TOPIC: Renew And Improve Existing Space

Renew And Improve Existing Space

Presented By Mark Rauch

It often makes sense for a renewing office tenant, who has been in the same location for a number of years, to consider having their office premises re-painted and re-carpeted. As someone specializing in exclusive tenant representation, it's usually a fair request to ask the landlord to pay for these improvements, particularly for a space with 7 or more years of wear-and-tear.

If there's a 5-year lease renewal on the table and the carpeting has weathered well, but is just beginning to show signs of age, one question may be, how will these premises look in 2 or 3 more years, when there will be no economic incentive for the landlord to redo the space at that time?

Factors involved in how long office carpeting should last include the following:

High-traffic businesses (i.e. call centers, insurance claims offices, etc.) will experience significantly more wear-and-tear than do professional services companies, such as law firms and CPA offices.

Lower-grade carpet, generally speaking, will wear quicker than more expensive, higher grades.

Whether a carpet is installed over pad or glue-down, as well as the original floor preparations, may affect wear-and-tear.

What's involved in a "paint 'n carpet job", where the tenant is already in the space?

Quick Paint & Carpet Jobs
These jobs typically don't involve reassigning offices, knocking-out/ removing walls or significant construction. They're typically done for cosmetic improvements. Because the construction isn't significant, the phases will usually occur over a weekend, with the move-out on a Friday and the move-back on Sunday.

What You Need To Know
How big are the phases?

Where is the staging area?

This is usually determined by the carpet company and/or landlord.

When will the contents removal and return phases begin?

Will there be painting? Can items remain on the walls?

Are they carpeting or can contents simply be moved away from the walls (usually 3-4'), for painting?

Will the office contents be going back to exactly where they came
from?

Who is going to be on-site, overseeing the return phase?

Tips:

Always try to stage on-site & avoid trailer storage - trailer storage is more labor intensive, with more opportunity for damage.

If everything goes back "as is", either request the tenant provide diagrams of each office and/or workstation or allow time for the supervisor to do it, to be posted on the door or cube entrance.

A lot of times, people won't remodel areas with tile (VCT) floors, so be sure to confirm.

Make sure the tenant disconnects all computers, even if the furniture is just being pushed-away from the wall, for paint-only jobs.

Major Remodels Involving "Swing Space"

Many times, companies will take advantage of a remodeling, to reconfigure their office. That means different people and departments will occupy different spaces, at different times. Because these projects take longer, companies will often assign a swing space, where the employees occupy a temporary space. Unlike a quick paint and carpet job, the move-out and the move-back are not identical.

Direct Moves - This is where the employee or department moves once, directly into their final location.

Swing Space Moves - This is where the employee or department moves twice, once to a temporary space and again to their final location.

Tips:

Always try to stage on-site, avoiding trailer or off-site storage.

Get a detailed floor plan and schedule of who goes where, when, from the tenant.

A lot of times, these involve temporary staging or storage, so inquire and make sure there is adequate staging/storage space for all the contents, etc.

Modular Furniture & Remodeling Moves

Modular workstations can dramatically complicate a remodeling move.

It's important to know what type of carpeting exists and what will be installed. Rolled goods is the traditional type used most commonly and will generally require that all cubicles be completely disassembled and removed. Carpet tiles are usually the less-common alternative, and, though often more expensive, usually can be installed without disassembling the stations. On such occasions, the cubicle partitions can be raised slightly, using a "lift system", enabling the carpet installers to both demo the old carpet, as well as install the new carpet tiles.

Questions to be answered

Is there enough time (usually Friday pm, Saturday and Sunday) to complete all work to be completed?

Tips: