It’s all about planning… 

Plan properly! There should be no excuses, and I can not stress this enough! Planning may be one of the most important parts of taking on a new or renovation office design project. And, from our experience, it’s the first thing that people try and shortcut, often with a rushed timeline in mind. 

However, if you do have a tight timeline, budget, or particularly for those of you that are thinking about designing and managing the project yourselves, it is vital that you have a proper plan in place. Know your limitations and understand exactly what you are getting yourself into with contractors, submissions, and the like.

Design Intention

What is it you are hoping to get out of the work?
Do you just want a fresh look, or do things not function as well as you would like them to? Why not call an ‘office meeting’ and make sure all the stakeholders agree with the initial intentions? Then, discuss what works well in your existing office setup. 

Following this, I think it’s always helpful (and often part of the fun) to start flicking through design magazines and create a new like/don’t like a pile of ideas.  This should help inspire you, spark new thoughts and enable everyone involved to understand your vision properly.

Clarifying must-haves (storage space) versus like to have these things (lounge areas) at the start will really help you later on and should mean that less time is wasted having to rework design ideas.

Budget

Be realistic, and understand that you will always get what you pay for!
No matter how you look at it, cheaper materials and cheaper labour will not be as good or last as long. If you are going to do it, then my advice is to do it properly!

Work with people that know what they are doing and will help advise you. They will also be much more equipped to help you understand where you can make the extra cuts if needed! So, if you can’t afford it yet, then wait or just focus on one office room or space at a time.

Be reasonable and do not underestimate the cost of labour. This will be a big part of your budget.

Also, allow for a sensible buffer.  Clients often end up spending 10 – 20% more than they originally accounted for. So it is worth being covered for anything that may go wrong from the offset. That way, if the unexpected does happen, you miss something you needed, or you simply end up wanting to spoil your team with that extra luxury, you can without causing too much pain.