Common Pitfalls

26th March, 2025

RISK MANAGEMENT IN THE LIVE ENVIRONMENT

Refurbishment projects are statistically more prone to risk than new builds or relocations.

THE “OPTIMISM BIAS”

When you move to a new building, you start with a clean slate. When you refurbish, you inherit the history, the wear-and-tear, and the hidden defects of the existing asset.

Despite this, many stakeholders suffer from “Optimism Bias” – the tendency to underestimate the complexity and cost of the works while overestimating the benefits. According to industry data, significant refurbishment projects often overrun by 20% on cost and 15% on time if not rigorously managed.

The risks are not just financial; they are operational. In a live environment, a mistake doesn’t just delay the handover; it can sever the internet connection for the trading floor or trigger a fire alarm during a client pitch. The strategic goal of this chapter is to move from “hoping for the best” to a structured Risk Management Strategy.

THE MARIS METHODOLOGY:

THE “PRE-MORTEM”

At Maris, we don’t wait for things to go wrong. We conduct a “Pre-Mortem” – a workshop where we ask: “It is six months from now, and the project has failed. Why? This allows us to identify and mitigate the specific risks listed in the Maris 37 Fit-Out Mistakes guide before they happen.

Here are the top three refurbishment-specific pitfalls we actively manage:

1. The “Hidden” Constraint (Building Blindness)

The Pitfall: Designing a layout that the building cannot support. For example, planning a high-density open-plan zone where the fresh air supply is insufficient, or designing a server room where the structural slab cannot take the load.
The Fix: We conduct Technical Due Diligence before design begins. We review “As-Built” drawings and survey the M&E (Mechanical and Electrical) capacity to ensure the building can physically support your ambition.

2. The “Scope Creep” (The Moving Target)

The Pitfall: Stakeholders adding “nice-to-haves” mid-build. “Can we just add a coffee bar here?”
The Fix: We lock the design at RIBA Stage 4. Any changes after this point go through a formal Change Control Process, where the cost and time impact is calculated and signed off by the Sponsor before instruction.

3. The “Handover Gap” (Operational Failure)

The Pitfall: The construction finishes on Friday, but staff can’t work on Monday because the IT isn’t patched or the security passes don’t work.
The Fix: We treat Handover as a phase, not a date. We implement a “Soft Landing” where our team remains on-site for the first two weeks to troubleshoot.

THE CFO’S CORNER:

THE COST OF “DISCOVERY”

In a new build, you pay for what you build. In a refurbishment, you sometimes pay for what you find.

The “Discovery Item” Risk: When we strip out a 15-year-old ceiling, we might find non-compliant wiring, capped pipes that are leaking, or (in older buildings) asbestos.

The Mitigation: We recommend a higher contingency for refurbishment projects – typically 10-15% of the construction value, compared to 5% for a standard fit-out.

The Strategy: If the contingency isn’t used, it returns to your bottom line. But if you don’t budget for it, you will have to go back to the Board for emergency funding mid project, which is a difficult conversation.

MARIS TOOLS:

THE “RED FLAG” CHECKLIST

Before you start, rate your project against these high-risk indicators.

The “Live” Risk: Are we working next to a mission-critical team (e.g., Traders, 24/7 Support) who cannot tolerate any noise?
The “Legacy” Risk: Is the building listed or in a conservation area? (This adds months to planning approvals).
The “Landlord” Risk: Is the landlord planning their own works to the lift lobby or exterior at the same time? (Clashing logistics).
The “Lead Time” Risk: Have we specified furniture or tech that has a 12 week lead time, pushing us past the deadline?

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