An office renovation or a fit out is never an easy or cheap option to undertake. But if your company absolutely have to, there are ways to do it in as efficient and as low cost as possible. If you are a half decent company that’s worth its salt, you may want to hire the services of a professional fit out contractor. Now you might have had heard of horror stories from unscrupulous contractors that just pile up the costs with shoddy workmanship to boot. There are ways to make sure your company does not suffer the same fate. Office Fitouts & Renovations companies are numerous so it is easy to actually become overwhelmed with choices. Many office interior fit out companies will offer almost the exact same services at prices that are nearly identical so how to choose? Below are some of the things that you need to look out for when choosing a company.
Budget
Budget is relative and is sometimes the term afford does not translate to monetary values. What it translates to for reputable and decent companies is a balance of what they can afford to let go and do without. So with this being said always go for a contractor that you can afford, financially and whatever workarounds you may have in budget considerations. Efficiency is a factor, where the cheapest may not necessarily be the best one to go for. Never set your budget on an unrealistic level in order for you to avoid any change that will most likely occur in the duration of the project. Aside from setting the budget in a more acceptable and realistic level, always be aware that changes will happen with associated costs. Having the foresight will make these changes less of a surprise and can be dealt with accordingly as they occur.
Time
Like money, time also needs to be budgeted because time is money after all. If a contractor gives you an estimate that may be too good to be true, that is because it probably is. They might go in with promises but already have changes prepared up their sleeves. Ensure that all steps are covered without cutting corners.
Regulations and Contracts
A sure sign of a respectable fit out contractor will be their insistence on laying down everything you agreed upon in writing. Why? because a contract is simply the easiest way to protect both parties. By saying this everything that you and the contractor have agreed upon should be in writing. Remember they will almost agree to anything verbally but suddenly develop amnesia as the project progresses. Have a consultation with your lawyers to iron out any kinks and locate any loopholes if there are any. This would be a good time to ensure everything and all regulation are followed to avoid future problems. Regulatory approvals, building permits, health and safety issues should be no problem for a decent contractor.
These are just some of the things you can do or don’t do for that matter but using these will definitely land you a relatively safe and good contractor.
