Coordinating Commercial Construction and Business Relocation

When taking on an entirely new construction project, you may forget that you’ll still need to move into the building at the end of the construction.

Without proper timing of the move, the movers may end up stepping on the toes of the construction crew, or even putting themselves in danger when the stress could’ve been avoided.

In this article, we aim to properly coordinate the final task of commercial construction: moving into the building.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about commercial moving, and how to coordinate it with the construction team.

1. Pre-planning phase

When considering the future of a construction project, one word comes to mind: delays. Unexpected delays are inevitable, so it’s best not to plan so far in advance that a delay can cause the day of the move to coincide with major construction.

With a few weeks out, it should give you enough time to call around to get quotes from different affordable Florida commercial movers. Avoid calling the day of to book movers, as moving an entire building’s worth of belongings is going to inevitably come at a premium.

With proper planning, even if it’s a few weeks out, you can arrange to hire a team of movers, or even DIY with the employees of your business and rent a truck (or a few) to take care of the heavy lifting. Budget will come into play here, and if most of the budget went into the construction of the building, then you’ll need to innovate on how to get your belongings into it after the build is finished.

Consider utilizing storage facilities as an in-between solution if the lease expires on the old building before the new building is ready. While it will come at a cost, it’s going to be better than having to temporarily have to keep it in the new building that may not be finished yet and cause damage to the furniture.

2. Consider when the moving day will be

Construction can still be ongoing on the new building while still being able to move into it. However, it’s vital to consult with the construction team as to when it’s going to be a safe environment to move in, and what days to avoid.

If the floors are going to have to be done, or painted, then it’s not going to be a good idea to move until those jobs are done with. Minor touchups like electrical work, fixing last-minute dings, and cleaning can all be accomplished while the building is being moved.

Staff will also need to coordinate on this as well, as timing here is crucial. Moving in too soon will cause disorder and chaos, and moving in too late is going to waste precious time that could’ve otherwise been avoided.

As long as you consult with the construction team before, you’ll have a good idea as to when to move in. Keep in mind that you’ll want to ask a few weeks before the planned moving date as there is potential for delays to happen, and checking in will ensure there is no discrepancy in the date of moving.

3. Move in phases

While it can be enticing to get the moving done all in one day, you’ll have better results moving into a newly constructed building in phases. Bring in all of the appliances first, as they’re going to need to be professionally hooked up and can take some time.

If at all possible, try to plan the construction and moving dates so that the moving can happen during the offseason. Another option is to offload each of the staff’s belongings individually so that they can all bring in the items that they require to work to avoid more costs.

IT will also need to take care of networking, and cable installation, which all needs to be done before you move into the business infrastructure, otherwise, you won’t have any networking and no work can be done. Once IT has set up the internet, then it’s a good time to get everything else required to move in.

4. Manage risk

Managing risk at the scale of a construction move is going to be necessary. Delays are going to happen, and the worst-case scenario is that you won’t be able to move your belongings in due to construction delays.

You can easily mitigate the risk by moving in phases and also having guarantees from moving companies that they will need to accommodate a sudden shift in date. Avoid paying down large deposits upfront without any guarantees, otherwise, you may lose your deposit completely.

Ensure that you insure the items if they’re being moved by a moving company, or take out insurance yourself for the items if you’re doing your moving. You do not want to risk thousands in furniture and other items during a move, as these items can get damaged.

Wrap Up

Moving into a new building after it’s been built from the ground up is a difficult task, but not an impossible one. With proper planning and some wit, you’ll be able to move into a new building with minimal risk, as long as you prepare well in advance.

Don’t forget that delays DO happen, and planning for them can potentially save you thousands in costs down the line.