Project Overview

Saray Design Group provided fully integrated architectural and MEP engineering services for the interior renovation and conversion of a 1,479 SF office suite into SASS Beauty Lounge, a nail salon located in Naperville, Illinois. Working from a single in-house team across all disciplines, SDG delivered a complete, coordinated construction document package spanning architecture, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection, ready for permit submission to the Village of Naperville.

This project is a demonstration of SDG’s full-service A/E capability: one team, one contract, and one seamless set of construction documents covering every system in the building.

The Challenge

Converting a multi-office suite into a plumbing-intensive nail salon demands far more than a new floor plan. Nail salon operations require dedicated water supply and sanitary drainage to multiple manicure and pedicure stations, laundry facilities, enhanced mechanical ventilation to manage chemical air quality, expanded electrical capacity for salon equipment, and GFCI-protected circuits throughout. All of this had to be designed within an existing tenant space with a concealed ceiling system and pre-existing mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and sprinkler infrastructure, without touching the building’s load-bearing structure.

SDG also evaluated two ceiling configuration paths, each carrying different mechanical, fire protection, and electrical implications, and documented both options so the owner could make an informed decision before construction.

Our Approach

• Conducted a site visit and prepared field-verified as-built drawings as the foundation for all design disciplines

• Developed demolition plans for existing office partitions and proposed an open salon layout optimized for manicure and pedicure station placement, laundry, and client circulation

• Performed code review and occupancy analysis, with a reflected ceiling plan and interior details required for permit

• Designed HVAC modifications including ventilation determination, air balancing, and ductwork reconfiguration to meet ventilation compliance requirements for salon chemical exposure

• Engineered sanitary and water distribution systems for all salon stations, including underground sanitary routing coordination, laundry plumbing, gas dryer exhaust routing, and water heater demand evaluation

• Reviewed panel capacity and designed dedicated electrical circuits for stations and equipment, a full lighting layout, and code-compliant receptacles with GFCI protection throughout

• Coordinated sprinkler head relocations resulting from partition removal and liaisoned with the Authority Having Jurisdiction for fire protection compliance

• Evaluated two ceiling scenarios: maintaining the existing finished ceiling grid with targeted modifications versus full exposure requiring HVAC recalculation, sprinkler reconfiguration, and a new lighting layout, with full documentation of the mechanical and fire protection implications of each path

• Prepared signed and sealed architectural and engineering drawings for submission to the Village of Naperville and managed plan review responses and resubmittals

Deliverables

• Field-verified as-built drawings and demolition plans

• Proposed floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, and interior permit details

• Mechanical drawings: HVAC modifications, ventilation compliance, ductwork reconfiguration

• Plumbing drawings: salon station sanitary and water distribution, laundry, gas dryer exhaust, water heater evaluation

• Electrical drawings: panel review, dedicated circuits, lighting layout, GFCI compliance

• Fire protection coordination: sprinkler relocation drawings and AHJ coordination

• Ceiling configuration analysis documenting Option A (finished ceiling) and Option B (exposed ceiling) implications

• Fully coordinated, signed and sealed A/E permit drawing package submitted to the Village of Naperville