Is It Time For An Office Refurb?
January 8, 2026Regardless of what your business does, it’s important to have a good office. An office needs to be comfortable for employees and look professional for when clients come in. Because of that, an office can’t just be a big room full of desks; it needs a professional office fit-out in order to look good and be presentable. That being said, even the best office fit-out can become dated or worn out after 10 years or so. Styles and fashions change over time, which may make a modern office space look old. With that in mind, high use areas of the office like entrances, receptions, break areas, and toilets can quickly suffer from wear and tear issues that need repair or replacements. These issues are often a slow process and difficult to notice. Because of this, business owners, facilities managers, and employees often don’t see a problem with their office fit-out until things get quite bad. When this happens, it’s often easy to jump straight to wanting a full office fit-out. While this can be a good idea, it can be an option that has businesses put off the work because of the expense and the time it will take. An option that doesn’t go quite as far as a full fit-out is an office refurbishment or upgrade. The scope of a refurbishment (or refurb for short) completely depends on what’s needed/wanted, a business’ budget, and project timelines. An office refurb can be used to buy time until a larger fit-out is done, or simply to update and office and fix some worn out items. The scope of an office refurbishment can vary depending on what’s needed, and sometimes this scope is narrowed to only a few things. That’s fine; whatever it takes to create a more modern and comfortable office for everyone. What Parts Of An Office Should Be Part Of A Refurbishment? What parts of an office should be part of a refurbishment really depends on what’s needed: what needs to be modernised or what has worn out? We have some ideas for more common areas that often need a refurbishment. New paint throughout the office can go a long way. Fresh paint can brighten an office and, with a different shade of colour, can really make an area feel brand new. This can be combined with new carpeting to create an even more dramatic change in the office. It’s simple, but it’s also a big change that will make the office feel new again for everyone. Kitchen and break areas are another good area for refurbishment. These areas are often high traffic, so suffer from earlier wear and tear than other areas of an office. In addition to this, although employees usually spend most of their day at their desks, having a good break area is often more important to them. So having a clean a modern kitchen area with a great place to take a break is a good choice if you’re looking for an update. Bathroom and toilet areas are similar to break areas in that they’re high traffic and that they’re another area where people care that they’re modern and clean. A bathroom update can go a long way in keeping employees happy. Breakout and meeting areas are another great candidate for a refurbishment. Since these are communal areas, more people will get a benefit out of them. These also have the added benefit of being areas that clients will often see when visiting an office, making your business look tidier and more professional. Talk To Us About Your Office Refurbishment If you think your office needs a bit of an upgrade, get in touch with us today. Even if you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help you plan your project.
Is A Mezzanine Office Right For Your Business?
Different businesses have different needs. And because of that, different businesses have different operational setups, including how their office is set up. For businesses that have a warehouse, there are even more options when it comes to operations. Some warehouse based businesses have a separate dedicated office area that may be attached to the warehouse or even offsite. Other’s require an office within in the warehouse; this can be a small area of the warehouse or an enclosed space in the warehouse itself. Other businesses have a combination of this. For a lot of businesses, they may have a dedicated office where customer service and accounts team work while the warehouse may have a small office for logistics and organising. As mentioned, for a warehouse based office, there are a lot of options. One of these options is a mezzanine office in a warehouse. This is exactly what it sounds like. Warehouse mezzanines can be used for a lot of things, and one of these things is an office. When customers come and speak to us about a warehouse mezzanine, they often want it for storage or to create another working area for warehouse staff. However, often times, it’s more efficient to move an office area to the mezzanine and use the space saved for something else. All in all, that’s the benefit of having a mezzanine office in a warehouse. Although using a mezzanine for storage or other warehouse operations can be beneficial, one drawback of this is that the goods stored on the mezzanine are now at height, and there’s a logistical burden of getting them down. This can be done with a forklift, conveyors, or just with warehouse workers but there may be an inefficiency here. An office, on the other hand, has less movement of people up and down. Office workers get to their desk and they stay there. Meanwhile, important warehouse floorspace is saved and can be used for something that is better suited to ground level. This is all about general warehouse optimisation. There are circumstances where it’s more convenient to use a mezzanine for storage, but much of the time it’s best to keep storage at ground level if possible, with operational elements like offices above ground on a mezzanine. Other ways a mezzanine office can be used is by creating a second level to a warehouse office. Mezzanines work well as semi-permanent structures because they’re self supporting and don’t need to be attached to the base structure, making them easy to remove at the end of a lease during make good time. In this way, an office can be constructed on the ground floor, with a mezzanine built above it house more office space. This is a perfect way to create a large office area in a warehouse without taking up too much valuable storage space. If you’re looking at expanding the office space in your warehouse, speak to us as soon as possible. We’re happy to advise on options available.
Office Fit Out Essentials
When planning a new office fit out, it’s easy to focus on the core aspects of what makes an office an office. Here we’re talking about things like desks for employees, reception area, meeting rooms, and maybe a few private offices for management. Because of this, it’s easy to forget about other essentials that lead to a better and more comfortable office environment. Getting these elements right keep employees happy and more productive. So when you’re planning your next office fit out, don’t forget to plan and budget for the following. Breakout And Collaborative Spaces Some industries will need more breakout spaces than others, but pretty much every office needs areas that allow for collaborative work or work that simply can’t be performed at a personal desk and computer. This may be as simple as an area where colleagues can have an informal meeting to discuss a project or client without having to find a free meeting room. For some industries, employees occasionally need to spread out, and having space to do that is important. Here at A1 Precision Solutions, we’re often dealing with large plans and architectural drawings, so providing an area to work on these things is important not only for employees, but the general running of the business as well. Kitchen And Break Areas Employees need to take breaks, and when they do, it’s important to provide them a place where they can recharge comfortably before getting back to work. That’s why having good kitchen and break areas is so important. Kitchens and break areas are often overlooked. Sure, good employers want to make sure team members are comfortable, so they concentrate on where they spend most of their time: at desks and in work areas. And through this, they cut corners so kitchens and break areas because they’re used less. However, a good break area makes it so the team gets a better break and gets back to work more rested and better able to concentrate. Good amenities in the kitchen like a coffee machine, ample food storage, and more keeps workers happy and productive. Outdoor Areas Similar to the kitchen and break room, it’s easy to forget outdoor areas, especially because they’re potentially used even less, especially in winter. However, even if they’re not used frequently, having a great outdoor area that’s comfortable and well maintained can be very valuable on days when the sun is shining and the air is warm. And an outdoor area can be simple. All you need is a picnic table, a few plants, and a gardener to maintain it from time to time. From there, the outdoor area becomes a good lunch spot on sunny days or a nice place for an informal meeting that’s productive but also refreshing. Bathrooms And Toilet Areas Amenities like bathrooms are also easy to overlook. All businesses ensure their bathrooms are clean and functional, but they don’t do much more. These are areas that are high traffic and can suffer from a lot of wear and tear. With that, if you get bathrooms wrong, they may not feel clean or comfortable for employees, which may cause loss or morale. Because of this, being careful in planning for these amenities, and perhaps allocating a bit of extra budget here to make the bathrooms more premium, can go a long way. Get Planning Early If you’re considering a new fit out for your office, or if you’re moving offices and need to a fit out for your new premises, let’s talk. Planning an office fit out takes time, so it’s important to engage with companies like A1 Precision Solutions early. This way we can talk about your goals for the new office, find out what’s required, help figure out a reasonable budget, and ultimately get to work.
Three Reasons To Move Offices
Every business experiences changes. Sometimes these are changes we want, sometimes they’re changes we don’t want. When it comes to office relocations it’s the same thing; sometimes a business moves because it wants to, sometimes it moves because it needs to. That being said, even if a business is moving offices because it wants to, it can still be inconvenient as well as be a disruption to the business. Because of this, a decision to move offices shouldn’t be taken lightly. Let’s explore some of the reasons why a business may choose to relocate. This list isn’t exhaustive of course, and your reasons for relocating will depend on your business needs. However, if your business is experiencing any of the below, it may be a good opportunity for a fresh start in a new location. The Lease Is Up For Renewal Commercial leases tend to be longer than residential leases, so when they’re up for renewal, it’s re-signing or extending the lease isn’t always a simple task. As a tenant, your business may need something out of the premises that the landlord isn’t either willing or able to supply. On the other side of this, with a lease up for renewal, your landlord may be seeking to renegotiate the lease terms and asking for something your business isn’t willing or able to supply. So either way, it may be best for your business to find a new office. Although this isn’t an ideal situation, moving a business due to leasing issues can give that business a fresh new start. It’s a good time to evaluate your business’ needs and plan for the future. Basically, turn this situation into an opportunity. The Business Is Growing Having to move offices because your business has grown out of your old one is a good problem to have. Like other office moving situations, it can be a bit disruptive, but a lot less disruptive than having an overcrowded office. As businesses grow they take on more staff, and what may have worked in term of office space a few years ago just doesn’t work anymore. When moving a business in order to expand, it’s also a good opportunity to evaluate your needs and perhaps look for a facility that the business can grow into over time, eliminating the need to move yet again if the business continues to grow. It can also be a good time to look into more premium office space or get a more premium fit-out now that the business can afford it. General Change Of Business Needs Just like a business grows over time, sometime the general needs of a business will change, making their current premises no longer suitable. If you have a business that relies on a warehouse, perhaps you need to be closer to a customer base that’s recently moved. Businesses that rely on IT infrastructure may need a more modern building that can support it. A new product or service may mean certain facilities are needed on site or close by. The list goes on. Because of all of this, a business may find itself needing to move simply because its needs change. This can be an exciting time because it’s acknowledging how things are changing and evolving, and can be treated like a new era. Embrace it! If You Are Moving Offices, Get Some Help Whatever the reason for relocating a business, it’s often best to work with experts like A1 Precision Solutions. We offer complete end to end business relocation services including not only physically moving office furniture and equipment but also office and building fit-out services. For vacating an old office, it’s also important that the old premises is left in a suitable condition for your landlord. For this, we offer end of lease make good services. Combined, we can provide all aspects of business relocation. This means you only need to work with one provider, ensuring the relocation happens quickly, easily, and with minimal disruption.
Moving Office Checklist
Whether it’s because of growth, the end of a commercial lease, change in needs, or something else, many businesses will move offices in their lifetime. Although it can be inconvenient to the business, managers, employees, and customers/clients, ultimately an office or business relocation can be beneficial for everyone. Moving offices gives give the opportunity to have a new modern office fit-out, create more space for everyone, and streamline operations with something created completely fit for purpose. All in all, the inconvenience of an office relocation can be outweighed by the long term benefits. To make your office relocation easier, we’ve created a short checklist/guide on what to expect and what to plan for when moving your business. This list isn’t necessarily exhaustive, of course, as all businesses will have different needs and challenges. Use this checklist as a guide to expand and plan your move. 3-6 Months Before The Office Move While a lot should be happening a year or more prior to your office move, things really start to get busy 3-6 months before the move. A year prior you should have scoped out (and found) new office space and began working with a builder on an office fit-out. Now it’s time to figure out how you’re going to be leaving your office. Things to do and consider around this time include: Notifying internal and external parties: ideally employees will know about the upcoming move as early as possible, but about 6 months in advance is a good time to give them firm dates, plans, and timeline ideas for the next 6 months. This is also a time to notify any external parties of your move, making sure you give plenty of notice for services that may require them. Remember services like: Engage with an office relocation specialist: office and business relocation specialists like us here at A1 Precision Solutions are used to working with tight timelines, but the early you can engage with use, the better. The extra time allows for extra planning and making sure nothing is forgotten. Start planning your make good: when finalising a commercial lease, the vacating tenant will likely have make good obligations. Make good obligations are what the vacating tenant needs to do to ensure the property is left in a suitable state for the landlord. This may involve simply removing fit-out items like partitions or it may include stripping the building back to its base. It’s important to review your commercial lease, understand what needs to be done, and engage with a builder to plan your make good. 0-2 Months Before The Office Move Obviously a lot is going to happen in the 3-6 month period prior to the move, but if you engage early with professional office relocation specialists and make good specialists, they’ll guide you through the process. These are the two biggest parts of an office move, after all, and engagement with specialists will help you create further check lists that are unique to your business. So, as moving day approaches, you need to ensure the following: Make sure the fit-out of your new office is on track: you don’t want your employees and business to be without an office, so it’s important to make sure the fit-out for your new office is on track. If it’s not, it’s important to create a contingency plan whether that means pushing back your move out date, creating a temporary working from home option, or finding short term office space. This will all depend on the way your business operates as well as the terms of your lease. Ensure utilities will be ready in your new space: it’s always easy to forget utilities, so make sure they’re ready to go in your new office space. As mentioned when discussing shutting off utilities, pay special attention to IT infrastructure and how it will rollover between the two premises, especially if it needs to be always on and is business critical. This may also mean communicating with customers on expected downtime. Start packing early: recognise what can be packed up early and pack it, moving it to the new office if possible. While you obviously can’t start packing up work stations until the very end, things like paper records that need to be kept for legal reasons (but are very infrequently accessed) can easily be packed and moved, relieving stress on moving day. Use this as an opportunity to go over the plan for moving day as well. Communicate with employees: a few weeks before the move, it’s important to communicate with employees what their obligations will be on moving day; we’d suggest doing this verbally in a town hall style meeting as well as in writing with clear instructions they can follow. What employees are obligated to do will depend on the office set up, but it may include them packing up parts of their workstation themselves, taking personal items home, or just a general tidy. Communicate with customers: although you should have communicated with customers months prior, it’s also important that you remind customers of your upcoming move a few weeks beforehand. Although your office move will likely go well, it’s important to let customers know there may be some communication delays (whether planned or unplanned) in order to pre-empt any problems. And Don’t Forget The Fit-Out Of The New Office This article only briefly touched on planning the fit-out for the new office. This is a topic all in its own that we won’t go into here. What we will say though is that A1 Precision Solutions is a true end-to-end commercial construction firm. This means we can handle the fit-out of the new office, the make good of the old one, and the move in between. This allows clients to only have to work with one provider, not having to worry about coordinating three. Feel free to contact us regarding your office move. We’re happy to help.
How To Prepare For A Make Good
When ending a commercial lease, whether it’s an office lease, retail lease, warehouse lease, or something else, it’s typical for exiting tenant to have make good obligations. Basically speaking, make good obligations require the exiting tenant to leave their old premises in a certain state. This may mean simply leaving the old facility in a neat and tidy manner, it may be repainting and repairing elements of the building, or it may be as large as removing all fit-out elements of the facility and returning the premises to its empty base state. It can really very between buildings depending on the state of the building before the tenant moved in, the landlord’s requirements, what modifications were made to the building, and much more. All that being said, the make good requirements will be outlined in the commercial lease and will have been agreed to prior to commencing the lease. So, although you may be relocating your office, it’s still important to consider your old office is left in a good state. This is to avoid fees and repair charges from your old landlord. Fortunately, preparing for a make good isn’t that challenging and, with the help of a company like A1 Precision Solutions, we can make sure it goes smoothly. Understand What’s In Your Lease Before commencing your make good, it’s important to understand what the make good actually requires. As mentioned, make good requirements can vary, and what actually needs to be done will be outlined in your commercial lease. Because of this, it’s best to start with the lease to see what is needed. If your facility has limited fittings and make good requirements, you may only need to remove the furniture and leave the building in a neat and tidy state. If that’s the requirement, just arrange office movers and you’re likely finished. However, it’s more likely that your business will at least be responsible to repair any damage done to the building over the course of the tenancy. Bigger make good requirements may include removing any fit-outs that were installed during the tenancy. This may include office partitions, signage, and even carpeting if that’s what’s specified. Going further, make good requirements may even require a full strip out, getting the building completely back to its base. As mentioned, all of this will be outlined in the lease. Make A Checklist Of What Needs To Happen To stay organised, it’s important to make a list of what needs to happen to complete the make good. Assuming your business is relocating, it’s likely there’s already a checklist relating to the actual move. Just make another pertaining to the old location. Generally speaking, make good tasks will fall into three broad categories. Removals: these are things that need to be removed. Furniture is the obvious one here, but it may also include things like carpet and office partitions. Repair: it’s inevitable that parts of the building may be damaged over the life of a tenancy, so having a list of what needs to be repaired can be handy. Restore: restoring parts of a building, whether that’s through restoring a building back to its base features or something else, will be a large element of the make good. If you talk to a professional make good company like ours, we can help you with what needs to be accomplished. Speak To Your Landlord Once you have an understanding of what needs to be done, it’s usually a good idea to have a pre-inspection/pre-make good walk through with your commercial landlord or their representative. Here you can go through your checklist and outline what will be completed in the make good process. This is an opportunity for your landlord to see what you’re intending to do for your make good obligations and request any further work, should it be needed. In this way, you can ensure no further repairs or alternations will be needed after your make good company finishes work. Get A Reputable Make Good Company A good company that is experienced in make good obligations can help you and your business manage all of this, ensuring you can concentrate on moving into your new premises. Get in touch with us early to make sure everything goes to plan.
When Is The Best Time For An Office Renovation
Renovations and remodels are a fact of life, generally speaking. Sure, it’s not something that a business goes through every day, but whether it’s the office or the home, updating and renovating is something that needs to happen from time to time. People like to get their spaces updated and modernised because we want something new and different, we don’t want old technologies, and we also want to fix general wear and tear issues. This is the same with an office renovation. It’s important to modernise to keep the business looking good to customers, and to just keep ahead of maintenance issues. All that being said, renovations can be inconvenient. Even when they’re completed quickly, there’s always a period of having to live through renovation. This may mean a meeting room is out of action for a couple days, employees don’t have as much space as they’re used to, and even temporary shut offs to utilities. And when it comes to utilities, even if the power is off for only an hour, it can really disrupt a business. So all of that raises the question: when is the best time for an office renovation? This could mean when is the best time of year, or when is the best time for a business in general? Let’s take a look. Consider Your Business Cycle Ultimately, the most important thing to consider when doing an office renovation is how it will impact the business. With this in mind, consider the business cycle and how you can fit an office renovation in. All business have slow seasons, so obviously it’s best to try and schedule your office renovation into a time period when you know business is going to be slower. Be wary, however, of times like Christmas holidays, where many service based business may be slow. During these periods, many commercial construction companies will have shut down periods or, at the very least, be working with few staff members due to people taking holidays. This may delay a project. Going further, when planning your office renovation, make sure you start planning well before your intended renovation period. Planning and designing take time, as does sourcing and shipping materials for a renovation. If you’re hoping to start an office renovation during a quiet time for the business, you may need to start planning and engaging builders months in advance. Consider Staffing This goes for both when the best time for a renovation is and in general. Office renovations may start to come up when employee needs change. Renovations aren’t just about the look and feel of an office, but some of the other conveniences like restrooms and kitchens. As a small example, if the office headcount grows to the point where the office kitchen is overcrowded and there’s no room for anybody’s lunch in the fridge, it may be time for a renovation. It may be time to move to a new office as well, but that’s another story. Many businesses have natural staffing fluctuations, whether it’s taking on more people at a certain time of year, or a time when there’s a lot of staff away. If it’s the former, it’s probably a good idea that renovations happen before a large induction of new staff. If it’s the latter, try to schedule your office renovations during times of fewer staff. Going further, if you can temporarily shift staff to working from home or at an alternative site, this could also be a good option to minimise disruption to the staff as well as the construction workers trying to get your new renovation done. Consider Replacement Furniture, Fittings, And More We touched on this before, but it’s important to consider lead time for construction material, as well as furniture and fitting. Because of this, when trying to decide if it’s time for an office renovation, consider what the condition of your most used furniture is going to be in a year. If you think furniture may need to be replaced now, it will definitely be completely worn out in a year. This means it’s time to start planning your renovation, speaking with designers, and getting quotes from builders. You won’t be in complete renovation mode for a whole year, but by the time everything is done, 12 months will have passed. Get Some Advice Feel free to contact us if you’re considering an office renovation. The planning process can take a long time, so it’s best to engage a builder early.
Why You Need A Professional To Do Your Make Good
When a commercial lease is finished, it’s usually the obligation of the departing tenant to return the building back to its original condition. This is what’s referred to as an end of lease make good, and it involves removing all furniture, fixtures, fittings, and modifications that may have been installed by a commercial tenant. When a commercial tenant moves into a premises, it’s often given a basic and empty building: it’s a shell. The business can then make modifications to the building as needed. It may paint it to suit its brand, install features that are needed for its business operation, and even put up walls and partitions so it can use the building as it’s needed. When a lease is finished, the old tenant is expected to remove these things. Usually make good obligations are outlined in the commercial lease. That is, what the tenant is expected to do, what it doesn’t need to do, and any other agreements around finalising the commercial lease and returning the building back to its original state. Of course, this may include negotiations with the landlord that allow the tenant to keep some of the modifications in place without having to pay to remove them. But generally speaking, a commercial contract will outline that a tenant can either settle with the landlord for a fee, making it the landlord’s responsibility to return the building to its original state; or the tenant can complete the make good themselves, either organising their own tradespeople or using a professional commercial builder to complete the end of lease make good. For a lot of businesses, they may find simply settling with the landlord the most convenient option. There are a lot of things to do when relocating a business, and the last thing an operations team wants to do is try and get their old premises back to its original state. Settling with the landlord is a fast and easy option, and one that may be suitable if there’s more budget than there is time and other resources. However, for businesses that choose to organise their own end of lease make good, there is the opportunity to save a lot of money, and if they hire a builder to do the work, save just as much hassle as settling with the landlord. A business’ operations team may think the only way to save money on make good obligations is to organise all aspects of the make good themselves, but this simply isn’t true. Settlements with the landlord are always going to be in the landlord’s favour, so it’s generally going to be the most expensive option when it comes to finalising a commercial lease. Of course money can be saved by a business managing a project themselves, using a commercial builder is still going to be a less expensive option than settling with the landlord. If your business is going to be ending a lease soon, it’s worthwhile talking to us to find out how we can help with end of lease make good obligations. You may be surprised at how reasonable it all comes to.
Is It Time For An Office Refurbishment?
We all want to have a nice work environment, and because of this, it’s important that a business’ office is up to good standards. Having an office with a good fit-out can keep employees happy and make them more productive. Although a more upscale office fit-out costs money, it can be a good investment because it makes employees happy and presents well to clients and potential customers. But even a great office fit-out needs to be updated from time to time. What may have worked for the original fit-out may not work anymore. With that, things wear out over time, and it may be a good idea to give an office a spruce up with a refurbishment. Let’s take a look at the times it’s a good idea to start considering an office refurbishment. If this is your business or office, it may be a good idea to start thing about having one. Wear And Tear Is Becoming A Problem As already mentioned, wear and tear can be an issue, even with the highest quality of office fit-outs. Things can be repaired or replaced over time, but at some point it may be time to complete a whole new fit-out or office refurbishment. When an office’s fit out is starting to become worn and tired, it’s probably time to look at getting a refurbishment done. There can be a fine line between a completely new fit-out and a refurbishment, but in this context we’re talking about a spruce up, bringing the office back to its former self. Perhaps there are a lot of elements that can be kept, but a refurbishment may look at replacing carpets and fixtures to make it feel new again. Branding Needs To Be Replaced In relation to wear and tear is the branding inside the office. Brands change over time, so it’s important to make sure that the office is updated in line with the current branding. One important aspect to branding is that it’s consistent, so if a company’s branding changes it’s important that the office changes with it. Like fixing a worn out office, this doesn’t necessarily need to be a complete re-fit of the office, it may just be a minor refurbishment to make sure the look and feel of the office conforms to how the brand has evolved. Staff Levels Are Growing Or Shrinking Another reason we often see clients needing an office fit-out or refurbishment is because their staff levels are growing or shrinking in that particular office. Staff shrinkage isn’t always a bad thing; the business may have grown, sending most staff to a larger office while keeping a smaller satellite office, or the needs of a business may have changed, allowing more staff to work offsite. Whatever the reason for changing in staff levels, a business may be looking at having either too many desks or not enough. This problem can often be solved by simply putting in more or removing desks, but it can also mean those desks need to be reconfigured, leading to the project becoming a little larger than originally anticipated. For situations like this, it’s often a good idea to look at what other refurbishments need to be done in the office. This way it can all be done at once. Appeasing Staff Is Another Good Reason For An Office Refurbishment We’ve already mentioned that people want to work in environments that they like, and if an office environment isn’t enjoyed by staff, a business can suffer. One way a business can suffer is through having difficulty recruiting or having poor staff turnover. This can be due to a poor working environment which, of course can lead to the issues already mentioned. Creating an environment people actually want to work in can solve some of these issues. With that in mind, a poor office environment can also lead to poor staff wellbeing. People may enjoy working in the office, but due to things like lack of ventilation and lack of natural light, moral may be diminished. A full fit-out may not be needed here, but a refurbishment may find ways of making improvements. This Also Includes Noise Throughout The Office Staff wellbeing and the general office environment can also be affected by poor acoustics. What may have worked originally may no longer work because of how the office has grown or just due to how staff interact with each other. It’s often overlooked, but the acoustic set up in an office can greatly affect productivity. A refurbishment look at rearranging the office floorplan so that sound is no longer a big issue. Alternatively, acoustic dampening strategies can be employed to make the environment more pleasant. What’s Your Reason For An Office Refurbishment? Whatever the reason for needing an office refurbishment, we’re here to help. There’s a lot we can do with the existing office environment in order to keep costs and project timeframes down. Contact us to find out more.
Things To Consider When Planning An Office Fit-Out
A new office fit-out for your business can be exciting, but it can also be a daunting process. The day to day of running the operational aspects of a business can be difficult enough, even with a dedicated operations team, adding an extra project doesn’t sound like a good idea. Like everything to do with operations, planning and executing an office fit-out is all about planning and staying organised. That planning and organisation needs to start early, well before you start speaking with a builder to complete the fit-out project. To that end, there are a number of considerations that need to be taken into account when you start planning an office fit-out project. While it’s good to have a lot of this worked out before speaking to a builder, a good builder should also be able to help you and your business work a lot of this out too. So consider these things, but also be prepared for them to change. Why Are You Completing This Fit-Out? One of the most important office fit-out considerations is determining why the fit-out is happening in the first place. It may sound obvious for some, but defining the reason for a fit-out will help keep the project focused and on track. Some reasons for a new office fit-out include: It’s normal for an office fit-out to happen for a number of reasons, but there should be a central reason to the project. For example, if a business is expanding, it’s not uncommon to move to a larger space and also modernise the office at the same time. However, the central need is for more space; modernisation is secondary. The Logistics Of An Office Fit-Out Considering the logistics of a fit-out early is extremely important, and they depend on the scope of the fit-out and how it’s happening. If you’re relocating your office, things beyond the fit-out also need to be planned and considered. This includes not only the fit-out of the new office, but moving furniture and equipment that will be needed in the new office. It also includes vacating the old premises and completing a make good. For a project like this, time frames can often be a lot more specific and constrained because you and your builder are working towards an exact date that the old facility needs to be vacated by. If your business is simply doing a new fit-out in an existing office or an office refurbishment, it needs to be determined what will happen during the building process. If planned properly, portions of the office may still be useable during the fit-out/refurb process, however, the whole office may need to be temporarily vacated. A plan for employees and their work needs to be made for this. Your Budget For The Office Fit-Out The budget for an office fit-out can be difficult to determine. Without a lot of experience in the building industry, a business may not know what a reasonable range is for a fit-out. They may estimate too much or too little. Because of this, when determining budget during the initial planning stages of a fit-out, it’s important to remain flexible. To stay flexible, go back to the reasons of why the fit-out is being completed in the first place. From there, determine what is absolutely needed for the fit-out and what’s simply a nice to have. This way you can quickly make decisions about what to cut if a budget is beginning to get out of hand. Work Out Your Time Frames Early Just like a budget, it can be difficult to estimate how long a new office fit-out will take. So, just like a budget, stay flexible until the plan becomes more solid. This also goes to show that it’s important to start planning an office fit-out early. This way you can take everything into consideration and present your needs clearly to your office fit-out company for a quote and timeline. The worst case scenario is that you allow too much time and the project goes more smoothly. If, on the other hand, you start planning too late, there may not be enough time for the fit-out project to happen and it will be rushed. Don’t Forget To Plan Utilities And Technologies Utilities aren’t often missed for “standard” office fit-out projects. This is because utility needs for standard projects are for standard businesses that don’t have any special requirements. However, if your business requires specific lighting in a certain space, needs specific water requirements for an adjoining warehouse (for example), or something else unusual, it’s best to take these into account early. Similarly, it’s easy take technology requirements for granted too. Businesses can often fall into the trap of “keep doing what’s working” for technology in meeting rooms and around the office. This means they’re not aware of, nor do they take advantage of, new technology in these spaces that may make these spaces better. And retrofitting these technologies can be difficult. Do your research early. Take Your Plan And Ideas To A Builder While we encourage you to get organised early, ultimately you’re working as a team with your builder. Having a plan and ideas in place is good, but ultimately a builder is there to help too. So feel free to get in touch with us to discuss your next project.