Renovating Office Space – Your Step By Step Guide

Whilst many companies are working remotely due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many employers are taking this as a great opportunity to complete office refits and property refurbishment in the lead up to colleagues returning to the office. At Cowley’s Building & Maintenance in Exeter, our refurbishment team are still hard at work providing excellent property management services to businesses across Devon and further afield, with all current safety measures in place.

We can help you achieve an office space that is efficient, effective and contributes to a happier and more successful work environment. Depending on your requirements, our team of Devon builders are available to complete painting and decorating projects, as well as property extensions and complete refurbishments, which may include:

• Knocking through individual walls to create a bigger, more dynamic space
• Creating ‘chill-out’ rooms where employees can unwind with managers or colleagues
• Building smaller, individual offices to hold meetings or conferences
• Creating a new, smart and sophisticated reception area

So, let us take you through our step by step guide for office renovation success!

Think About What You Wish To Achieve

First and foremost, even before you consider the Exeter building company you wish to work with, you’ll want a definitive plan of what you wish to achieve from your new office. You’ve probably got a great plan in mind for your office refit and how you would like it to look, but more importantly, function, so when you come to speak to your desired building contractor, you know exactly what you require.

Of course, some snags may arise during the execution of your plan and, in this case, your knowledgeable and expert team of contractors will liaise with you to discuss other options you may want to consider instead. Once you have your visual plan in place, this is when the fun begins!

Researching Building Contractors

Just like our domestic customers, our commercial clients are just as meticulous when picking the right building contractor for them and their project needs. We recently wrote an article on ‘how to find a reliable building contractor’, which highlights the processes you should consider when it comes to the researching stage for your office refurbishment project. Things you may want to consider when selecting an office renovation team:

• How long have they been completing office refit projects?
• Can they complete it in the timescale you provide?
• What makes them stand out from other local/national contractors?
• Do both parties have a mutual excitement for the project?
• Do they offer different, positive variations to your plans? Can they go one step further in terms of your expectations?

It’s a great idea to see if your chosen contractor can show you some previous office refurbishments they have completed, so you can see first hand their expertise and professionalism. At Cowley’s, we have a host of office refit projects available to view on our website, on the building projects page.

Starting & During The Office Renovation Process

Before you have agreed a start date for the renovation to take place, you’ll want to have arranged for suitable temporary storage solutions to keep desks, chairs etc. for the foreseeable future. This will allow for a complete new canvas for the commercial building contractors to work on, instead of having to cover furniture with sheets and meandering their way through to get to different areas of the office.

Depending on the size of the renovation, you’ll want to check in on the project most days, to assess progress and make sure the contractors are keeping to the time scale. If you find an office refit team that you can trust and who can communicate well from day to day, it will make the process a lot easier for both parties, so you don’t have to get too involved in the renovation process.

Why not take some photos of the ongoing work and put them up on your social channels for your employees to see? Not only will they get excited to head back to the office, but it is a great talking point – especially if you want to get the team involved by suggesting ideas!

The Final Touches

A day or so before the renovation is complete, you’ll want to meet with your building contractor to have a walk around your newly decorated and arranged office space, so you can iron out any issues or niggles (if any). Use this time to understand the processes your contractor has gone through so you are sure that if any issues were to come up in the future, you’re fully aware of the work that may have caused this. Obviously, if you pick a high quality building contractor, you shouldn’t experience any trouble, but just in the worst case scenario!

Start Your Lockdown Office Refurbishment With Cowley’s Office Refit Team, Exeter

It couldn’t be easier to get your office refurb project with Cowley’s Builders in Exeter. Our team is on hand to provide free onsite estimations at a time and day to suit you, so what are you waiting for? Call us on 01392 460783 or email mail@cowleysexeter.co.uk for more information and our office staff will be happy to discuss your requirements, as well as answer any questions you may have!

We look forward to working with you in the near future.