Today’s modern business spaces look very different from traditional offices of the past. It doesn’t matter if it’s an open work space or some combination of private offices and cubicles, corporate management clearly understands the benefits to renovating current office spaces with improved workflow patterns to encourage collaboration – along with stylish, modern, and comfortable interiors that retain top talent.

An office renovation should support the long term growth of your business, including choice of furnishings, lighting, and equipment that will directly impact your current and future workforce.

To get the maximum performance and functionality from your new space, a detailed evaluation of the current space can provide insight into the optimum use of space vs. cost. Consider performing a space audit during the planning stages to discover the maximum use of space, the best assignment of spaces to support business processes, and to understand the most effective cost per square foot.

 

Planning for an Effective Office Renovation

The first step to planning an effective office renovation is to select your team of professionals that will guide you through the remodel process.

The old school way to look at this curation would mean finding an architect, a general contractor, and a design consultancy firm that specializes in office and/or retail spaces to take the helm in all aspects of the renovation. These days, more and more businesses see the benefit in reducing the run-around by selecting a dedicated office design/build firm that makes your office renovation project easier from start to finish – creating energetic interiors, efficient workspaces, and providing for and supervising all specialty tradesmen needed to complete the project.

Plan for effective use of all space and an efficient use of your budgeted funds. Your planning should include the type and style of office desired, and what current office pitfalls you specifically want to eliminate; if you know a certain group of employees need a more private work space – plan for it. If you know your current conference room table doesn’t seat all employees for corporate meetings – detail how much seating would be optimum.

In modern offices, the answer to budget or space restrictions might include a trade-off between space and technology, such as an interactive whiteboard with video conferencing capability. You won’t outgrow the technology, but you may outgrow an undersized conference room.

 

5 Office Renovation Budget Tips

When planning for your office renovation, your vision, your budget, and the effective use of space should all work together in determining trade-offs vs. must-haves. Consider innovative ways to achieve the office you want when budget constraints are in place:

• Sunshine is free, and plants are an inexpensive way to bring the outdoors into the office while boosting morale.
• Be forward-thinking with modern technology that can reduce onsite data storage (remote or cloud-based storage), limit paper printing (paperless office), and change the way you do business (tablets and laptops versus desktop computers).
• Happy employees will collaborate. Communal areas along open window areas will use under-utilized space and save money.
• Customize each division to its space. Cut costs by limiting private offices to management, sales, and creative staff members.
• Consult with an office interior design specialist to effectively use color, space, patterns, seating, and lighting to create a positive and productive environment – and will cost less than expensive furnishings.

Specialists in office renovations can overcome budget constraints by using workplace psychology and good ergonomic and visual design principles to create spaces that are inclusive, inventive, fruitful, and enjoyable – all while staying within your budget.

 

How a Space Audit Can Maximize Budget

After you’ve partnered with a creative office design/build consultant and pre-planned for the type of space, furnishings, and equipment that each area will need – along with allocating funds for upgrading office technology to overcome any physical limitations of space, you may find that your vision still doesn’t match your budget. The next step is to consider a space audit to maximize your budget and interior spaces.

A space audit will help make sure your office space will fit the present and future needs of you employees and your business. While a space audit should not be the only motivating factor in an office renovation, it does provide evidence-based analysis of your space, both qualitative and quantitative.

 

Company leadership – and employees – should be asked what they desire in an effective office layout. Depend on a space audit to reveal areas where spaces are under-utilized and where inefficient workflow patterns exist due to poor office layout.

The result of a space audit is a detailed report to guide your office renovation project in maximizing all office space to its fullest potential. When faced with office renovation budget constraints, you realize you won’t get everything on your wish list. But you should certainly expect your project to conclude with an office layout that reduces operating costs, uses available space more effectively, and accommodates all employees.

Pertaining to the human factor – if the project results in an office that supports teamwork, increased productivity, and an enhanced occupant experience – then consider the renovation a huge success, regardless of planning and budgetary conflicts.

 

Consider the Open Office Concept

When you partner with an interior space and design consultant, they can analyze the spaces across your entire property including storage areas, meeting rooms, main offices, reception areas, breakout rooms, private facilities, and any retail spaces.

Expect to discover not only how your spaces are being used – but also, how they are not being used. A space audit doesn’t examine square footage utilization only – it should also analyze features concerning how your employees work together, and the style of management in place.

The open office concept is a money saving office layout plan that increases communication between employees and the efficiency of business workflows. The loss of privacy – which employees may initially balk at, can be offset with large and small private spaces that contain little more than adaptable seating and tables for group privacy. It’s always a good idea to discuss an open floor plan with your employees and brainstorm ways they can more easily adapt.

New office ground rules should be discussed and set into motion – aimed at limiting noise and distractions, while respecting the privacy of your co-workers. Go one more step and discuss best practices for music and personal phone calls. An open office saves money that could be spent on interior partitions and separate decors. At the same time, a new and fresh energy is injected into the heart of your company’s culture.

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It may seem like a delicate balancing act when renovation project leaders examine corporate budget restraints. All parties expect a successful remodel to embrace quality, function, and costs. The issue becomes getting the most from your allocated funds. Start by pre-planning your project spending and look at ways to reduce costs wherever possible.

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