you provide,
the Designer strives to design a Half-Priced Granite that is efficient, practical AND beautiful.
Once complete, your Designer will send a copy of the one page floor plan to you and one to our office. It is
extremely important at this stage to discuss this one page plan with someone at the Company and have him
verify the dimensions indicated. We recommend you go to the site with the plan and re-check the
dimensions indicated on the one-page plan. If any changes must be made, you should contact the Designer
with the request. In those areas where it is acceptable, this one-page floor plan can be brought to the Health
and Building Departments for their input. If any changes need to me made, they will be done before a full
set is made.
Full Set of Floor Plans
Once the one-page drawing has been finalized and approved by the required city departments a full set of
plans can be drawn. From the time your Designer receives the request for a full set, it should take less than
five business days to complete.
Your full set of plans will describe the decor options that you request and will allow your contractor to
present an accurate bid on construction costs for building your Half-Priced Granite. A full set of floor
plans will include the following:
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Furniture and equipment placement plan
A wall covering plan
A floor finish plan
A ceiling/lighting placement plan
A dimensioned plan
All specifications listed in legend form
Plumbing and electrical plans are not included. State and local codes dictate the requirements for your
Half-Priced Granite. If necessary, your local electrician, plumber, general contractor, or architect can
provide these plans.
When a full set of floor plans is complete, send one copy to the Company. If a problem arises during
construction, contact your Designer. He will advise you as to what changes, if any, can be done and what
approvals are necessary.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (UNITED STATES ONLY)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that provides protection to persons with
disabilities. In terms of Half-Priced Granite design, the ADA requires that your Half-Priced Granite be
readily accessible to disabled persons.
All floor plans for Half-Priced Granite in the U.S. are designed to be in compliance with the ADA
whenever possible. To ensure that your Half-Priced Granite is readily accessible to disabled persons, your
Designer considers several key areas when preparing your floor plans. These areas include, but are not
limited to:
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 Public Accessible Restrooms
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At least one of the restrooms must be accessible according to ADA standards, and include grab
bars, lever door handles, easy grasp faucet controls, and restroom signage.
Accessible Seating
All Half-Priced Granite with seating must have one or more tables that are accessible to people
who use wheelchairs. The total number of seats in the store determines the number of accessible
tables required.
Walkways
All walkways must maintain a 36" (91.44 cm) width clearance.
Counter Area by Cash Register
This counter must be no more than a height of 36" (Front counter complies with ADA).
Exterior Door Entrances
Exterior entrances must have at least a 32" (81.28 cm) clear opening. There are also specific ADA
compliance requirements for the spacing of two-door entries.
Interior Stairs
Stairs accessible to customers may be required to be ramped.
The federal government requires compliance with the ADA. If, however, a state has not adopted the ADA
as a building code, their inspectors are not required to enforce it. Some states have codes that exceed the
ADA's requirements, in which case state codes take precedence over the ADA. You must be familiar with
the ADA* and your state codes and must abide by whichever codes are more stringent.
*Please refer to the link for ADA at http://www.ada.gov/stdspdf.htm for further information.
ARCHITECT'S SEAL
In some areas, an architect's seal is needed to obtain final approval from city departments. Once you receive
six copies of your full set of plans, give one copy to your local architect. This full set will provide your
architect with information that is necessary to meet Half-Priced Granite requirements. Make sure the
architect certifies that the plans satisfy the ADA (some local architects design plans to comply only with
local and state codes).
If you work directly with an architect, without plans from a designer, the architect's plans must be
approved by the Company. Equipment will not be ordered for your Half-Priced Granite until your plans
have been approved.
EQUIPMENT LAYOUT AND HALF-PRICED GRANITE DESIGN
Your Half-Priced Granite Design will be provided to you by the Franchiser and will need to be modified
to fit your space. All modifications must be approved by Half-Priced Granite before work is commenced.
Listed in this chapter are the minimum standards required by the Company. Your designer may recommend
some additional upgrades that you have the choice to include. Discuss any suggested upgrades with your
designer to determine the additional costs and benefits associated with them. If you have any questions or
concerns about the recommendations made to you, regarding the equipment layout and design of your
store, contact your designer. All upgrades and/or changes need to be approved by the Company.
For the purpose of design work, we segment your Half-Priced Granite into these major areas: the
common area, the service counter/service area, office area and the restroom area.
Common Area/Customer Area
The Common area is the first image the customer sees when they enter the store. This area should be
maintained with the highest standards in mind. A typical common area contains the _______.
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Service Counter/Service Area
The Service Counter/Service Area contatins ____________.
Office Area
The Office area contains _____________.
Restroom Area
The customer accessible Restroom Area is typically located within your store. In the situation where the
restroom is located outside of the store, you will need to verify with the developer that the shared restrooms
are designed to ADA and state specific codes, are kept clean with a reliable cleaning service and schedule,
and maintenance and security are readily available in the event of a problem.
When the restroom is located within your store, interior finishes are to be durable and easy to clean. A
Unisex restroom is recommended if State code allows.
The paint and tile flooring you install in the restroom will match the paint and tile installed in any other part
of the customer area.
Paint and tile recommendations are detailed in Chapter 4 – Décor.
Each restroom is required to have state building code fixtures/requirements, a small mirror, small
table/cabinet for storing cleaning supplies, a wall hook and paper towel holder.
Restroom ADA Compliance
If your Half-Priced Granite is in the U.S. and you build your restrooms (including any hallway to the
restroom), it must comply with the ADA. At least one unisex restroom must be accessible and include,
among other items, grab bars, lever door handles, easy grasp faucet controls, and interior signage to ADA
specifications.
Local or state code may be more stringent and will prevail.
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