Regardless of whether you plan to renovate a home, office, or retail space, the planning and work involved can be laborious and create some headaches along the way.
While there is plenty of advice out there for renovating homes top to bottom, when it comes to commercial spaces, helpful resources can come at a premium. Fortunately, we’re eager to provide you with some tips to get the ball rolling.
If you’re a business owner, here’s what you should know when undergoing or preparing for office renovations.
1. Set a Budget and Identify Goals
First things first, you need to establish a budget based on what you’re capable of and willing to spend in terms of renovating your office space. Next, jot down all the changes you want to make and prioritize them. It will come in handy when unexpected repairs come into play and you have to cut some costs.
Moreover, pay extra attention to functional details like desk placement, efficient office layout, the number of essential meeting rooms, spaces for a kitchen and bathrooms, as well as balancing individual needs for open space and closed offices. Design elements come second but are nonetheless important for workers’ overall mood and focus.
2. Research Vendors and Distributors
Ensuring quality office renovations work is done on a specified timetable is of the essence for any business. In order to ensure a smooth, timely project, while also staying within budget, you’ll want to work with reliable vendors and distributors. Choose companies with solid references and experience in the field that can guarantee a well-done job from start to finish. Depending on the complexity of your office renovation, you might also need interior designers, architectural designers (if you intend to break down walls), and a trash disposal company to handle debris disposal accordingly.
With technology providing everything in front of us, you can easily assess a vendor’s reputation. If they have a website, there should be a page dedicated to reviews. And if they don’t have one, that’s already questionable.
Assessing your prospective distributors helps you buy materials from reputable suppliers who only sell quality materials. Remember that this is a place you and your team will work in. Your safety is paramount, so using high-quality materials is imperative. Never cut costs in this aspect. It’s a good thing Bernardi Building Supplies and similar providers offer both quality and dependability at a reasonable price.
3. Evaluate the Space and Get a New Design
Besides making sure projects are completed on time, the aforementioned specialists can also help you evaluate the office space, especially if the building is older. This step is extremely important, as there may be hidden flaws that must be addressed before starting your initial renovation plan.
Whether it’s asbestos, mold, faulty electrical systems, old pipes, or even structural damage, it’s often best to expect the unexpected. Once you make sure these crucial aspects are operational and aren’t experiencing any issues, you can adjust your remaining budget according to functional and design priorities.
Today, even before talking to your architect and interior designer, you can use an app to design your space. This way, you can easily visualize what you want to happen in your renovation. The app will provide computations, color, and even furniture in 3D view, so you can be sure you’ll be getting exactly what you need after the renovation. There won’t be an expectation versus reality situation that will make you want to scratch your head.
4. Create a Timeline and Keep Your Employees Updated
Renovations are known to be rather time-consuming and, like all large-scale projects, you need to set a realistic timeline and stick to it. To ensure you get everything done on time and without added unnecessary costs, consult with all the specialists involved and get accurate estimates for each stage of the renovation process.
To minimize the impact the office renovations has on your business and employees, see if there are tasks you can overlap. Notify employees of the changes you want to make and the duration of the project, ask for their input, and check to see if this also affects any of your clients. Keep everyone informed with timeline adjustments and it will all go smoothly.
Having a timeline will also be cost-efficient. If you don’t have a project manager, download an app that will help you track the progress of your renovation so everything will be in the right place, and you will hopefully finish the project on the date you projected.
Seize This Opportunity to Prepare for a Successful Office Renovation
Hopefully, the above advice can help you have a rather effortless and successful experience with any future office renovations plans. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, reach out to specialists and keep in mind that office design directly affects workers’ productivity and morale. That should be motivation enough to push through with your business renovation plan.
If you are looking for a new office, we can help. If you would like assistance of an experience local commercial real estate agent, we have some of the best available to assist you. Contact us today to find out more. No obligation to request information.