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• Water and Plumbing. Pet grooming uses a lot of water, including hot water. Today the Hydrosurge®-like devices are cutting back on water demand. Standard water heaters are rarely adequate for a growing pet grooming salon. We recommend upgrading the water heater in almost all new pet grooming businesses. Today there are new systems that heat water very quickly, almost on demand. Recently we installed one at a very large pet grooming salon, and the price came in around $2,800, but it's a first class commercial system that should last many years, and the salon should never be short of hot water at all times. If you are not going to upgrade a standard size water heater, look to water saving systems such as the Hydrosurge. No doubt about it, you are going to need plumbing work to install at least one tub. Many small salons have 2 tubs. We have seen some salons with a separate small tub away from the others dedicated to cat bathing, a good idea. Before you commit to the location of your bathing department, you must determine the present location of all plumbing and consider water pipe extensions you will need leading to your tubs. It can get expensive very quickly, especially if digging into concrete floors is involved. We again suggest the assistance of a contractor or plumber to examine the commercial space before you lease it. Some of our clients have an interest in the self-service dog wash format. Your plumbing improvements will cost significantly more than a pet grooming salon alone. Typically, the self-service area for pet owners is separate of your grooming department's bathing area. Therefore, you not only need to outfit a bathing department, but lead pipes from what is likely the same main water source to the self-service area. We have seen this successfully done within building codes leading the water pipes along the inner wall to the self-service area. The pipes add a sort of "industrial design" look which can highlight a "high-tech" look and work fine, but consult your contractor to ensure you meet all building codes. In the material below you will find some additional hints for ideas to keep your pipes from clogging with pet hair, a constant problem if you do not take preventative measures seriously. In fact, we know of one "horror story" where a home-based pet groomer was held liable by the local city for pet hair clogging the neighborhood sewer system, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars required to excavate the neighborhood street pipes. Ouch!.

• Natural Gas and Other Fuels. Heating water or heating air is best done with an efficient system using natural gas and similar fuels. You can lower your electric bill considerably in this way.

• Sound. If you share any walls with neighboring businesses, you can count on sound problems with barking dogs. You will appreciate a building with more solid walls. You can reduce sound levels with sound absorption ceiling tiles. If your commercial space is within a "strip center" try to lease an end unit. You may then only share as little as one wall with a neighbor business, and of course, make sure you are on the ground floor.

• Carpeting. Carpeting has no place in a pet grooming salon. You will be forever vacuuming pet hair relentless hugging onto it, and it will absorb odors and quickly be stained by pet wastes. It's too bad though because carpeting absorbs sound whereas hard surface floors won't. However, smooth linoleum floors are easily kept hygienically clean. Wet areas are common in pet grooming salons, especially in the bathing area and where a pet relieves itself perhaps before you have a chance to notice or provide it with a potty-walk. Safety requires your constant attention to immediately wiping up all spills.

Perhaps now you can better understand how some people lease a building with inadequate supplies of electricity, water, air conditioning and other utilities. Though your business is small in the beginning, it may be appropriate for you to secure a space with a long lease when it is affordable, within your budget and the building's condition and facilities support the extended growth of your business. Moving a business is expensive. Notifying a thousand or more clients is expensive, and the down time can be costly.

Finally, don't overlook parking for your clients. At least 2-3 spaces should be available to your clients on a dedicated basis. Access in and out from the roadway should be easy.

Remember too that many pets will immediately attempt to relieve themselves on your property to and from their owner's car. Pet urine stains concrete and most wall treatments, and if you have neighbor businesses this can really irk them as much as dog noise problems. Ideally, you should install an outdoor potty-walk area and maintain it regularly, even several times a day when busy. You will be very glad you did and your customers will view it as a sign of a "professional."

Time to move on to even more design considerations for your commercial grooming business. Go to the next page.