If you’ve reached a point where you’re seriously considering embarking on an office refurbishment project, you won’t need us to tell you that it can be a complex and time-consuming process. With so many things to think about and factors to consider, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and start overlooking important details.
With this in mind, we’ve put together our definitive office refurbishment checklist to help you make the entire process – from initial conversations to complete evaluation – as streamline and stress-free as possible.
Ask yourself: is now the right time?
Establishing whether or not it’s the right time to launch into an office refurbishment project can be one of the first hurdles you run into. It’s crucial that the relevant decision-makers sit down together to discuss the specific timing of the project and if it is really necessary at all.
Common signs an office refurb is needed include:
• A dip in productivity and concentration
• Physical and/or mental health of staff is being compromised
• Staff are lacking sufficient resource which might be holding the business back
• Brand and company culture aren’t being communicated well
Define your objectives and reasons for refurbing
An office refurbishment could potentially be one of the biggest investments of time and money you’ll ever inject into your business so it’s crucial that you’re doing it for all the right reasons.
Schedule time to evaluate your existing office and any workspace issues that it is creating. This will then enable you to clearly define what you want to achieve from the new workspace which should then provide you with solid reasons why.
These could include:
• Facilitating agile working and more choice and control for workers
• Accommodating new technology
• Boosting creativity, collaboration and productivity
• Attracting and retaining new talent
Sit down and crunch the numbers
Once you’re satisfied with timings and reasons why, it’s time to sit down and conduct honest conversations about what you can and can’t afford. Make sure you’re being realistic with these estimations and don’t forget about deposits and down payments.
Click for our advice around office refurbishment on a budget.
Explore your payment options
Once you’ve set your budget and adjusted your expectations of the project accordingly, you should do some research around the office refurbishment payment options available and which will be best suited to you. Perhaps the project will be leased over a period of time or maybe you will need to borrow from the bank.
Find the perfect interior design partner
The benefits of working with a professional interior designer are huge when it comes to an office refurbishment project but it’s important to find the right one for you. Look out for an interior design expert who will be able to bring the following to your new workspace design scheme:
• Experience combating common workplace issues such as noise disruption and poor communication
• Knows how to incorporate a diverse range of work settings from collaboration spaces to private focus zones
• Project time management skills
• Strict budget handling
• Knowledge of trends and access to industry insights
Run an assess and reuse audit
As part of our workspace design service, we always encourage our customers to complete an ‘assess and reuse audit’. This enables them to step back, evaluate their existing product portfolio and see if there is anything that can be carried through into the new design scheme.
Running an assess and reuse audit is not only environmentally responsible, it will also help you avoid wasting valuable cash and floorspace.
Hire an experienced fit out partner
It can be tempting to skip this step and complete the final stages of the project yourself but enlisting the skills and experience of a professional fit out partner will have the following advantages:
• You won’t need to manage a network of external sub-contractors
• They will have plenty of installation and product knowledge
• They will be able handle any snagging issues during the final evaluation phase
• They will be able to help you ensure you remain Health & Safety compliant at all stages
Click for further reading on the benefits of partnering with an office fit out specialist.