The former retains continuity of location but disrupts the work environment during building works while the latter means the practice can start afresh without closing the doors for too long if at all.
For Dr Tony Hobby, based in the Adelaide suburb of West Lakes, his preference was to renovate but circumstances eventually necessitated a move to new premises some 1500 metres away in the same suburb.
"Our old place was good but it had become too small for our needs," Dr Hobby explained. "We started the practice in 1977 in one location and shifted next door to get more room in 1983. Both places were always a bit ahead of themselves design- and technology-wise but we keep outgrowing them."
"We really just wanted to expand the existing premises as we had room but try as we might, we couldn't get it through council, mainly because of objections from our neighbours. In addition, the adjacent shopping centre was looking tired and dated and renovations were being constantly delayed. So in the end, moving was the only option that would allow the practice to continue to grow and develop."
Dr Hobby started looking for a new location for the practice in 2004 and happened to drive past what used to be the "Duck Deli" on West Lakes' Duck Pond. The now vacant building was the ideal location for the new practice and after tracking down the owner, he started negotiating a long term lease on the freestanding structure.
The old 'Duck Deli' was a perfect location as it had great exposure on a major boulevard and would allow the practice to develop to its full potential. Plus, at 55 years of age, it would fit in with Dr Hobby's plans in terms of practice transition in the coming years.
"It's a fairly unique site in the sense that West Lakes has restricted zoning because it's a reclaimed area. The building fronts onto a lake with the obligatory palm trees, ducks, swans, pelicans and more. It was developed in the early 70s and the building the practice now occupies belonged to Delphin, who were the original developers. After that, it became the deli.
"The building was in pretty bad shape and had white ant damage as well. We ended up changing it significantly and the only thing that remains is some of the shell and the foundations. We also added around a third to its size. The landlord paid for most of the capital works as basically he had to redo the building anyway or else he couldn't rent it."
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