Office Relocation Timeline: How to Plan a Move Without Losing Business Days

An office move does not have to cost you productive work days. The companies that lose a week or more to relocation chaos almost always share the same root cause: they started planning too late and sequenced the work incorrectly.

The moves that happen over a weekend — Friday at the old space, Monday at the new one, no disruption — follow a specific timeline. It starts 90 days out, and every week has defined milestones. Here is the framework.

Phase 1: Strategic Planning (Days 90–60)

Week 1: Establish the Move Team

Assign a single move coordinator with decision-making authority. This person owns the timeline, the budget, and all vendor relationships. Committee-based decision-making kills move timelines.

Support the coordinator with point people from IT, HR, facilities, and finance. Each department representative is responsible for their department's inventory, requirements, and communication to their teams.

Week 2–3: Define the Scope

Answer these questions before anything else:

• How many employees are moving? This determines truck capacity, elevator booking, and timeline.
• What equipment is moving? Desks, chairs, monitors, servers, printers, specialized equipment.
• What is staying behind? Furniture that does not fit the new space, obsolete equipment, items the landlord requires you to leave.
• What is being purchased new? New furniture that will be delivered directly to the new space.

Build a detailed inventory. Every item should be tagged as Move, Dispose, Sell, or New Purchase. This inventory drives every downstream decision.

Week 3–4: Select Your Moving Partner

Get three quotes minimum. Provide each mover with the same inventory list, floor plans for both spaces, and your target move dates.

Evaluate movers on:

• Commercial experience — residential movers handling a commercial job is a recipe for delays
• Insurance coverage — minimum $5 million CGL, plus cargo/transit insurance
• Project management capability — do they assign a dedicated project manager or just a crew foreman?
• IT relocation experience — can they handle server racks, network equipment, and cabling?

The cheapest quote is almost never the best value. A mover who charges 15% more but includes project management, labelling, and post-move support will save you more than the price difference in avoided downtime.

Phase 2: Preparation (Days 60–30)

IT Infrastructure Lead Time

This is the longest lead-time item and the most common cause of move delays. Your new space needs:

• Internet connectivity — ISP provisioning takes 30–60 days in most Canadian markets. Order immediately.
• Phone system — VoIP migration or new line provisioning, extension mapping
• Network infrastructure — cabling, switch installation, WiFi access point placement
• Server room or IDF closet — power, cooling, rack installation

If your ISP tells you they can provision in 2 weeks, plan for 4. If they say 4, plan for 6. Telecom timelines are optimistic at best.

New Space Preparation

Coordinate with your landlord or contractor on:

• Painting and finishing (if not already complete)
• Flooring installation
• Electrical modifications for workstation power
• Security system installation and key/card provisioning
• Signage — building directory, suite identification, wayfinding

Employee Communication

Send the first all-hands communication at 60 days out. Include:

• The move date
• The new address and transit/parking information
• What employees need to do (pack personal items, label equipment)
• What the company is handling (everything else)
• A timeline of upcoming communications

Communicate again at 30 days, 14 days, and 3 days before the move. Each communication should add new detail, not repeat old information.

Phase 3: Logistics (Days 30–7)

Floor Plan Mapping

Create a detailed floor plan of the new space with every workstation, office, meeting room, and common area numbered. This number becomes the destination label for every item being moved.

The moving crew does not know that the VP of Marketing sits near the window. They know that box #347 goes to location B-14. Your labelling system must be foolproof.

Department Packing Schedule

Stagger packing by department over the final two weeks. Departments with less daily operational dependency pack first. The executive team and front-line operations pack last.

Provide every employee with:

• Labelled moving boxes (typically 2–3 per person)
• Clear instructions on what to pack and how to label
• A deadline for having boxes sealed and staged

IT Disconnect Schedule

Plan the IT disconnect in reverse order of criticality:

1. Non-essential printers and peripherals — disconnect 2–3 days early
2. Desktop workstations — disconnect Friday evening
3. Network switches and access points — disconnect after all workstations are off
4. Servers and core infrastructure — disconnect last, reconnect first

For businesses that cannot tolerate any downtime, plan a parallel infrastructure cutover: new systems go live at the new space before old systems go dark. This costs more but eliminates the gap.

Phase 4: Move Execution (Days 7–0)

The Week Before

• Confirm all vendor schedules (movers, IT, furniture delivery)
• Distribute final packing reminders
• Verify new space readiness (power on, internet active, keys distributed)
• Post directional signage at both locations for moving day

Move Day(s)

A typical 50–100 person office move can be completed in a single weekend with a professional crew. The sequence:

Friday evening: IT disconnects servers and critical infrastructure. Employees have already packed personal items and left their workstations labelled.

Saturday morning: Moving crew loads the old space. Work starts at 6 AM. A supervisor at the old space manages loading sequence. A supervisor at the new space manages unloading and placement.

Saturday afternoon/evening: Furniture and boxes are placed at their designated locations in the new space.

Sunday: IT reconnects servers, network equipment, printers, and tests all systems. Phone system goes live. The move coordinator walks the entire space verifying placement.

Monday morning: Employees arrive at the new space. An orientation guide is on every desk. IT support is stationed in common areas for the first 2–3 days to handle connectivity issues and printer mapping.

Phase 5: Post-Move Stabilization (Days 1–14)

The move is not done on Monday morning. Plan for two weeks of stabilization:

• Day 1–3: IT support on-site for workstation issues, phone configuration, printer setup
• Day 1–5: Furniture adjustments — chair heights, monitor arm repositioning, additional power strips
• Day 3–7: Address employee concerns about workspace assignments, lighting, temperature
• Day 7–14: Final inventory reconciliation, damage claims, and vendor invoicing

Old Space Obligations

Do not forget the space you left. Most commercial leases require:

• Removal of all company property
• Repair of any damage beyond normal wear
• Professional cleaning
• Return of keys, access cards, and parking passes

Failure to meet these obligations triggers lease penalty clauses. Budget $2,000–$10,000 for end-of-lease restoration depending on the size and condition of the space.

Budget Benchmarks

For a 50-person office move within the same city:

| Category | Cost Range | |---|---| | Moving company (packing, transport, placement) | $8,000–$18,000 | | IT relocation and setup | $5,000–$15,000 | | New space preparation (if needed) | $5,000–$30,000 | | Packing materials | $500–$1,500 | | Old space restoration | $2,000–$10,000 | | Contingency (10%) | $2,000–$7,500 | | Total | $22,500–$82,000 |

The range is wide because every move is different. A simple same-building floor change costs a fraction of a cross-city relocation with new furniture procurement. Get detailed quotes based on your specific inventory and requirements.

The Non-Negotiable Rule

Start at 90 days. Every week you delay past that point compresses the timeline and increases the probability of something going wrong. A move planned in 90 days is an orderly transition. A move planned in 30 days is a scramble. The difference shows up in your downtime, your budget, and your employees' morale on day one in the new space.

For the complete task-by-task breakdown, see our office move checklist for Canadian operations managers. And for strategies to keep your team working right up until the move, read about minimizing business downtime during an office move. When you are ready to start planning, contact us for an on-site survey.

Related reading: Protecting IT Equipment During an Office Move