Making mistakes during an office relocation can be costly. Critical files could be lost, employees could lose valuable working time and business schedules may be seriously set back. Be sure to avoid these common office moving pitfalls for a quick, painless move.
Here are 5 common mistakes when moving offices.
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Not starting to plan far enough in advance.
- In order to properly plan and execute an office move, I would recommend planning 3-6 months in advance or once the new space is selected.
- Ordering furniture can take 6-8 weeks from the time of the order, this does not include the time it takes for space planning, selecting a vendor, selecting finishes, and getting a finalized quote.
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Not leaving yourself room for error and time to fix it.
- I have seen a lot of clients that understandably didn’t want to overlap time on two leases. To avoid this they plan on having the construction/furniture completed in the new space the day before or a minimal time before their lease expires in their existing space.
- My experience is that about 50% of interior renovations go over budget and past the expected completion date. This leaves some companies have to pay double rent, having to move into temporary workspace and having to totally scramble to get a new plan in place.
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Trying to do everything yourself.
- This is one of those things that many people don’t realize the complexity of until they get in too deep (you don’t know what you don’t know).
- There is a reason that companies pay thousands of dollars to design firms for their expertise in knowing local codes and permitting processes, helping to pick carpeting, lighting, wall covering and other finishes. Plus they can help keep the project on budget and on time.
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Going with the low bids.
- Getting bids when moving on items like the build out, furniture and moving can be a good business decision. But in the end going with the low bid and not the vendor you are most comfortable with can be extremely costly in time and money.
- Most movers carry insurance. What they don’t tell you is that moving insurance is by the pound. So if they destroy a 55” flat screen TV that cost $2000 and weighs 20 lbs, the insurance might cover $0.35 per pound, with a reimbursement of $7.00
- Low cost contractors are famous for over promising and under delivering. They may be juggling 4-5 jobs at once with not enough people to do the work.
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Not setting your expectations properly.
- I have worked on thousands of projects in the 13 years I have been in the industry and if I work on a project where everything goes 100% perfect I am always surprised. You are working with thousands of variables, most of them out of your direct control and some of them outside of the contractor’s control. Things are going to go wrong, items will get damaged, items you order may arrive late. BE PREPARED.
