If you’re in the process of planning an office refurbishment it’s a good idea to have a detailed plan in place. This article covers what you need to think about and what you need to do to ensure your office refurbishment goes to plan, causes minimal disruption and is as stress free as possible.
First Steps in Your Office Refurbishment Plan
You will need to set a budget. As with any project, there is no point in planning for a large makeover, if you are limited budget wise. By keeping your finances in mind you can also be more focussed on getting the best return for your money and cutting back on items that are not really needed.
It’s all too easy to rush into an office refurbishment which could be a mistake. Instead you need to look at your why you want to carry out an office refurbishment and what your overall objectives are. If you don’t do this you could get half way through the project or get to the end only to realise that you may need to start again or that any changes you make are unlikely to be future proof.
Instead take some time to evaluate your need to refurbish your office space by asking yourself the following questions: what is wrong with your current office setup and design, what you are looking to achieve with your new look office space and then set out to define your aims and objectives clearly so that you know exactly what you need to achieve both in the short term and in the longer term.
Once your budget and objectives are defined you can set about identifying an individual who will be responsible or you can put together a team to work through the refurbishment. The individual or team will be responsible for liaising with the office refurbishment company who will be managing the project. Finding the right office refurbishment company is also an essential element in ensuring the success of the refurbishment.
Let’s look at what needs to be done in more detail:
Having a Budget
It’s important early on to establish how much of a budget you have to spend. If you have limited spending capacity it’s useful to look at what needs to be done and if needs be prioritise those elements of the refurbishment which are absolute must haves against those you can do without.
Refurbishment costs vary from project to project depending on materials used, and the overall specification of the project. Specifications can range from a few pounds per square foot to hundreds of pounds and upwards. Budget will play a major role in setting the level of specification.
As with any project you should also factor in unforeseen costs as part of your budget to give yourself a little bit of leeway in dealing with any expenses that arise as the project progresses.
Why Do You Need an Office Refurbishment?
Be clear about why you need an office refurbishment. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why do you need an office refurbishment now?
- What is it about your current workspace that doesn’t meet your business needs?
- What issue(s) could be resolved?
- Do you have any other objectives in carrying out a refurbishment, over and above solving any problems in your office space?
The answers to the questions above will set the foundation for the project and all the work that is carried out. The next step is to look at what your objectives are.
What Would You Like Your To Achieve?
Once you know why you need an office refurbishment the next question should be what do you want to achieve from refurbishing your office.
What improvements are you looking to make? Are you looking to:
• make better use of the existing space?
• move to open plan?
• create individual offices to give more privacy?
• setup a meeting room?
• have a reception area?
• find space for break out areas?
• provide better storage solutions?
You may have one or more of the above objectives or perhaps something different but whatever your aspirations are you should document them so you have clear project plans that everyone can see.
Your Project Team Or Individual
There’s a lot of information to gather when you’re planning an office refurbishment from budget decisions to business objectives and how changes will be scheduled, to what departments will need to be involved e.g. you will need to involve IT if changes involve the installation, setup or movement of new technology. It’s also worth getting staff feedback to how changes will affect the business and staff.
This can be done by one person but it’s a good idea, if possible, to put together a project team who will be responsible for your office refurbishment. This may include the business owner or a senior member of staff along with staff from across your departments including finance, facilities management, human resources, IT, marketing etc. With input from a variety of departments and staff on various levels you can move forward knowing that any refurbishment will have a positive impact on your business and your staff.
Working With the Right Office Refurbishment Company
With any office refurbishment project it’s wise to bring in the professionals. An office refurbishment company can help offer you their expertise and advice and help you to move the project forward.
Your office refurbishment company can play a vital role in many ways including:
- providing advice before the project commences
- working with you to develop the look of your office and keeping it on trend (if required)
- continuing to provide expertise as the refurbishment progresses
- managing the refurbishment so you only have to liaise with one company
- keeping you informed as the project progresses
- complying with building regulations and health and safety standards
To ensure you have the right office refurbishment company you should:
- ask how many years experience they have
- look at any previous work they have carried out (check to see if they have a portfolio or projects you can view) and check if they have done similar work before
- ask if they can provide references and follow them up
- email, telephone and meet with them to be sure that they are easy to communicate with and that they understand your requirements
- find out how flexible they are in their work practices e.g. will they schedule work to fit in around your business
- look at whether they offer office design and layout services including digital rendering in 2D and 3D to show exactly how your workplace will look before any work is carried out
- check out their reputation. Money.co.uk provides a few tips to see if a company is legitimate before committing to work with them.
Once you’ve got your office refurbishment budget, plan and trusted office refurbishment company in place it’s time begin to mould your office space into the ideal working environment for you, your company and your staff.
JBH Refurbishments Office Refurbishment and Fit Out Contractor
JBH Refurbishments are experienced office refurbishment and fit out contractors. We can take care of all of your office interior fit out needs. Take advantage of JBH Refurbishments 25+ years of expertise in carrying out your Sussex, Essex, Kent and London office interior fit out by contacting us via our contact form or calling us on 0333 207 0339.
