Paul Leongas | What a Commercial Building Inspection Should Actually Cover
Paul Leongas
A standard commercial building inspection checks the boxes. Roof condition: satisfactory. HVAC: operational. Plumbing: functional. Electrical: up to code. The report comes back with a dozen pages of boilerplate and a handful of recommendations that range from obvious to useless. Paul Leongas has bought those reports. He does not rely on them.
After 25 years as a commercial tenant operating The Curragh Irish Pub across Schaumburg, Edison Park, and Skokie, Leongas learned what inspectors miss. Not because they are bad at their jobs. Because their job ends where the real costs begin.
The Roof Tells You More Than the Inspector's Report
A commercial roof inspection from a standard inspector will tell you the roof is in fair condition with an estimated remaining life of 10 years. What it will not tell you is that the flashing around the HVAC penetrations was never properly sealed, that ponding water has been sitting in a low spot for three seasons, or that the membrane has UV damage that will turn a 10-year roof into a five-year roof.
Paul Leongas gets on the roof himself. He walks the membrane. He checks the drains. He looks at every penetration, every seam, and every edge detail. A roof replacement on a mid-size commercial building runs $30,000 to $60,000. The difference between a roof with 10 years left and a roof with three years left changes the entire acquisition math.
Electrical Capacity Is the Quiet Deal Killer
An inspector confirms the electrical panel is in working order. That tells you nothing about whether it has capacity for a new tenant's needs. A panel with 200-amp service and no spare breakers means the first tenant who needs a dedicated circuit is looking at a service upgrade. That upgrade involves the utility company, a new panel, new conduit, and a bill between $8,000 and $20,000.
Paul Leongas opens every panel before making an offer. He counts spare breakers. He checks the service amperage. He notes whether the existing wiring is copper or aluminum and whether any circuits show signs of overheating.
Plumbing Infrastructure Determines Tenant Mix
The plumbing in a commercial building determines what kinds of tenants can occupy it. A building with a four-inch main drain can handle office and retail use. It cannot handle a full-service restaurant without a grease interceptor upgrade and potentially a larger drain line. Those upgrades require cutting concrete, which means closing the affected suite for weeks.
Leongas checks drain line sizes, grease trap capacity, and water heater specifications. Through Axis Development Group in Park Ridge, he builds commercial spaces with plumbing infrastructure that supports a broader range of tenant types. The cost of installing a grease trap rough-in during initial construction is a fraction of the cost of adding one after the slab is poured.
What the Report Does Not Calculate
The Curragh earned the Guinness Gold Standard Award for the Perfect Pint in 2002 and recognition from Whisky Magazine. Those accolades were earned in buildings Paul occupied as a tenant, buildings whose deficiencies he discovered slowly over 12 years of daily use. An inspector spends four hours in a building. Paul Leongas spent 12 years in each of his. The difference in what each one finds is the difference between a report and an education.
A commercial building inspection is a starting point. It is not the full picture. Paul Leongas treats every potential acquisition as if he will be the one working in the building for the next decade, because he has been that person. His commercial portfolio across the North Shore is built on acquisitions he vetted personally, with an eye for the problems that standard inspections do not flag and standard reports do not price.