Moving & storage
Office Moving Cost Calculator
Prices an office move, where the schedule and the building's rules shape the job.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out, usually at a premium for out-of-hours working. An office move is priced on labour and volume like any move, with three additions that domestic work does not have. It usually happens in the evening or at a weekend to avoid disrupting trading, which carries a rate premium. The building typically imposes conditions: lift reservations, loading dock bookings, floor protection and a certificate of insurance from the mover. And the IT equipment needs disconnecting, moving and reconnecting, which is a separate skill from carrying desks.
What moves the number
- Out-of-hours working, which carries a premium and is usually unavoidable.
- Building requirements at both ends, including lift bookings and insurance certificates.
- IT equipment, which needs coordinated disconnection and reconnection.
- Whether the move is phased, which multiplies mobilisations.
Where this one goes wrong
Building management requirements are the thing that derails office moves. Lift reservations, loading dock windows, approved hours, floor and wall protection, and a certificate of insurance naming the building owner are common, and arriving without them means being turned away with a crew on overtime. Get them from both buildings weeks ahead. The IT side needs its own plan rather than being folded into the furniture move: equipment has to be disconnected in a recorded way and reconnected in the right order, and a business that cannot work on Monday morning has lost more than the move cost.
Before you quote
- Obtain both buildings' requirements, including insurance certificates, well ahead.
- Book lifts and loading docks for the actual working window.
- Plan IT disconnection and reconnection as a separate workstream.
Questions
About this calculator
Why do office moves happen at night and weekends?
To avoid stopping the business trading, and because many buildings restrict moving to outside normal hours. That carries a rate premium for the crew, but it is usually cheaper than a day of lost productivity, which is the comparison worth making.
What does the building require from a mover?
Commonly a lift reservation, a loading dock booking, approved working hours, floor and wall protection, and a certificate of insurance naming the building owner. Those are enforced, and arriving without them means being refused access with a crew already on the clock.
Who handles the computers and phones?
It needs a plan separate from the furniture. Equipment has to be disconnected and labelled in a recorded way and reconnected in order, and whether the mover, an IT provider or internal staff does it should be settled in advance. A business unable to work the next morning has lost more than the move saved.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 6 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $165.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $90.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 6 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $165 |
| Parts and materials | $90 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,175 |
| Labour | $990 |
| Before tax | $1,175 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,175: $990 of labour, $90 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $83 | $683 |
| $124 | $929 |
| $165 example above | $1,175 |
| $248 | $1,673 |
| $330 | $2,165 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 6 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $165.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $90.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.