As exciting as it may be for the business, refurbishing an office can be particularly tricky for builders, with various moving parts that could go wrong at any moment. However, luckily, most of these issues can be avoided or solved quickly with good planning and clear communication.
Before getting stuck into your upcoming office refurb project, read on for some of the most common problems in office refurb projects and simple ways to handle them.
Refurbing a Live Office
Refurbishing an office in a live office, meaning people are still working while the building work is going on, can be particularly challenging. Building works can be noisy, messy, and distracting, but must still be carried out with minimal interruption to the daily work of the business and its employees.
To solve this, clear communication is key. Builders and company managers need to have frequent detailed discussions to establish the best setup for everyone's benefit and to plan which areas will be worked on and when. Setting a building schedule and sticking to it means employees can prepare, perhaps by working from home on the days their area of the office is undergoing major development. Signs and notices can also help everyone to fully understand what to expect when they come into work each day.
Surprises Behind Walls
Inconveniently, secret issues and problems can sometimes be hidden behind walls or under floors. From old wiring and broken pipes to asbestos, builders stumbling across something untoward once the work has started is a tale as old as time. As would be expected, these surprises can significantly slow everything down and cost more money.
The best way to avoid any unwanted surprises is to do a full survey before starting. A pre-refurb survey checks the building carefully. This helps builders know what to expect and to plan their work properly, and will save time, money, and stress later on, too.
Timelines and Expectations
Whilst it's understandable for companies to want refurbs to be completed swiftly to enable them to return to normality more quickly, a rushed refurb means sloppy work, skipped steps and, ultimately, unhappy clients. When also factoring in bad weather, building materials mix-ups, and last-minute changes, it's important to be realistic about how long things are predicted to take.
By breaking the project down into smaller milestones and setting clear, realistic deadlines for each stage, builders can efficiently manage client expectations whilst avoiding over-ambitiousness or disappointing clients. Ultimately, it's better to finish early than to keep pushing back finish dates, to leaving plenty of room for errors and changes in the direction of the project will always be an essential step before getting started.
Keep the client in the loop with regular updates, even if the news isn't perfect. Being honest about progress builds trust and helps everyone adjust when needed; a clear plan means fewer surprises and, ultimately, better outcomes all round.
Health and Safety
Working in a live office means health and safety goes beyond hard hats and high vis jackets: every single person in that building needs to be safe and protected. Staff may be walking through corridors while work is happening just metres away, which could be a big risk if not managed properly.
Good safety is about being seen, being clear, and being tidy. That means using strong barriers to keep people out of danger zones, putting up signs that are bold and easy to understand, and cleaning up as you go: obviously, no one wants to trip over tools or breathe in dust on their way to a meeting! Ensure suspended ceiling tiles or light fittings have been installed properly before leaving them unattended to avoid them falling on unsuspecting office employees and always store gear properly and cover sharp edges. Even the smallest steps can make a big difference.
At every step of the process, remember that health and safety isn't just a set of boring rules. Rather, it is a matter of showing the proper respect for the health and wellbeing of the people around you.
