Which is better: a new office or a refurbished one?

Do you prefer the idea of moving to a new office? Or do you fancy having an old building refurbished? It is not just a question of the cost of the building, but the location, transport facilities, and whether the building suits your style.

Asking questions will bring answers to many of these problems. Some questions you might want to ask are below:

1.Where do you want the office to be?

Needless to say, the location of our existing office will be an important factor here, unless you are relocating. Do you prefer the city centre or a suburb? Also, you may have definite ideas about whether you enjoy working in a suburb or an industrial or business estate. Or are you ready to relocate to a new city?

2.How big an office do you need? This is an important question, as you need to allow for expansion in the future, but do not want to waste rent on empty space.

Whatever size you want, you are likely to be able to find a building suitable for refurbishment or a new one, so long as you are looking in an old town or city. In some big cities, like Bristol and Leeds office refurbishment can be done by many companies. In smaller towns, the choice may be limited.

3.Do you work in a new or old building?

People get used to older buildings, which are traditional in appearance so long as they are comfortable, and so may be reluctant to move to a new building. If you want to do that it is up to you to persuade them of the benefits.

4.What style do you like?

This is important, because it is you that runs the business, and will drive it forward to be what you want.

You may like the idea of finding an old Victorian or Georgian building and getting the office refurbishment people in to renovate it, and think this suits your business style. In which case, you will find it easy and interesting to get the job done – but it will take time.

5.Are your employees’ homes scattered all over the area, or are they near? This is related to location, really. However, if you have key employees who have limited transport options you need to take these into account.

6.What parking and transport facilities are needed?

Ideally, you want adequate parking for staff and visitors, and you would like your office to be accessible by public transport. You might consider providing transport for your staff from the city centre or a station – but this would work only with a fairly small business.

7.What is the difference in cost?

This may be the most important question. As a general rule, a refurbished office is cheaper than a new one, and in both cases office removals are required. In either case you might have to move out of your old office before the new one is ready.

You will find that your staff will adjust, some will leave, and newcomers will be happy with the new office, so your feeling about what is best is probably the best one to rely on.

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