Survey the occupied floor properly
A refurbishment plan is only as good as the survey behind it. An occupied floor hides things. Furniture covers floor boxes, ceilings hide services, and teams have quietly adapted rooms to new uses.
A good survey records the measured layout, the current use of each area, visible services and the condition of finishes. It also records who sits where and which functions cannot move. That information shapes every phase that follows.
Plan the decants
A decant is a temporary move of people out of an area so work can happen. Each phase needs a decant plan that says who moves, where they go, for how long and what they need when they get there.
Temporary space may be another part of the floor, a spare meeting room or hybrid working for a period. The plan should protect functions that cannot be disrupted, such as reception, client meeting rooms or teams working to fixed deadlines.
- Which teams move in each phase
- Where they sit and for how long
- Power, data and storage at the temporary location
- How visitors are received during the works
Coordinate with the landlord early
In most commercial buildings the landlord shapes the programme. Drawings need approval. Working hours may be restricted. Shared lifts, loading areas and common corridors have rules.
Service shutdowns need particular care. Power, water, air conditioning and fire systems often serve more than one tenant. Any shutdown has to be agreed with the landlord and its appointed contractors, planned for a suitable time and communicated to everyone affected. The refurbishment team should never alter live building systems without that agreement.
Isolate the works from the working office
People working next to a refurbishment need protection from dust, noise and the movement of materials. Temporary partitions, protected routes and agreed quiet hours keep the working office functional.
Noisy and dusty activities can often be scheduled outside business hours. Where that is not possible, teams should know in advance when disruption is expected.
Manage logistics as part of the programme
Deliveries, waste removal and the movement of workers all compete with the business for lifts, entrances and corridors. A logistics plan sets delivery windows, storage areas for materials and routes that avoid client-facing space.
Procurement timing matters too. Long-lead items such as furniture, lighting or specialist equipment should be ordered so they arrive when each phase needs them, not stacked in the office for weeks.
Agree approvals and handover for each phase
Each phase should finish with its own inspection and handover before people move back. That means agreed snagging, cleaning, working services and any landlord or authority sign-off the building requires.
Handing over in stages lets problems be fixed while the team is still on site, and it lets the business return to finished space rather than waiting for the whole project to close.
- Inspection and snag list for the phase
- Services tested and confirmed working
- Landlord or authority sign-off where required
- Clean, furnished space ready for return
Keep people informed
Communication is the part of phasing most often left out of the plan. Staff should know which phase is next, when they move and what to expect on the day. A short weekly note and a named contact for questions prevent most of the frustration that occupied refurbishments create.
Reception teams need the same information, so visitors are guided around the works without confusion.
Where Outtabox fits
Outtabox plans and delivers office refurbishment with interiors, building services interfaces, procurement and handover coordinated as one programme. Our current Rack Centre office fit-out in Lagos shows the same coordination of interiors, MEP, fire and ELV, inspections and handover in an enterprise setting.
If your office has to stay open during the work, the best first step is a conversation about the floor, the teams on it and the landlord's rules.
If you are preparing a project of this kind, send us the outline and we will respond with a view on scope and sequence.