5 tips for a stress-free office washroom refurbishment project this year
You’re aware that your office washrooms are old, outdated and starting to have an impact on the wellbeing of your workforce. So now it is time to do something about it.
The problem is, washroom refurbishment projects can feel like a huge undertaking and can therefore be quite a daunting prospect.
But before you let your workplace toilets (and employee morale) deteriorate any further, we can help. Below, we’re going to share our expert advice for a stress-free office washroom refurbishment project this year.
Here’s how to get started.
1. Plan your washroom refurbishment carefully
The key to success is careful planning and this is so important when you’re refurbishing an important room like the bathroom. After all, you don’t want them to be out of action for too long.
With that in mind, you need to choose the best possible time to refurbish your workplace toilet facilities as it means staff may not be able to use them. That, or you will have to get an alternative in place.
Where possible, weekends or quieter periods would be the ideal time to undertake the job. But if this is not possible, perhaps consider shutting the office for a few days and having employees work from home, or hiring a temporary toilet block that they can use in the meantime.
If you don’t have any other toilets available to your teams in the workplace, that is. You might have multiple blocks you can utilise.
During the planning phase, you should also think about budgeting, ensuring that you have a rough idea of how much it’s going to cost and what you've got to spend on your project.
The final stage of the planning process is to think about what you want your new office washrooms to look like. From cubicle design to colour schemes and accessories, there is a great deal to think about.
You don’t have to be completely set on every aspect, but it pays to have an idea in mind to make the design process easier for everyone involved.
2. Conduct thorough research
When you’re feeling confident about your washroom plans and budget, you should conduct some thorough research to help you find the perfect service providers. From design to installation, you want a team of experts who are going to get this right at every stage.
You may have heard of a good provider through word of mouth, but if not, Google is going to be an important tool here.
Although you might work with several companies over the duration of your project, from our experience, it’s best to choose a service provider that offers a full turnkey service. One that can design, install and perfect your office washrooms.
This ensures a seamless and often higher-quality finish, as it does not involve different companies trying to interpret each other’s designs or work alongside one another.
But before you settle on any provider, check out their website, look at their previous work and check out what others have been saying about them online. This will ensure you choose the best possible provider for your project.
3. Understand what’s possible - and be prepared to compromise
You may have a head full of ideas for your beautiful new office washrooms, but it’s important that you understand what is possible to ensure functionality as well as style.
In the early stages of your washroom refurbishment project, there should be a site visit where the service provider will come and take precise measurements and map out the mains water, waste and electrics.
This will give you a better idea of the types of toilet cubicles, basins and other facilities that will work best in your space.
Sure, there may be times when this requires some compromise on your part, but remember, the experts are experts for a reason.
So, for the smoothest and sleekest finish, take their feedback on board and understand what is possible from a functional perspective, as well as what looks good.
4. Make the most of skilled bathroom design services
Bathroom designers can share their vision with you in person or in writing, but it pays to be able to see what this will look like in reality.
That is why it’s a good idea to choose a bathroom design service that can produce detailed CAD drawings and 3D visuals. These images will bring your new workplace toilet facilities to life and help you to imagine what the room will look like when it is finished.
This also gives you an opportunity to fine-tune the design and make amends or changes to the specification before any work begins.
It’s so important that you carefully review the designs and give your honest feedback to ensure a smooth installation process and that you end up with the office washrooms you envisioned.
5. Make sure everything is ready to go
For the most part, once you’ve agreed on a design and date, your part is over for a little while. That said, to make the process as stress-free and seamless as possible, we suggest that you have everything ready from the moment the installation team arrives on the first day.
By this, we mean making sure that your employees are not in the office or that they have access to other washrooms.
But we also mean making sure that you have cleared the space ready for the team to get to work and that you have purchased all the supplies, accessories and finishing touches you're going to need.
From soap (in whichever form you choose) to toilet rolls, decorative artwork and even the faux plant you plan to put on the windowsill, we suggest everything is ready to go. This will help you to stick to your budget for one thing.
But it also means that as soon as the team leaves, you can put the finishing touches in place and get your office washrooms back open to your workforce as quickly as possible.