When fire damaged Farm-Rite Equipment's dealership in Dassel, Minn., closing the facility during repairs may have seemed like the simplest solution. Instead, the dealership remained open throughout a five-month restoration project that required careful planning, phased construction and close coordination between contractor and customer.

"We never entertained the idea of shutting down completely," David Cox, sales manager of Farm-Rite, told Construction Equipment Guide. "We knew from the start that we had to figure out a way to complete the renovation with the most minimal impact to our daily business operations and how we take care of our customers. The alternative would have been to close for a period of time — which was not an option — or work out of a different location, which would have been challenging to say the least.

For Premier Door, the project became less about replacing damaged building components and more about finding a way to restore the facility while allowing Farm-RIte to continue serving its customers.

"We knew from the beginning that the priority wasn't just fixing the building," Nick Shuft, president and owner of Premier Door Co. told Construction Equipment Guide. "The dealership needed to stay operational. Everything we planned revolved around keeping their business running while we rebuilt it."

Premier Door was well-positioned for the challenge. The company had completed a large Premier strap bifold door installation at the dealership before the fire, giving its team familiarity with the building and Farm-Rite's operations.

Founded in 1998, Premier Door has evolved from a small startup operating out of a 20- by 25-ft. garage building shopping carts for the U.S. government into a nationally recognized manufacturer of custom hydraulic door systems. Along the way, the company expanded into precision metal fabrication and construction equipment attachments, including skid steer and telehandler attachments, rough-terrain tools and wireless remote systems. It also developed several products, including the Sidewinder attachment, now manufactured by a major original equipment manufacturer.

Today, Premier Door designs and manufactures custom hydraulic and electric door systems for aviation, commercial, industrial, luxury residential and specialty applications. Its in-house engineering team works directly with customers to develop customized solutions, including its Smart Door automated hydraulic and electric operating system.

That background in hydraulics, fabrication and custom engineering helped shape the company's approach to the Farm-Rite restoration.

Rather than recommending a complete shutdown, Premier Door proposed replacing the damaged roof from the exterior using a phased construction approach.

"The roof was really the key," Schuft said. "If we could keep the building enclosed while replacing it section by section, the dealership could continue working inside. That became our strategy from day one."

"Our team of contractors and our employees were key to this project being successful," said Cox. "All the contractors were concerned with minimizing the impact to our daily operations. Sometimes that meant completing work in the shop on nights and weekends and Premier Door was good at making that happen. Our employees were patient with having to deal with construction being completed while they were trying to work, moving around in the shop to make space for construction work, and deal with all of the constant commotion."

Premier Door installed Kingspan insulated metal roof panels, removing and replacing the existing roof one section at a time. The insulated panel system allowed crews to maintain a weather-tight building throughout construction while protecting employees, equipment and inventory inside.

Material procurement presented the biggest early challenge.

"The biggest delay wasn't construction," Schuft said. "It was waiting for the roof panels to arrive. Once they were delivered, our crew kept things moving right through the winter."

Using a crew of approximately six workers, Premier Door completed the restoration in about five months.

Although the roof replacement was the project's most visible component, the fire affected much more than the building envelope.

Smoke damage required extensive cleaning, repainting and interior restoration throughout the facility. The project also included recertifying overhead cranes, constructing a new mezzanine and making several improvements designed to improve workflow within the shop.

Rather than simply restoring the dealership to its previous condition, Farm-Rite took advantage of the opportunity to improve the facility. A new Premier strap bifold door was installed on the east side of the building, providing additional access for moving equipment through the shop and improving operational flexibility.

Schuft said occupied restoration projects require contractors to think differently than traditional construction jobs.

"Construction sequencing becomes just as important as the work itself," he said. "You have to understand how your customer operates and build your schedule around that. If you can keep them working while you're rebuilding, that's a tremendous value."

Throughout the project, Farm-Rite owner Tim Cox managed the insurance process while Premier Door concentrated on construction and daily project coordination. Crews worked alongside dealership employees, adjusting work schedules as needed to minimize disruption while allowing technicians to continue serving customers.

By the time construction was complete, Farm-Rite had recovered from the fire with more than a repaired building. The dealership gained a modernized facility with improved workflow, upgraded building systems and greater operational flexibility while remaining open throughout the restoration.

"Premier did a great job with going above and beyond," Cox said. "Their recommendation on the insulated roof panels was an awesome upgrade for our building. Building the bobcat orange mezzanine for the air compressor to sit so it didn't take up floor space. Also, the additional Premier strap bi-fold door really opens up the shop and makes us much more efficient."

Although fire restoration projects are not Premier Door's primary focus, Schuft said the experience demonstrated the company's ability to solve complex construction challenges through creative engineering and careful planning.

"Our company has always been built around solving problems," he said. "Whether it's a custom hydraulic or electric door system or a restoration project like this, we're looking for solutions that fit the customer's operation. That's what made this project successful."

For Farm-Rite, the restoration showed that even extensive fire damage does not necessarily require shutting down a business when contractors are willing to adapt their construction methods to meet the customer's needs. CEG