Budget for the workday, not just the workspace.
When you think about designing a coworking space for an apartment community, it's easy to fixate on layout and design.
How much space do we allocate?
What color should we paint the walls?
What kind of furniture should we buy?
Important questions to answer? Absolutely. But only part of what it actually takes to create a genuinely supportive space.
Residents need to be able to join meetings without worrying whether or not the Wi-Fi will work.
They need quiet places to take confidential calls and focus on important projects.
They need access to outlets to keep their electronics charged.
They need thoughtful, layered lighting that enhances productivity.
They need ergonomic and comfortable furniture that supports long hours.
They need essential office equipment and services, like printing and coffee.
A typical resident workday.
-
8 a.m.
Coffee before work
Self-serve coffee -
9 a.m.
Join morning meetings
Coworking space + Wi-Fi -
11 a.m.
Print or scan an important document following a meeting
Self-serve printing -
1 p.m.
Quiet focus work
Private meeting room -
3 p.m.
Video calls
Acoustic workspaces
Reliable connectivity
High-speed internetThe essential remote work amenities.
Residents need an environment that helps them move through the workday comfortably, whether they're spending eight hours on video calls or wrapping up a few projects before heading into the office.
The modern remote work amenity checklist.
Strong and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.
A coworking space will demand more from your internet than the rest of the building. Everyday browsing is one thing. Several residents on video calls at the same time is another, and most buildings weren't set up for that. When a call drops mid-meeting, residents notice, and they rarely give the space a second chance. That's a cost worth planning for on its own, not something to assume your current setup already covers.
FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) refers to anything movable that isn't built into the space itself. It's usually budgeted separately from any construction or renovation work, which means it needs its own plan even if you're just refreshing an existing room. For a coworking space, that means the pieces residents actually interact with every day. You'll need to budget for items like:
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Accessible power outlets. Enough outlets, placed where people actually sit, so residents don't need to bring an extension cord from home.
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Comfortable, ergonomic seating. Furniture built for a full workday, not a folding chair that only holds up for an hour.
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Natural and task lighting. Fixtures that stay easy on the eyes across a long day of screen time, not just whatever overhead lighting the room came with.
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Monitors and tech equipment. External monitors, docking stations or monitor risers give residents a real desk setup instead of just a laptop on a table.
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Whiteboards or writable surfaces. Useful for anyone sketching out ideas or taking notes during a call, and a small touch that signals the space is built for real work.
None of these show up on a floor plan, but all of them show up in how residents actually use the space. Skip one, and the rest of the investment doesn't work as hard as it should.
Private spaces for meetings and focused work.
Remote and hybrid workers need spaces outside their apartments to take confidential calls, interview for new opportunities, meet with clients and just focus without distractions.
Consider budgeting for:
- Private focus rooms or pods.
- Reservable meeting or conference spaces.
- Thoughtful acoustic design.
- Easy-to-use reservation management software.
Secure, self-serve printing.
Despite the move toward digital work, printing hasn't disappeared. Self-serve solutions like PrintWithMe allow residents to print securely from their own devices without relying on the leasing office.
Seek out and budget for a solution that offers the following:
- Intuitive, self-serve convenience
- Data security
- Remote monitoring
- Outsourced resident support
- Automated paper and toner replenishment
- Predictable, all-inclusive monthly pricing
- Usage visibility and reporting
- Proactive device management
- Configurable access controls
Convenient, barista-quality coffee.
A high-quality coffee amenity fuels productivity, makes coworking spaces more inviting, encourages casual interaction between residents and gives people a reason to stay on the property instead of heading to a nearby café. Self-serve, fully managed solutions like SipWithMe make it easy to offer remote workers a great cup of coffee whenever they need it.
Seek out and budget for a solution that features:
- Intuitive, self-serve convenience
- High-performance machines
- Proactive monitoring
- Predictable service
- Consistent, barista-quality coffee
- All-inclusive pricing
- Automated supply replenishment
- Centralized maintenance
- Consumption visibility and reporting
- Outsourced resident support
- Portioned brewing
Look beyond installation costs.
As you are vetting vendors and service providers, it’s simple to compare the numbers neatly listed in proposals.
It’s far more difficult to estimate the expenses that will inevitably appear long after the equipment is installed.
- Utilities.
- Accessories.
- Consumables.
- Cleaning.
- Maintenance.
- Service.
- Technical support.
- Even staff time.
Before making an investment, ask questions like:
- What supplies will need to be replenished, and who is responsible for inventory management?
- How much ongoing maintenance will be required?
- Who provides technical support?
- How much staff involvement will this require?
- How often will residents actually use it?
- Can we measure adoption and performance over time?
Fully managed amenities make the workday easier for everyone.
That’s one reason fully managed amenities have grown in popularity in recent years. Unlike most contracted services, they are intentionally designed to minimize manual work and operational overhead.
Depending on the provider and the solution, fully managed amenities can offer:
Printing and coffee are two instances where fully managed solutions deliver real time and cost savings for on-site teams. Residents expect coffee and printing to be available when they need them. They aren’t thinking about the toner, the beans, the maintenance schedule or who to call when something breaks. A fully managed solution absorbs all of that behind the scenes, so residents enjoy a reliable experience and staff have the bandwidth to focus on higher-priority tasks.
Measure whether the investment is working.
An approved budget isn’t the end of the conversation. It’s the beginning of a year’s worth of learning.
Keep an eye on adoption, usage, maintenance tickets and actual staff time spent troubleshooting. The goal is to track whether an amenity is earning its keep or draining resources.
Metrics to track throughout the year:
Real operational data, not assumptions, is what makes your next budgeting cycle faster and more accurate.
The secret to winning over WFH residents? Remove roadblocks.
Creating a genuinely valuable space for the remote and hybrid workers living in your community doesn’t require a multi-million dollar renovation or a complex amenity stack. It comes down to ensuring the WFH essentials are reliable and intuitive. Strong Wi-Fi. Supportive FF&E. Great coffee. Hassle-free printing. The communities that recognize that aren't simply creating better coworking spaces. They're creating better places to live.
Want to master your property's amenity budget? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Budgeting for Multifamily Amenities.
Looking for more multifamily budgeting insights?
Check out The Hidden Rules of Multifamily Budgeting for practical insights, checklists and amenity strategies you can put to work during your next budget cycle.
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