If you’re thinking about embarking on an office renovation, either as part of your leasehold improvements or just because it’s time for a refresh, keep in mind these top 5 common complaints about office design before anyone picks up a hammer.

As experienced commercial contractors we see the challenges our clients face all the time. Here are our top 5 that, really ought to be addressed in the pre-construction phase to avoid future headaches. Make sure that when your’re renovating that these potential problems have a solution! 

Complaint #1: Internal Temperature

There are few things more distracting when it comes time to get your work done than being uncomfortable, and making sure the office is a consistent, tolerable temperature should be in the forefront of your mind. Whether it’s too hot or too cold, workers aren’t going to be able to focus on their tasks under those conditions. So everything from insulation, to a programmable thermostat, to any updates to your heating and air conditioning system should definitely be among your top priorities when figuring out what you’re going to change about your workplace.

Complaint #2: Humidity

Humidity is a major factor in office comfort as well, but it has further-reaching, more practical concerns too. If your office space is too humid, it will lead to problems sooner rather than later. For example, the doors and door frames in your office can soak up that extra moisture, swelling, sticking, and becoming difficult to open or shut. Not only that, but it can lead to mold behind the walls and under the carpet, and laminates will often peel over time if exposed to humid air.

While you don’t want your office to be so dry it sucks the moisture out of everyone while they’re working (that can lead to a whole separate set of problems), it is important to make sure you keep the humidity carefully under control.

Complaint #3: Air Quality

In addition to temperature and humidity, you need to ask what the overall quality of the air in your office is like. Air flow is a necessity, as is making sure you’re constantly getting fresh air instead of the same, stale atmosphere. From the design of your filters, to where you’re drawing your air from, the details really make a difference here. Because while you can help keep things fresh with some potted plants and other design tricks, it’s best not to have to rely on those things when the remodeling should have handled the issue.

Complaint #4: Acoustics

There are few things worse than not being able to have a private conversation in the office. Whether it’s due to the angle of the hallways, or how thin the walls are, it’s important to be able to take meetings, phone calls, etc. without needing to pitch your voice low so that the people in accounting can’t hear every word that’s being said. Everything from where walls go, to what they’re made of can significantly alter the acoustics of your office, which is why it’s important to identify problems with sound that need fixed while also making sure new problems aren’t created.

Complaint #5: Smells

If you’ve ever had to share an office kitchen where one of your co-workers made fish in the microwave, then you know just how unpleasant lingering odors can be when it comes to the workplace. Whether your current office setup allows smells to drift and fill the place (such as a kitchen nook that lacks proper ventilation), or there’s old smells left over from years ago that you just can’t get rid of, a remodeling effort can help fix those problems and make your office that much more pleasant to work in all day.

Want to avoid these common complaints about office design when you do your reno? If you’re looking for an experienced commercial contractor who can help you with your next renovation, contact us.