We have a big site at work but after the company expanded we were running very short on office space. Most of our accounts team was in a demountable office and they were really hot in summer and cold in winter. It was so much better for the whole team once we got the new office block built on site. This blog talks about the process of building a new office block, including the design and construction of a block for your team. I hope it will be useful for anyone looking to build a new office block on their site.
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Building a new office block
Two steps you must take before you begin your construction project
Troy Medina
Building a house is a big investment, both in terms of money and time. As such, it is vital to take certain preparatory steps before you start this type of project. Read on to find out more.
Gather information about the land
Before you begin construction, it is crucial to find out as much as you possibly can about features of the site on which you will be building your property. This can be done by hiring a surveyor to perform a feature survey.
This will provide you with a wealth of information about the land, including the proximity of nearby properties, the type and quantity of vegetation on the site and the location of both overground and underground utility services. It will also indicate if there are any fences, ponds, rivers and other structures (such as sheds and outhouses) on the site.
Having this information will enable you to make wiser decisions during the planning process; for example, if the feature survey shows that there are large trees on the plot, with roots which extend several feet away from the trunks, you might decide to build your property far away from them, in order to reduce the chances of subsidence occurring and causing structural damage to the house a few years from now (tree roots can absorb moisture from the soil underneath a house, causing the soil to shrink to such an extent that the house begins to sink into the earth).
Establish a realistic budget for your project
Establishing (and sticking to) a realistic budget is one of the best ways to ensure that your construction project goes as smoothly as possible.
You should begin the process of creating a budget only after you have hired your contractor, as you will need their input, in order to determine the exact costs of hiring labourers, subcontractors and of course, the construction materials.
Rather than simply taking note of the biggest expenses, try to factor in every single cost that you can think of; remember, those seemingly small expenses (such as backsplashes for the kitchen, faucets for the bathroom, etc) can add up very quickly.
It is also crucial to put approximately 10 to 15% of the money you have available for this project into a contingency fund, which you can then dip into if unexpected costs crop up. It's important to realise that regardless of how fastidiously you plan your project, things may still go awry; for example, poor weather conditions might cause expensive delays, or your construction materials might get damaged and need to be replaced.
Having the extra money you need to cover these expenses will ensure that you don't have to shut down construction midway through the project because you cannot afford to continue.
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