Over the years we’ve spoken to many companies and listened to their concerns when it comes to the office refurbishment and fit-out of their office premises. In this article we touch upon some of the most common commercial office refurbishment / workplace fit-out questions we’ve been asked which may help you in your next workplace refurbishment.
Q. How Can I Make Sure I Have the Right Design for My Commercial Office Refurbishment?
A. Understandably, many companies worry that with something as important as their office fit-out, and being that it’s likely to be one of their biggest expenses, they want to get the design of their refurbishment right – the first time.
It’s often hard to ‘visualise’ something when you are only talking about it. It’s easy to say “this office could go there”, “that layout would look best with…”, “this would like right in terms of flooring” etc. but much harder to then ‘see’ what it will all look like when the various elements are brought together. However there is a solution: Computer Aided Design (CAD).
CAD creates a digital rendering of what your workplace will look like with each of the elements of your refurbishment in place to show you exactly how your workplace will look once the work is finished. By using CAD you can iron out any issues before works even begins on site. You can look at a various partitioning and suspended ceiling options, see how certain furniture might look in the workspace and even choose wall coverings and colour schemes and play around with how it will look to be certain you have the right office design to meet your needs, helping to keep your refurbishment on track and within budget.
Q. How Much Space Do I Need?
A. Knowing the answer to this question will depend on a variety of factors such as:
- The amount of space you have now and how it is used.
- Whether you are running out of space or starting to feeling overcrowded.
- You may not feel you have the right types of spaces available e.g. break out areas, meeting rooms, reception etc. and want to change this.
- Some space may not be being utilised to its full potential while other space may be being overused causing conflict.
- You may be considering changing your way of working and need a different type of setup e.g. do you need individual office spaces or open plan but permanent workstations per person, or perhaps you’re thinking about changing to a hot desking solution. Whatever your ideas they will affect how your office should be laid out.
- Furniture is also important.
- You also need to take into consideration your IT needs and the corresponding requirements in terms of electrical and data requirements.
- You’ll need to consider how much storage you need or whether you can downsize e.g. if you’ve gone digital.
- It’s also worth thinking longer term when planning a refurbishment. Don’t just think about our needs today but in the future too, that way you can “build in” expansion plans which will mean your new office workspace will work for you much longer!
Q. How Much Will My Commercial Office Refurbishment Cost?
A. The cost of a commercial office refurbishment can vary widely and will depend on a huge variety of factors and variables. The best way to determine the likely cost is to engage with a refurbishment company and ask them to do a full site inspection and prepare a quotation based on your requirements.
Q. How Long Will It Take?
A. This will depend on the size of the refurbishment and what is involved. Small projects can be delivered quickly while larger more complex projects will take longer.
As a rough guide a project can run from anything between 3 to 20+ weeks. In order to get a more accurate timeline on your project talk to your office refurbishment company.
Q. Is It Possible To Lease My Commercial Office Refurbishment?
A. Yes, it is entirely possible to lease your office refurbishment.
Not many people realise this but a commercial office refurbishment can be financed through leasing which is a simple, tax-efficient way of financing your project and an alternative to having to paying upfront for your brand new or refurbished workplace. An added advantage for a profitable organisation is that leasing can also offer significant tax savings, as the repayments are 100% tax allowable.
Another advantage is that, through leasing, your project can often begin straight away rather than having to wait until you have the capital available. It also means you can preserve your capital and budget for your refurbishment through fixed monthly payments.
Q. Do I Need To Worry About Building Regulations?
A. If you’re thinking about a refurbishment or want to alter a commercial premises and where your office refurbishment project includes any work that will require the creation of new rooms, the installation of partitioning or new walls then you will most certainly require building regulations approval.
Informal advice on building regulations can be obtained from the local authority. If building regulation consent is required then an application for the work will need to be submitted before any changes are made.
Lastly a question we think companies planning a refurbishment should be asking is:
How Do I Choose An Office Fit-Out Company?
Your fit-out project will play a major role in the day to day workings of your business and could impact your working practices and your ROI. So when choosing an office refurbishment company we think you should consider:
- How much experience do they have?
- How well do they communicate?
- What previous projects have they completed and do they have references you can look at?
- What accreditations do they hold?
- The company’s credit rating.
If you have any additional commercial office refurbishment or fit-out questions, please get in touch. JBH Refurbishments has more than 25 years’ experience in office refurbishment and have completed hundreds of successful projects. Contact our team to help guide you through your refurbishment project.
