Steve's summary:
The most effective office fit out starts with a clear understanding of what you need from the space, rather than a fixed idea of what you need to spend. Establishing your priorities early means you can make smarter decisions about where to invest, where to simplify and ultimately get more value from your overall fit out budget. In this blog post, we explore typical office fit out costs, what can influence them and how to make your budget work harder.
There’s a big difference between being handed the keys to an office space and having a workplace that’s actually ready for your team to move into.
Of course, you can always opt for a plug-and-play office where the space has already been kitted out and is ready for people to simply enter and use. However, this isn’t always an option, depending on things like location and budget. In a lot of cases, businesses want to fit out an empty space or completely redesign their current workspace by taking it back to the bare bones.
Depending on what you’re starting with, there could be partitions to build, meeting rooms to create, flooring to lay, services to adapt, technology to install and an entire office to furnish. At the other end of the scale, you may have a space where much of the groundwork is already done, or the foundations are solid enough for you to work with.
That’s why putting a price on an office fit out isn’t simply a case of multiplying your floor area by a standard rate – and unfortunately, we can’t give one answer to the question, ‘How much does an office fit out cost?’.
That said, there are some super useful cost benchmarks that can guide you and understanding what sits behind them can give you a much more realistic idea of how far your budget will go. So, if you’re planning an office fit out project and want to get a better idea of how much you can expect to spend, keep reading.
Different types of office projects
When it comes to transforming a workspace, there are lots of different ways this can happen. There are different levels of transformation, each of which comes with different costs. So, first, let’s explore what the various levels of office fit out and refurbishment involve.
The difference between all of these matters because two businesses could have completely different cost requirements based on the condition of the existing space and what they want to do with it.
Shell & Core
This is when the existing space is only the building’s basic structure, with no finished interior elements. It’s not workspace yet; it’s a blank canvas.
Cat A
This is when the space has more of the internal infrastructure built-in, typically providing some of the services and finishes an office needs but without tailoring the space to any particular occupier or design language.
Cat A+
These spaces provide more of a ready-made solution and already typically contain elements such as meeting rooms, kitchens and some furnishing.
Cat B
This is the point at which the space is designed around the people that will actually occupy it. This is where your layout, work settings, finishes, furniture, branding, AV and tech and other workplace requirements come together.
The office fit out project that most business owners think about is Cat B, where it comes down to fitting out a space that already has the architectural, interior and building services sorted.
What does an office fit out cost per square foot?
As a general UK benchmark, more basic Cat B construction works can start at around £70–£120 per square foot, with the actual figure depending on the complexity and specification of your particular design scheme.
The cost of delivering a complete workplace can go considerably further once you include things such as furniture, AV and tech, security systems and other requirements. Across current UK industry cost guides, more comprehensive fit out budgets can range from around £100-£250 per square foot. More expensive schemes and projects in more expensive locations can creep those costs up higher.
A functional, relatively straightforward scheme and a highly bespoke workplace with tailor-made joinery, technology and premium finishes are both technically office fit outs, but what you’re paying for is very different.
You don’t need to apply the same level of specification across the whole workspace. It is possible to create a combination of lower-cost areas, mid-range spaces and more high-spec settings. Where you spend should reflect what matters to the people using the workplace and what you want your office to achieve.
If meeting rooms are constantly in use by hybrid teams, for example, high-quality tech and AV and effective acoustic solutions might get a bigger share of the budget. If your welcome space and client areas are an important expression of the brand, that could be where you choose to invest instead. If employees spend most of the day at a desk, ergonomic furniture might take priority over decorative details. It’s very much down to your ambitions for the space.
So, overall, if you’re trying to build a ballpark office fit out budget, these are the types of things you’ll need to consider:
- Interior design and space planning
- Construction and partitioning
- Mechanical and electrical works
- Flooring and finishes
- Bespoke joinery
- Furniture
- AV and workplace technology
- IT and data infrastructure
- Security, access control and booking systems
- Signage and branding
- Professional fees, surveys and approvals
- Relocation costs (if applicable to you)
- Contingency (the ‘just in case’ pot)
Unexpected fit out costs
Some of the biggest additions to a fit out budget aren’t necessarily the things you’ll notice when you walk into the finished office.
Things like existing air conditioning, ventilation, power, lighting and other infrastructure may not support the layout you’re planning. Dividing a large open area into meeting rooms, for instance, can have consequences for airflow, cooling, lighting and power, which will mean you need to invest there.
Then there’s the building itself and its location. Access restrictions, delivery arrangements and restrictions on when noisy work can take place can all affect how a project is delivered. In city-centre buildings, particularly in more expensive areas such as London, or listed buildings, logistics can become a significant part of the cost considerations too.
That’s why carrying out surveys early in the project can be extremely valuable. Finding out that something needs upgrading once construction is underway is very different from knowing about it when the budget and design are still being developed.
Looking for support with your workspace transformation? Get in touch to learn more about how our team of experts can help.
