The Expedio Transformation

We have all read about the benefits provided to Silicon Valley employees. The free food, the bean bags and the foosball. There are also free spa treatments, free carwashes  (Genentech), free Crossfit classes (Reebok) and even free egg freezing and fertility assistance (Spotify) on offer. When do they ever get time to do any work?

And then we are told about the latest office equipment such as kneeling chairs and standing desks. Science tells us that we can make our work places more productive by adding greenery (plants) to our offices, by letting the sun shine in, by keeping temperatures moderate, and by creating private spaces to work away from distractions.

What it comes down to is the belief that providing a better work environment ultimately produces better work. Either that, or creating a more conducive work environment enables staff to work to their full potential.

Yet against what we would have a thought was an awareness that the working environment does contribute to the quality of the work produced, we have many workplaces which are significantly lacking. Either because they were designed and built decades ago to different standards, have suffered neglect over the years, or management/owners don’t understand/ don’t care.

A significant part of what Expedio does is to transform these workplaces. We take buildings which have been neglected and/or badly treated over the years, but still have life in them, and transform them into workplaces that we would be proud to work in.

The process  varies according to the building, and does not just involve offices – but also the warehouse/ factory component, exterior and amenities. Our belief is that the lunchroom and the bathrooms that we use at work, should be at least as good as those we use at home. Or better in some instances !

In general the process involved when we commence our refurbishment is to start with de-cluttering. It is somewhat bewildering just how much "stuff" there is in a supposedly vacant building. A lot of what is involved is removing attachments to walls, and superfluous fittings and shelves and even mezzanines that may have been added over the years.

Then we start with the basics of any building – the electrics and the plumbing.

In many buildings there will be fuse boards and/ or fittings that are no longer compliant. Plus there are often electrical fittings that have obviously not been installed by an electrician, and therefore need to be replaced. And while we are working on the electrics we replace as many of the light fittings as possible with LED fittings. LED lighting saves the tenant significantly on their power bill, and also virtually eliminates having to change light bulbs for many years.

Many of the plastic plumbing water lines have a rated life of 30 years. It is surprising how quickly 30 years rolls around, and in many buildings the water lines are over 30 years old. Whilst fixing these pipes when they burst is not overly expensive, cleaning up the mess is. And inevitably the floods caused by burst pipes seem to involve expensive electronics. So very often we will replace all the water lines – even the main lines that come from the street. This can involve thrusting new pipes underground for some considerable distances.

Inside buildings very often the toilets and handbasins and kitchen sinks are all well past their use-by date, which means complete replacement.

In warehouses, one of the most used part of a building is the roller door. And often it is the most abused. Our preference is always to install motorised doors. To install an average motorised roller door is around $4500. To retro fit a motor to an existing door will cost $1900. So it makes sense to fit a motor right from the start, particularly as a motorised door makes life easier for the tenant than constantly pulling on a chain, but also the smooth operation afforded by a motor means the door lasts longer.

The most expensive part of a refurbishment can be the roof. The age of the roof is only one part of the equation as to whether it may need replacing or not. Buildings in areas where there has been heavy industry and airborne pollutants, and areas directly under the flight path to the airport, will often be in worse shape than other areas – particularly if they have not been regularly cleaned. Where the roof has minimal pitch (most modern buildings), as opposed to older buildings with steeply pitched rooves, will often need more work. Simply because the flatter a roof is, the less chance for contaminants to wash off. Very often also gutters, rainheads and downpipes need replacing. Building owners tend to neglect these important parts of the infrastructure.

Possibly because what we cannot see, does not bother us, but almost without fail cesspits have not been sucked in many years, so these need to be added to the long list of tasks involved in each refurbishment.

The final touches are usually floor coverings and paint. And very often paint is one of the most expensive parts of the process. Because before you can paint, you need to prepare the surface, and very often that means repair work. We apply neutral colour schemes to office re-paints, as generally this takes place prior to securing a tenant.

Externally, yard surfaces often need work, as asphalt degrades over the years – particularly where there has been heavy use by forklifts.

When the transformation is complete, we are able to offer a workplace which is fit for purpose in the 21^st century, and is an environment where workers will be able to work to their full potential, without the compromises and distractions of poor facilities.

Office: Before/After (Lighting, Paint, Carpet, Removed old Aircon units)

Office Before/After: Wall removal/paint/carpet/lighting

 Bathroom: Complete change of toilet, flooring, paint and lighting