Revamping your office building can be a cost-effective alternative to moving premises. But even with a modest revamp, office refurbishment costs can mount up. Use these tips to plan a great office fit-out project that gets the best out of a limited budget.

Focus on footfall

If you can’t afford to splash out on every square metre of the office, keep office refurbishment costs down by investing in key areas that will make the most impact. For example:

• Replacing carpet or flooring? Concentrate on the areas that get the most use. Only refit carpet in these high-traffic areas and save up to 75% of the cost of carpeting the entire floor.
• Prioritise the reception area. Use strong décor, incorporating colours and images that reinforce your brand.
• Want to make an impression? Set aside a portion of your budget to spend on items that will provide the ‘wow’ factor and make a statement about your company. This doesn’t have to cost the earth; a special artwork or sculpture could be commissioned from a local artist without breaking your budget, for example.

Open up

Altering your office layout can have a big impact on refurbishment costs. It can have other benefits, too. Open plan offices typically encourage more colleague interaction and make the workplace a more flexible and collaborative place to be.

• Need to accommodate more staff? The open plan office enables you to do it for less. You could fit 25% more employees into the same space by removing internal walls and abolishing private offices.
• Future proof your space: One cost-conscious advantage of the open plan office is that it keeps the layout flexible. If in the future you need to change the way you work by fitting in more employees, the open plan office will let you do this more easily and cost-effectively.
• Bringing down barriers: Knocking through to create an open plan layout helps employees to feel like part of a bigger team.
• Natural light: By removing internal walls, your office will feel lighter and brighter, as the natural sunlight can reach across the entire floor.

Be smart about storage

Even in the age of the ‘paperless office’, office supplies still need a home. From servers to stationery, utilising the space in a smarter way can help you cut down on storage space and maximise the square footage available for other business needs.

• Move to the cloud. Imagine what you could do with the space currently occupied by your servers. By shifting your IT operations to the cloud, you can get rid of bulky servers and other equipment, and use the space you save to accommodate more employees. You could even rent out the spare office space if it’s surplus to requirements.
• Rationalise your layout. Can you arrange your furniture more effectively to free up space for storage? What about the wall and ceiling space – can you create shelving or even build a mezzanine floor to build upwards as well as outwards?

Get professional advice

The best way to reduce your office refurbishment costs is to take advice from a professional. With extensive experience in the business, Apollo Interiors can help you to plan your office refurbishment and keep on top of the costs. Contact us to find out more.