# Multi unit retail



## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

Is there anything that says a single unit retail space being zoned into 4 smaller retail spaces must be separated electrically?

The owner just wants to keep all the electrical as one. 


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

If he's going to foot the bill for all four, sure. And if he doesn't mind all the tenants bugging him to flip breakers, after he figures out which one.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

joebanana said:


> If he's going to foot the bill for all four, sure. And if he doesn't mind all the tenants bugging him to flip breakers, after he figures out which one.



Not how I would design things, but if it’s legal and that’s what he wants I’ll give it to him. 


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## cdslotz (Jun 10, 2008)

What about firewall requirements?


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

I would consider talking to the head building inspector downtown about that. 

There's no codes that I know of, however, most cities have some type of ordinances about shared occupancy in shopping/retail zoning.


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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

ALL 4 of the tenants would need access to the electrical Panel UNLESS there is 24 hour maintenance


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

I know this is done in office buildings all the time. One meter for the whole floor and the electric is built into the rent based on square footage.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

WronGun said:


> Is there anything that says a single unit retail space being zoned into 4 smaller retail spaces must be separated electrically?
> 
> The owner just wants to keep all the electrical as one.


So this guy is an extreme cheapskate I see. He won't pay for the proper electrical upgrade, but will pay a common electric bill for all the tenants in perpetuity. Makes perfect sense. :no::no:


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

MTW said:


> So this guy is an extreme cheapskate I see. He won't pay for the proper electrical upgrade, but will pay a common electric bill for all the tenants in perpetuity. Makes perfect sense. :no::no:


He might just be practical. Many times size and configurations of units change so it might be better to keep it under one meter especially if the electric usage is consistant between tenants. I have seen walls move every 2 / 3 years and then the question comes up who is paying for what. A good property manager should know what is best for his buildings.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Much as this forum loved to stomp on EE's , this is one area where they are more familiar with the many rules and regulations in your area. Fire Alarm system?
Sprinklers? Is the building owner allowed to add his own sub metering? As another posted -- Firewall? 

Could be none of that matters. Could be it all might and it might end up being a financial disaster for you to become involved in. 

This is when I usually insist on stamped drawings and a building permit number from the customer (usually a general contractor in commercial jobs ). 

One more thing. Check the fine print in your liability insurance policy papers. 
Deviations from accepted standards and laws can lead sometimes to the carrier abandoning you entirely. Legally.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

One of the office buildings I work on was a single tenant bank when first built and has been cut up and remodeled so many times that eventually management realized it was easier to take back all of the accounts because meters and panels are scattered all over the place and circuits are intermingled between spaces. Then they can more fairly account for the electricity cost. They started with emon dmon, but it was still so much of a mess that it didn't work out.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

kb1jb1 said:


> He might just be practical. Many times size and configurations of units change so it might be better to keep it under one meter especially if the electric usage is consistant between tenants. I have seen walls move every 2 / 3 years and then the question comes up who is paying for what. A good property manager should know what is best for his buildings.


Dude, I did a service call at a Sally Beauty one time cause their HVAC wasn't working. I got up on the roof of the shopping center, only to find a sea of AC units with no labels for what retail space they belonged to, I eventually traced the power outage back to an Air Handling Unit that wasn't even in the same tenant space!!! 

I'm guessing after 40 years of remodels and tenant changes, somehow the air handling unit for that space got enclosed into the the unit next door. 

I don't know of any electrical codes that violates, but I'm positive it violates all kinds of building codes.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

Commercial suffers from all the problems residential does. Hacks are everywhere.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

nrp3 said:


> Commercial suffers from all the problems residential does. Hacks are everywhere.


Retail work and residential work both seem to have a bunch of crazy stuff. Doing a few years of service work in either of these two areas of will season somebody up real good.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

MHElectric said:


> Retail work and residential work both seem to have a bunch of crazy stuff. Doing a few years of service work in either of these two areas of will season somebody up real good.



Or drive them into new construction. I like the challenge to a point. Sometimes a tear out makes more sense.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

nrp3 said:


> Or drive them into new construction. I like the challenge to a point. Sometimes a tear out makes more sense.


:vs_laugh:Yes!

Sometimes service work will drive a man to say screw it, I'm going back to construction! But sometimes construction work will cause someone to say the exact same thing!


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

I agree, most new construction bores me to death, but it has its appeal too. There’s something for everyone in this trade.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Agreed. We all need to find where we fit in the best. :thumbsup:


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

MHElectric said:


> Dude, I did a service call at a *Sally Beauty* one time cause their HVAC wasn't working. I got up on the roof of the shopping center, only to find a sea of AC units with no labels for what retail space they belonged to, I eventually traced the power outage back to an Air Handling Unit that wasn't even in the same tenant space!!!
> 
> I'm guessing after 40 years of remodels and tenant changes, somehow the air handling unit for that space got enclosed into the the unit next door.
> 
> I don't know of any electrical codes that violates, but I'm positive it violates all kinds of building codes.


We have a Sally Beauty store in Hawaii Kai. The women that work there are the farthest thing from beauty that it is possible to conceive. I've seen close in some of the antifa memes posted here, but not in the same league as these ugly women are. It's scary and hilarious all at the same time........


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

macmikeman said:


> We have a Sally Beauty store in Hawaii Kai. The women that work there are the farthest thing from beauty that it is possible to conceive. I've seen close in some of the antifa memes posted here, but not in the same league as these ugly women are. It's scary and hilarious all at the same time........


I had a female friend once (yes, I know, hard to believe ) who was 5' tall and weighed 95 pounds soaking wet. She walked into a Lane Bryant store once by accident not knowing it was for fat chicks and one of the large women that worked there told her "This store isn't for you, honey."


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