How Do You Find and Budget for A New Office Space?

Welcome back to our Office Move Lessons series, where we’re sharing the good, the bad, and the unexpected from moving Robin’s HQ. In Part 1, we covered how to build your initial move plan. Now we’re getting into the real decision-making: setting a budget and finding the right space.

Lesson 1: Your Budget is Your Blueprint

For workplace, facilities, and operations teams, this phase can make or break the entire move. Get it right, and you’ve set your future office up for success. Get it wrong, and you could be wrestling with surprise costs, unhappy employees, and a space that doesn’t work the way your team needs.

As John O’Donnell, Robin’s CFO, put it:

At Robin, we knew those hidden costs can add up quickly. From IT infrastructure and furniture to legal fees, moving services, and branding the new space, the team learned to treat the move like a capital project with a rolling budget that evolved as new needs surfaced.

“It’s just the nature of moves. You discover things you couldn’t have predicted, no matter how much planning you do,” recalled John.

Lesson 2: Don’t Treat Real Estate As Just A Facilities Decision

When it came to choosing a new space, Robin’s leadership quickly realized this wasn’t just about square footage and price per seat—it was a decision that would impact recruiting, retention, and even brand perception.

“The space itself sends a message about who you are as a company, your culture, your values, your expectations around hybrid work," explains Robin CEO, Micah Remley. "If you’re only thinking about cost per square foot, you risk choosing a space that looks efficient on paper but doesn’t support the way your team actually works.”

That’s exactly why Robin’s People Team played a critical role in the search process. Elizabeth Fierman, VP of People, shared:

“We needed to understand where our employees wanted to work, how often they’d come in, and what kinds of spaces they needed when they got there," explains Elizabeth. "That directly influenced what we were looking for in terms of layout, neighborhood, and amenities.”

Lesson 3: IT and Workplace Costs Are Deeply Connected

Early in the process, Robin’s IT Manager Shane Ballou raised an important point:

“It’s not just about moving desks and chairs, it’s about rebuilding your entire tech stack in a new environment. That meant evaluating internet providers, rewiring conference rooms for hybrid meetings, and even making sure our building security could integrate with the tools we already use.”

This realization had a direct impact on budgeting and space selection. For example, some buildings came with pre-installed infrastructure, while others would have required costly upgrades. By pulling IT into the process early, we avoided picking a space that would have needed a ton of additional investment just to support our core technology requirements.

Lesson 4: Budgeting is A Cross-Functional Exercise

One of the biggest lessons Robin’s team learned? No one team owns the move budget—it’s a shared responsibility across finance, IT, workplace, and leadership.

“We didn’t always agree on every line item, but having everyone at the table meant we could make smarter trade-offs, balancing cost with employee experience and future flexibility," noted John.

We started with a facilities-driven budget, but it quickly became clear we needed input from everyone:

• Finance had to account for capital expenses
• IT had to scope tech costs
• The people team needed to budget for employee perks
• Leadership wanted to ensure we invested in the right long-term solution

That collaboration not only created a more realistic budget, but also ensured that every stakeholder had skin in the game when decisions had to be made.

Key Takeaway: Your Budget Tells the Story of Your Future Office

At Robin, the budget wasn’t just a financial exercise—it became a storytelling tool that showed how the company was investing in its people, its culture, and its future growth. As Emily Anderson, our Workplace Experience Specialist, summed it up:

Coming Up Next: IT & Infrastructure Lessons

In Part 3, we’ll go deeper into Shane’s world. It can be an overlooked yet critical part of this process, especially in the world of hybrid work. We'll cover what it really takes to move and rebuild your company’s IT infrastructure without bringing work to a screeching halt.

From connectivity and AV setup to physical security, we'll be sharing a checklist Robin’s IT team wished they’d had from day one.

Missed Part 1? → Catch up here.