Is Your Office Running Out of Space?

Trying to figure out whether it's time to expand your office space? Let's look at a few examples to see if it's time.

You're a lawyer renting a space in an office building. You have a secretary and a business partner and are hoping to bring an intern on board, but you're running out of room and want everyone to be comfortable.

You're a work-from-home writer looking to hire an assistant to help keep up with the daily tasks. The assistant will work alongside you in your office and you don't want to feel like you're stepping on each other's toes.

You create and sell items from your home. Between creating the product, storing inventory and making sales, your small office has become one giant mess.

Is it Time to Expand?

If any of these scenarios sound like you, it's most likely time to expand your office space.

You have a few different options to go about expanding the space:

• Rent a larger room - The first option is the easiest - simply rent a larger space (or a few different spaces) once your current lease is up. Larger spaces will cost more money, but hopefully your business is making enough money to make up the difference.
• Expand your current office - If you live on land or in a neighborhood that allows for expansions, this could be the most affordable option if you're currently working from home. As the following article shows, while you may be able to do the construction yourself, it's best to meet with someone with a builders contractors license. This person can help you spot any weight-bearing posts and can advise you on how much expansion would best suit your needs.
• Build a new office - Another idea is to build a brand new office from the ground up. You can purchase a parcel of land or build on your current land if you have the space. An advantage of building a brand new office is you can design it exactly to your liking. If you need to meet with clients, you can have a small waiting room. If you hope to grow to ten employees, you can build a space that will eventually accommodate everyone. While this is the most expensive option, it may meet all of your needs for the remainder of the time you're in business.

Don’t Turn Down Referrals

Expanding your office or building a new one will both require a contractor to help see the project through completion.

When looking for a contractor, meet with as many as you can, ask for referrals, ask about prices and timeframes, ask if they have their contractor's license and how long they've been in business for and more.

Choosing the right contractor can make your life easy and stress-free during the process, but choosing the wrong one can lead to one of the most stressful times in your life.

Contractors don't always have a good reputation and some are known for underestimating the length of time to complete the job and the total cost of the job.

Do extensive research before signing any contract.

Hopefully, your office expansion or addition will run smoothly with the right contractor in place.