What’s in a move?

When the managers of Johnston Terminal let us know they were moving us upstairs to make way for more retail space on the 2nd floor, we were a little shocked. Suite 250 has been our home since the Johnston Terminal opened in 1992, over 25 years. We had just started to undertake long overdue renovations including building a kitchen, replacing the carpet and updating some of our furniture.

Once we were able to tour the empty 3rd floor space, we started warming up to the idea. All new and designed for our current and planned needs, this move would enable us to achieve objectives we wouldn’t have been able to reach in our 2nd floor space. Things were looking up – until we had a thought…

How would we get our beloved boardroom table up to the third floor!?!

Weighing in at an estimated 500lbs, 5′ wide x 10′ long, our boardroom table is no lightweight.

The contractors and management came up with a plan and it was a big one. The following presentation tells the story of our table and it’s gargantuan move.

 

 

As construction projects go, there have been delays along the way but we finally made it!

We are now located on the 3rd floor in Johnston Terminal in Suite 350.

Just one floor up from where it all began.

 

If you are planning a move anytime soon and/or renovations, here are some tips we learned along the way:

• Decluttering ahead of time makes the transition much easier. Although it can seem like a huge job to go through everything, breaking it up into manageable pieces over time and sharing the workload makes it doable.
• If you are planning renovations get a completion date and be prepared for delays (4 – 5 months in our case). The little things add up: materials on back order, trades unavailable, permits delayed and many other glitches in the process can arise.
• Even with the help of a contractor and designer, planning for a renovation takes a lot of time and effort. From designing the floor plan to choosing the finishes, there are many considerations that can add to the overall time frame.
• In our case, the renovation budget wasn’t ours to manage, but in your case, it will be a key factor. Make sure you have thought through your finances carefully to determine a budget with contingency built in.
• Preparing a move plan well in advance is helpful to determine what goes to the new space and what needs to be sold, donated or discarded. Planning ahead also provides time to detach from the comfort of familiar things that aren’t helpful and don’t really matter anymore.