What’s The Difference? Office Fit Out vs Office Refurbishment
We get asked a whole array of questions here at Office Options, from both customers and potential clients. One of the most popular ones being ‘what is the difference between an office fit out and an office refurbishment?’.
Although you may be reading this thinking ‘but aren’t they quite similar?’, there is in fact a definitive difference. From the overall concept, the process and the length of time to complete. Want to learn more? Of course, you do…
What is an Office Fit Out?
An office fit out is when space is fitted out with furnishings, decorations, electrical and mechanical equipment, based on the needs of the occupant – a process to make an interior space suitable for a workforce.
What are the steps of an Office Fit Out?
While there are no official steps involved in a fit out, there are a few common phases that we can share that may help you visualise the process:
- Defining why you need to redesign and reconfigure the office space
- Appointing a team that’s representative of the whole business
- Speaking to an experienced office fit-out company
- Deciding internally on the type of space that would suit your business
- Agreeing on a budget for the fit-out
- Selecting the right furniture for the new environment
- Supporting staff to move in and get settled
Want to know more about our typical approach? Learn more here.
What is an Office Refurbishment?
An office refurbishment, on the other hand, is essential a redesign of your current office in order to enhance the overall look or to address specific workspace issues. Whether this be altering the appearance and aesthetic to fit more in line with your brand, or to change the layout to deal with an expanding team. There are clever ways of creating more space with the premises you are in, with our expertise here at Office Options.
What are the steps of Office Refurbishment?
We will start off the refurbishment project by identifying your reasons for refurbishment before we plan out a strategic process to complete the project with as little disturbance made to your business as possible.
What is the positive impact that a Refurbishment can have on your office?
There are many benefits that an office refurbishment can have on your workspace, some of the following are:
- Increasing workplace productivity and efficiency
- Attract new clients
- Attract passing trade
- Declutter and improve your office layout
- Increase space for new employees
What is the difference?
It’s easy to get muddled up between the two as the terms are often used interchangeably, and sometimes both work can be carried out in one building. They may appear similar, however, they both steer a project in completely different directions.
With an office fit out, you are transforming your office from scratch. You are having the opportunity to choose exactly what you want to build areas, spaces and zones. You can personally choose your electrical points and so on. With an office refurbishment, you are simply altering the design of the workspace to address issues or to enhance what you already have.
How do I know which one I want/need for my company?
This is simple. With our help at Office Options!
We have a dedicated team of Project Managers who will visit your workplace to have an initial conversation with you and the rest of your team if needed, to work out exactly what it is that you need or want from your space. Then we can introduce you to the different possibilities and avenues you can go down, and go over aspects such as partitions, electrical points and furniture, to paint and finishing touches.
For more information on Office Fit-Outs, check out our other Office Fit-Out and Office Refurbishment blogs:
Get In Touch…
Our team are always happy to assist with your enquiries! We are a well-established company with over 15 years of experience, we can take care of every aspect of your project. Whether you are considering between a refurbishment or a fit out, get in touch with us today.