Office Fit Out Challenges
As you plan your office fit out, it’s easy to focus on the end result: a stunning space. It not only looks amazing, but perfectly suits the needs of your people and company. However, the path to the result is rarely smooth sailing.
Along the way, there are myriad challenges that can arise at any point. These problems can push out your timeline, exceed your budget, and leave you with a workspace that doesn’t actually your needs.
At Zentura, we’ve been planning, designing, and building office fit outs since 2008, helping our clients avoid pitfalls and achieve exceptional results. Through these years of experience, we’ve identified the hidden issues that can trip up even the most prepared of companies.
Today, we’ll go through 6 issues that often surprise companies doing an office fit out, from planning to delivery. We’ll go through why they happen, the impact they can have, and how to avoid them. By the end, you’ll know how to avoid the most challenging issues that might arise during your office fit out, enabling you to set your company up for success.
Planning Problems
Budgeting
The most common challenge companies face with their office fit out is running over budget. It's so common in the industry taht it shouldn't be a surprise, but many companies are still caught off-guard by it.Over 70% of fit-out projects in the UK exceed initial budgets due to unforeseen costs.
The seeds of this problem are often sown when the budget is set. Starting the project with a realistic budget that accounts for all potential costs is essential to project success. Otherwise, unforeseen costs lead to overspending, delays, or compromises in the quality of the final space.
To avoid budgeting challenges in your fit out, use realistic square foot rates to get an understanding of what your project might cost. You can then work with a design & build company or a project manager to build a more detailed budget before getting final signoff. You should also allow a contingency of 5-10% to allow for unforeseen issues or upgrades.
Misalignment
There are many different challenges that companies encounter when doing an office fit out. Conflict and disagreements can appear from anywhere, apparently without warning. However, these unforeseen issues often stem from failing to align key stakeholders during the planning phase.
It may be brushed over or minimised initially, but any misalignment between key stakeholders can lead to major issues during the design and fit out phases of your project. Often, these issues lead to delays, changes, and cost increases.
To ensure alignment, it’s important to build the right project team. This should have the necessary expertise and authority without being too big and cumbersome. You should get input from managers and staff at early stages to establish issues and aspirations, which you can then use to inform the planning and design.
Office Design Problems
Acoustics
The most common regret we encounter when we speak to companies about office fit outs they’ve done in the past is a lack of attention to acoustics. Poor acoustics are among the top complaints in open-plan offices, with 70% of employees reporting noise affects their productivity.
Neglecting to include soundproofing or noise control in your design can lead to a distracting environment that reduces staff productivity, Even worse, it can even cause confidentiality issues in certain industries such as law.
To ensure you do not encounter this issue, you’ll need to plan for it during the design phase. The specification of walls, floors, and ceilings is crucial. You should also consider other things like sound-absorbent materials or sound masking systems.
Functionality
When working with your design & build company on your office fit out, it’s tempting to prioritise the visible aspects of your workspace.
However, focussing too much on aesthetics at the expense of functionality can lead to major challenges as you use the space. A poor layout can make communication or focussing very difficult. Unsuitable utility systems can lead to a poor office experience. Your design may look great but still lack the functionality your people need.
To avoid this in your project, work with an experienced interior designer. Establish the needs of your new workspace and create a plan that delivers on those before worrying about the aesthetics. This way, you will create an office that meets the needs of you and your people.
Fit out Problems
Lead Times
After budget overrun, the second biggest problem many companies face is schedule overrun. A major contributor to this is underestimating lead times. Some equipment, especially HVAC equipment, can have very long lead times. Furniture is often made to order and can take up to 10 weeks.
As a result, your entire project could be delayed while you wait for these items to arrive. The schedule slides, and additional costs can easily occur from extended leases or additional labour fees.
To avoid this, it’s important to identify if you have any hard deadlines (eg lease end date) and plan your project accordingly. Working with an experienced D&B company that can identify long-lead items and set up a suitable procurement strategy is also necessary,
Project Management
Unfortunately, it’s not only procurement challenges that lead to cost and time overruns. Another common cause is poor project management. If your design & build company has under-resourced the project management to reduce costs, it’s likely that your overall costs will end up higher.
Schedule conflicts and miscommunication can lead to delays and a lower quality of workmanship as contractors struggle to achieve the deadlines. This also increases the risk of rework and additional costs.
The best way to avoid this is to carefully assess the project management expertise of your design & build company before appointing them. Asking questions about their process and how they remain accountable to you is crucial. Direct references from their previous clients are also very helpful.
Avoiding Problems in Your Office Fit Out
An office fit out is a major and complex project. Challenges during the planning, design, or delivery phase can push out your timeline, exceed your budget, and even worse, leave you with a workspace that doesn’t actually meet the needs of you and your people.
By preparing for and mitigating against these commonly overlooked issues you can keep your project on track and within budget. Addressing these challenges head-on ensures you will have a workspace that doesn’t just look great but also functions perfectly for your team’s needs—both today and well into the future.
To learn more about preparing for your office fit out download the Office Fit Out Costs Guide. There, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the cost of your office fit out. By the end, you’ll be able to create an initial project budget, complete your project brief, and start searching for office fit out companies. To learn more about avoiding office fit out problems, read 7 Underestimated Office Relocation Problems (and How to Avoid Them).
