Most businesses reach a point where the office no longer works: too cramped, too dated, or laid out for a way of working that no longer exists. The instinct is often to move, but a refurbishment of the space you already have can solve the same problems for less money and less upheaval. This guide sets out how to compare the two honestly, with the numbers and questions that matter for firms in Bournemouth and across Dorset.
Before comparing costs, check where you stand contractually. If you have three or more years left on your lease, a refurbishment usually makes more sense, because you will get the benefit of the investment. If you are within 12 to 18 months of a break clause or expiry, relocation becomes a genuine option, and any refurbishment should be light touch unless you plan to renew.
Look closely at dilapidations too. Most commercial leases require you to return the space to its original condition, so leaving can trigger a bill for stripping out partitions, ceilings and cabling. In Dorset offices we regularly see dilapidations claims in the range of £8 to £20 per square foot. That cost sits on the relocation side of the ledger and is easy to forget.
A refurbishment of an existing office typically costs less per square foot than a full fit-out of a new one, because the building services, structure and often the basic partitioning are already in place. As a rough guide, a mid-range refurbishment in the Bournemouth area tends to fall between £40 and £90 per square foot, depending on how much mechanical and electrical work is involved. A Cat B fit-out of an empty shell in a new building is more often £70 to £150 per square foot.
Relocation carries costs beyond the fit-out itself. Add removals, IT and telecoms migration, new signage, legal fees on the new lease, stamp duty land tax where it applies, and a period of paying rent on two premises during the handover. For a 5,000 square foot office, those extras alone commonly reach £30,000 to £60,000. Against that, a move can bring a lower rent or a better location, so model the full five year picture rather than the headline figure.
Refurbishment means living with the works. A phased programme can keep the business running, with teams decanted floor by floor or into temporary desks, but there will be noise, dust and some weeks where meeting rooms are unavailable. A typical 3,000 to 6,000 square foot refurbishment in occupation runs six to twelve weeks. Out of hours working can reduce the impact but adds to the labour cost.
Relocation concentrates the disruption into a shorter window, usually a single weekend for the physical move, with the fit-out completed beforehand while you carry on in the old office. The trade-off is that staff commutes, parking and client access all change. In Bournemouth, moving from a town centre office to somewhere like Aviation Park or a business park off the A338 can significantly alter how people get to work, so ask the team before you commit.
Refurbishment wins when the building itself is sound and the location works, but the interior is holding you back. Tired finishes, poor acoustics, no collaboration space, and a layout built around fixed desks for a workforce that now comes in three days a week are all problems that design and reconfiguration can fix. Many Dorset businesses find they can release 20 to 30 per cent of floor area by moving to agile working, which can even allow them to sublet or hand back part of the space.
It also tends to be the quicker route. Planning and design for a refurbishment can be turned around in four to eight weeks, whereas finding, negotiating and legally completing a new lease often takes six months or more before any works begin.
Move if the building cannot give you what you need. Common triggers are a lack of natural light, heating and cooling systems that are beyond economic repair, poor energy performance that will fall foul of tightening EPC rules for commercial lettings, or simply that you have outgrown the space and there is no room to expand. If the landlord is unwilling to fund essential base building upgrades, a refurbishment can become a case of throwing good money after bad.
Relocation also makes sense when the business has changed direction. A firm that now needs a showroom, more meeting rooms for client visits, or a location closer to Poole or Christchurch to suit its staff may find no amount of refurbishment can make the current address work. Whichever way you lean, get a feasibility study and a space plan for both options before deciding. The cost of that early advice is small compared with the cost of picking the wrong route.
Yes, most refurbishments in the Bournemouth area are carried out in occupation using a phased programme. Expect some disruption, and plan temporary desks and out of hours working for the noisiest tasks.
Often they will contribute if you agree to extend the lease, either as a rent free period or a direct capital contribution. It is worth raising early, before you commit to a design or a contractor.
Allow at least nine to twelve months from starting the search to moving in. Finding premises and completing the legal work usually takes longer than the fit-out itself.