Winter (Surprisingly) Might Be the Best Time to Move Your Business...Here’s 6 Reasons Why

Having been based in Cleveland, Ohio since our founding, we know a thing or two about brutal winters! Lake effect snow is REAL, and for many facility managers the gut reaction is to wait for spring or summer when moves feel easier. Longer daylight, fewer holiday conflicts, and roads that seem more predictable all point to warmer months as the “safe choice”.

Today, we want to gently challenge that assumption. Obviously nobody wants to be taping boxes during a whiteout, but in our opinion, the right question to ask is not “is winter a better time to move than summer”. The relocation process is a bit more complex than that. Some of the right questions center around where your business operates, what services you actually need, and how tight your timeline and budget are.

What many facility and office managers don’t know, is that If your project includes moving and storage services, commercial furniture installation, temporary warehousing, or phased swing space, winter can unlock real advantages!

And if you want to know if winter makes sense for your facility relocation right now, here is a simple test.

Your Location Matters More Than You Think

If you’re considering a winter office relocation, make sure to understand how your city, and for some, your landlord handles logistics like snow and ice removal. Winter in Cleveland is DEFINITELY different from winter in Dallas, but it is also CERTAINLY not winter in Denver. Some cities clear snow before most teams pour the first coffee. Others take longer. What matters is how your streets, lots, and loading zones actually perform after a storm. If plows hit your block quickly and salt crews stay ahead of ice, your risk profile looks different than a market that slows down for a dusting.

Pro Tip: If you aren’t sure what to expect, call your city’s Public Works or Streets Department and ask for their winter operations plan. Many cities publish snow route maps, parking bans, and plow priority tiers. If your city has 311, ask about average response times after a two to four inch event. State 511 sites and DOT winter pages often show live plow activity and storm after action summaries. For climate norms, check your local National Weather Service office and NOAA climate normals to see how often ice and heavy snow really hit your area.

Next take look at your building. If your office exists in a downtown tower with shared docks and union crews that run on reservations and tight windows, you’ll need to factor that into your plans. In contrast, a suburban flex site or an owner occupied campus gives you more room after hours. Just that single detail decides whether business office moving happens quietly in the background or turns into a full day hurdle. If you rent your office space, make sure to ask your property team and/or landlord for real answers on dock rules, elevator access, and after hours security. One thing is for sure…do not guess.

If you are in a larger building, make sure to check out the freight elevator. Confirm cab dimensions, door height, and weight limits. Ask if an operator or key is required and who provides it. Get the reservation rules in writing, including weekend hours and any blackout dates during storms or holidays. If inspections or certificates are expiring soon, build that into the schedule so your commercial relocation does not stall at the worst time.

Pro Tip: Walk the entire path from dock to destination. Measure door swings, corridor widths, and turning radii. Protect floors, corners, and elevator interiors with pads and masonite. If your largest item is close to the limit, mock it up with a cardboard template and test the path before move day. For multi tenant sites, confirm whether you have exclusive use of the freight or if it will be shared. Shared access requires tighter timing and more crew coordination.

What Office Relocation Services are ACTUALLY Needed?

This is a question we hear a lot, and we get it. Everyone wants their move to be cost-efficient, time-saving, and hassle-free (something we feel we specialize in 😜), and to hit those goals, they want to understand what services are actually needed for their project.

Before we answer that question, we want to emphasize that it’s important to not shop for vendors until you know what must move, what can wait, and what should be retired. You will likely need (at a bare minimum) moving and storage services, commercial furniture installation, and either temporary warehousing or phased swing space. If your timeline is tight, storage plus phased load ins can keep the office running while crews work in the background. If your budget is tight, consider focusing on scope and sequencing. Move less by purging, donating, and reselling, then reuse what you can and price remanufactured workstations for the rest

Pro Tip: Before moving, schedule a bulk shred day with a local certified provider. You’ll clear space, cut packing time, and get a certificate of destruction for compliance.

Here’s a quick checklist of common services for a winter office move. All of our services are custom, so contact us for a quote tailored to your project.

• Project planning and coordination
  Typically covers scope, timeline, move phases, vendor sequencing, building rules, certificates of insurance, and a single point of contact.

• Site survey and building access
  Typically covers dock and elevator reservations, path of travel measurements, protection plans for floors and walls, after-hours access, security coordination.

• Packing, labeling, and materials
  Typically covers crates and boxes, labels and color zones by department, secure file packing, specialty containers for fragile items, content inventories.

• IT disconnect and reconnect
  Typically covers workstation disconnects, cable labeling, rack breakdown and rebuild, low-voltage coordination, device testing at the new site.

• Furniture services and installation
  Typically covers decommission, reconfiguration, new install, punch lists, ergonomic checks, and alignment with your floor plan.

• Moving and logistics
  Typically covers trucks, crews, equipment, load plans, snow-day contingencies, and real-time communication during the move window.

• Temporary warehousing and storage
  Typically covers short-term and long-term storage, climate-controlled options, barcode inventory, scheduled load-ins for phased moves.

• Specialty handling
  Typically covers safes, servers, lab gear, fine art, oversized items, rigging needs, permits when required.

• Disposal, resale, and donation
  Typically covers certified bulk shred, e-waste recycling, furniture liquidation or donation, broom-clean standards for your old space.

• Post-move support
  Typically covers on-site “day two” help, fixes for stray items, cable tidy, minor furniture tweaks, and a closeout report.

• Employee communication and change support
  Typically covers move guides, schedules, signage, remote-work coordination for winter conditions, and a help channel for day one questions.

If you are planning business relocation, moving and storage services, or commercial furniture installation this winter, reach out and we will design the right mix for your timeline, building, and budget.

What Type of Non-Relocation Projects are Typical for Wintertime

Over the past few years, we have seen the same types of projects rise to the top of the year end priority list. When facility teams finally have a clear window on the calendar, they use it to tackle work that is too complex, too visible, or too interconnected to squeeze into a normal week. Most often, that looks like:

• Reconfiguring Conference Rooms
  Spaces that normally stay booked from morning to late afternoon can be reset, rewired, and reorganized. It is a chance to update layouts and technology in one focused effort instead of piecing changes together over months.

• Moving Workstations Across Floors
  Departments can shift locations, adjust seating plans, or consolidate teams without asking anyone to work through construction noise or temporary setups. The move happens, and people return to a workspace that is already settled.

• Relocating Technology Infrastructure
  Servers, network hardware, and audio visual equipment can be powered down, moved, reconnected, and tested before staff log in again. That reduces the risk of surprises on the first day back.

• Completing Department Relocations
  Moves that would normally be broken into several smaller stages can be planned and completed as one coordinated project. That makes it easier to manage timelines, communication, and accountability.

• Updating Furniture and Making Space Planning Changes
  New furniture, workstation layouts, and shared areas can be installed and refined without temporary workarounds. By the time people return, the space feels intentional instead of in progress.

The real benefit of accomplishing these fixes in winter is that everything can be done carefully, due to employees working remotely, instead of hurriedly and in-between office work. There is time to protect surfaces, verify measurements, test every connection, and make sure the space is ready for use the moment people walk back in.

6 Reasons Why End of Year Works for Relocations and Installations

Lower demand, better pricing
End of year is off peak for business relocation in many markets. Moving and storage services, trucks, and commercial furniture installation crews are easier to book and more open to off peak winter rates. Fewer conflicts mean tighter schedules and fewer idle hours.

1. Less disruption to daily operations

   Calendars are lighter around holidays. Many teams are already remote or on flexible schedules, which lets you stage work in small blocks without dragging down uptime. If you plan key move days to align with stay at home options, morale stays steady and productivity holds.
   

2. More access to docks, elevators, and swing space

   Buildings are quieter at year end. Freight elevators, loading zones, and reserved rooms are easier to secure. That access is what turns a complex commercial relocation into a clean sequence. You can move by zone, protect the paths, and keep core teams working.

3. Budget alignment and clean closeout

   Use remaining budget to handle decommission, shredding, e waste, and storage instead of carrying clutter into the new year. A clean closeout reduces storage costs, speeds installs, and keeps your new floor plan accurate. Finance appreciates a clear finish before January.

4. Faster logistics and shorter lead times

   Vendors and suppliers often have more inventory and crew availability in winter. That helps with last mile deliveries, seating adds, and quick punch list closes. When installers, electricians, and IT are not overbooked, your day two fixes land fast and the office stabilizes.

5. A true operational reset

   End of year is a natural break point. You can realign seating with how teams actually work, refresh standards, and roll out small improvements that pay off in January. Announce the plan early, share the schedule, and give employees a simple playbook so the move feels organized and calm.

Pro Tip: Pair the plan with a short, clear timeline. Pre tag assets, book the freight, schedule IT, and lock vendor SLAs. If you want a custom sequence for your building and budget, contact us and we will work with you to design the mix that fits your project.

Why Trust Matters During the Holiday Season

Handing over building access during the holidays requires trust. You're asking someone to transform your facility while you're away, often with minimal oversight.

We take that responsibility seriously. Every year-end project reflects the relationships we've built with facility managers and operations directors, the people who understand that timing, precision, and attention to detail matter as much as the physical work itself.

The holidays show us what's essential about this work: the structure underneath, the potential of a space, the opportunity to improve something while most of the world is slowing down. We stay focused on the details that make a difference.

If the year-end window feels like the right time for your move, reach out to our team. We'll help you plan it.

Get in touch and start planning your project with us now!

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