FF&E: A Guide to Treadmills

When purchasing FF&E for your new recreation center or multi-purpose center, it’s important to consider the right factors. A treadmill is one piece of equipment you’ll want to offer your members, as they are extremely useful and beneficial for both indoor and outdoor runners.
There are literally hundreds of different types of treadmills and depending on your members’ needs and wants (in addition to your budget), choosing just one type of treadmill for your facility may seem like an extremely overwhelming task.
Here at Sports Facilities Advisory, we understand your feelings of frustration concerning the purchase of new treadmills. Here is a brief FF&E guide to treadmills to help you make an informed decision that will make both your budget and your members happy.

FF&E: Here’s What You Need to Know

For those who don’t already know, the acronym “FF&E” stands for furniture, fixtures, and equipment, and it refers to the items in a building project that have no permanent connection to the construction of the building or the utilities. In other words, these are items that depreciate in value over time, but are essential to the functioning of the business and are considered when valuing the company or estimating the construction costs of a brand new sports center.
FF&E typically encompasses equipment such as desks, fax machines, furniture, electronic equipment, and in this case, treadmills.

Purchasing Treadmills

If you are planning the construction of a new recreation center or sports center, you no doubt have many FF&E costs to consider, with just treadmills being one of them. Fortunately, this guide will break down the main considerations you should mull over before choosing a treadmill for your facility.
Here are six primary things you should consider when purchasing treadmills for your facility. You may also be able to apply this to other FF&E for your facility planning project.
 

• Budget – How much money do you want to spend overall? Remember that FF&E plays a significant role in the final cost of construction, so you’ll want to make sure that whatever type of treadmill you choose fits into your overall budget.

• User requirements – Do you want your users to be able to run, walk, and jog on your treadmills? What about being able to adjust the incline or watch TV on the screen while working out? These are all important things to consider when investing in FF&E.

• User weight – You’ll want your treadmills to be used by the most members possible, so it is ideal to select a treadmill with a high maximum user weight. Your members will be all shapes and sizes so why not appeal to the most users possible?

• Space – One of the most important factors to consider is the amount of available space you’ll have in your facility. How much of that space do you want to dedicate to your treadmills? How many can you comfortably fit in the designated area? Will that be enough to serve your member population? Don’t forget to ask yourself these vital questions.

• Software integration – Today’s members are very tech-savvy and many of them will want to track their progress with app integration. Some companies offer this software for free but others may charge subscription fees. Make sure to do your research before purchasing any treadmills or other FF&E.

• Warranty – Heavily used equipment may break over time, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the company’s warranty plan and make sure they will honor it before you invest in one or several treadmills.

Contact SFA

Purchasing FF&E can be overwhelming and confusing at times, but the experts at Sports Facilities Advisory are here to help. Please contact your SFA team today if you have further questions about FF&E or other equipment costs that will affect your final project projections.