*I have a secret.*
Okay… it’s not much of a secret. If you’ve spent 15 minutes with me in the last 2.5 years, you’ve heard it. Often. In vain.
Office premises.
The logical, sane thing for any organisation’s growth plan is to check the rental market. That’s not me. I’m clearly not sane. I treat property viewings like a hobby, and once in a blue moon, I actually buy one.
Exactly 2.5 years ago to the day, there was a deal to be done. So we did it.
Since then I’ve lost:
• A chunk of my bank balance… yes
• Pounds off my waistline… yes, thanks to this property stress
• And a lot of my sanity… definitely
I’m now too deep in it with the full renovation to walk away. It has to complete.
We’re about 15% off completion of what I’d call the ‘mother of all renovations’. For context: the only things left from when we bought it are the bricks and some floorboards and windows. Even the roof has been replaced. Not by choice, but because the water leaks dictated it.
It started as “just a touch-up paint job before rental.”
Then it became: “Well, if we’re taking the walls back to brick and doing the electrics… we may as well do x, y and z.”
Big property. Small budget. You commit to a bit of work, then realise you may as well do more. Classic.
My brother Yasin Miah dubbed me the ‘house/property whisperer’…it’s a running joke. I do love viewing properties. For myself, for others… well, as a hobby…yes, I’m a weirdo. You’ll randomly see me around the city (even outside the city) just viewing property for fun, between my day jobs obviously.
Properties are about comfort, creativity and new spaces for life. It brings me so much pleasure. This one? It’s brought me questions.
I do ask myself why I’ve done this to myself. It’s been self-conflicted, for sure. But I keep reminding myself: if this renovation and getting the property into the office rental market pulls through, it’ll all be worth it in the end.
Plan on paper is straightforward: I’m the first tenant. We leave enough room to expand in the building. The rest will be rented out to professional service organisations.
Phil Nassau Business Growth Specialist has firmly said he’ll be the first service user for meeting room hire.
Sounds simple. This renovation has been anything but.
Would I advise it for one’s health? Probably not.
But one day I may look back and think, “Look at what’s been achieved.”
As they say: after hardship comes ease.
We just need this property renovation to finish.
Disclaimer: property is the photo background is not mine, but a National Trust site 😆
