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Building refurbishment is an exciting time; your property is undergoing a makeover and the anticipation of how it will all come together is thrilling. But before you get to the big reveal, a fair few steps must come first.
Here, we’re going to look at all the things you need to think about before you begin your building renovation project.
Why Are You Refurbishing?
The reason behind your decision to take on building refurbishment impacts the services you need to source, the budget you set and how much time your project will take. The most common reasons for a building refurbishment include the following;
Rebranding
Maybe your company has rebranded and you want your premises to reflect your new corporate identity. Matching your walls, floors or furniture to your branding helps to convey a slick, professional image to your staff and clients.
Updating
Perhaps you have had enough of your dated and deteriorating decor. Typically, decor lasts around 5-6 years before it needs a refresh. So if your paintwork and flooring are looking tired and worn, it might be time to look at an update.
Outgrown
If you feel like your staff are tripping over each other and your offices are rather cramped, a refurbishment can help make the most of your building. By reconfiguring your space cleverly, you can maximise your usable area.
What Are You Spending?
Your budget dictates the extent to which you can go with your building refurbishment. Large or small, you need to spend your budget wisely.
The best approach is to prioritise what needs doing and allocate your spending accordingly. So, for example, if your cladding is faded and bubbling, it’s going to be higher on your list than, say, the flooring that you just don’t like the pattern of.
A staged approach to your building refurb works well if you are updating or adjusting your workspace. But if you’re going for the big impact of a rebrand, you need to do it all at once to avoid a messy, mixed-up look.
So, now you have your budget and list of building refurbishment priorities – what else should you think about?
Sustainability
There has never been a better time to make your building more sustainable. With green credentials influencing people’s buying choices, reducing your carbon footprint can help to make your business stand out. Not to mention the planet-saving stuff.
Reclaimed and recycled materials can be incorporated into your refurb – and the new materials you bring in can be responsibly sourced. And by ensuring your property is in good repair, you are likely to reduce your heating costs, saving energy and money at the same time.
Ensuring that your roof is in good order makes the most difference to your energy usage. A leaking, damaged roof is often the culprit for unusually high bills, so it pays to stay on top of your roof maintenance, even after your refurb is complete.
Timeframes and Schedules
Once you have decided to go ahead with your building refurbishment, you will want to know how long it’ll take. Obviously, that depends on the scope of your work, but mapping out an ideal timeframe helps your contractors understand your position.
There are many aspects to scheduling work that might mean your ideal timeframe needs to be flexible, so you’ll also need to plan for work overrunning. Adverse weather, supply chain delays and unexpected issues can all play a part in construction – even with the most dedicated and hard-grafting team, like GI Sykes!
A good contractor will help guide you with a realistic timeframe for your renovation work. At GI Sykes, we’re always happy to work with a client to reduce any disruption as best we can – even working weekends to push a project along.
Picking A Contractor
So, we know that a good contractor will be transparent about timings – but what else should you look for when selecting the contractor to carry out your project?
Experience
Experience is always top of the list. You want to hire a company that has done it before because you feel more confident in their skills. The trouble is, every company claims to have ‘experience’ (we’re yet to see a website that says ‘new to the industry, happy to give it a go’!).
So how do you qualify experience? Testimonials and case studies. Reading what others say about a company gives you great insight into what you can expect.
Expertise
Expertise doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with experience. Expertise takes something more – a dedication to understanding and mastering a skill. That’s why, at GI Sykes, we handpick our team. We look for those that have outstanding expertise that can be relied upon in the field, so our clients know that they’re always in safe hands.
Breadth of work
If your building renovation project includes different trades, managing them all can be a headache. By choosing a contractor that provides a large number of services, you reduce your point of contact to one – and that’s much less stressful to manage.
To give you an idea of the scale of what GI Sykes do, here’s a list of our most common building refurbishment services;
- Cladding Repair, Spraying and Coating
- Roof Repair, Liquid Roofing, Roof Cleaning, Roof Coating
- Epoxy Resin Floor Coating
- Line Marking
- Commercial Painting & Decorating
- Commercial Building
We can take on whole projects, managing scheduling and personnel, so you don’t have to. You will liaise with your contracts manager, who will keep you updated on our progress.
Availability
Once you have chosen your preferred contractor, chances are you will want the work started fairly quickly. Luckily, at GI Sykes, we can mobilise our team of over 65 contractors promptly to get your building refurbishment underway.
Ready To Start Your Building Refurbishment?
Now you’ve considered all of these points, you might be ready to speak to a professional contractor who can help make your refurb a stress-free, seamless experience. If you are, call us at GI Sykes; we will be delighted to talk to you about your project and help you get everything in place to give your building a new lease of life.
