Is your office or workspace starting to look outdated or tired? Are your staff finding their work areas overcrowded, noisy and difficult to work in? Are your visitors or potential customers going elsewhere after they visit you? If so it maybe time to consider an office refurbishment.
Across Kent many businesses choose to carry out an office refurbishment rather than relocate because refurbishing, if planned and considered carefully, can be very successful and much more cost effective. In order to establish whether a refurbishment is the right choice for you ask yourself the questions below:
Building Restrictions
Does your landlord or building company apply any building restrictions on alterations being made to the internal space e.g. the use of office partitioning or suspended ceilings? It’s important to know whether these types of refurbishments are allowed and to be fully aware of what you are/are not allowed to do.
Communication and Infrastructure Requirements?
There are many features of an office that are hidden behind walls, beneath floors or in ceilings that can be overlooked but without them your workplace would not be able to function. It’s important to think about: the numbers of electrical power, telephone, fax and network points that you will require; computer cabling, lighting, air conditioning and heating. Each reception area, office, break out area, meeting or conference room will have its own set of requirements. Remember it’s better to have too many electrical points than not enough.
Office, Reception and Meeting Room Space Requirements?
Give some thought to your requirements in terms of the numbers of offices, meeting rooms and whether you require a reception area or visitor meeting area. Think in terms of the numbers of offices you currently have and are likely to need in the short and long term so that you can build in some extra space/room to allow for expansion in case you take on extra staff or require additional storage space. Don’t restrict yourself to what you need right now otherwise no sooner will you refurbish than you may find you run out of space again.
Office and Meeting Room Layout
Plan the use of your available space according to how your staff work and how they need to interact. Think about team dynamics. Also consider how you need to interact with customers or visitors to your offices. Consider whether your office space(s) should be open plan or whether staff need more privacy and quiet to work. To help you visualise how the layout will look and work in real life it’s often worth investing in professional drawings by getting an architect or artist to draw the proposed layout(s).
Space and Storage Requirements?
How much storage space will you require? This should include office records, any paper work you need to store (unless you run a paperless office) and office supplies e.g. printer supplies (paper and cartridges), writing paper (notebooks, notelets), pens etc. A good refurbishment company will be able to advise you on the most effective storage solutions once you know what your storage requirements are.
Future Expansion Plans?
Where will you be in 1-2 years time? It’s important to allow room for growth in your refurbishment plans. If you don’t think ahead your refurbishment will only end up being a temporary fix and you will have to go through the whole process again further down the line. Your current workplace needs to allow for future expansion. If it doesn’t you need to ask yourself if you are in the right premises.
With over 25 years in the industry you can be assured that JBH Refurbishments have the experience to deliver your office refurbishment efficiently, within budget and on time. Call us on 0333 207 0339 or contact us via our contact form for more information.
