Commercial renovation is measured differently from domestic work. Here every closed day costs money, there is a landlord and a management company, and there are safety and accessibility requirements that are not open to interpretation. We manage and supervise office refurbishment, shop refurbishment and commercial fit-out across the centre and the south.
What a commercial renovation includes
- Office fit-out — turning a shell or raw space into an office ready for occupation.
- Partitions — plasterboard and glass, including acoustics for meeting rooms. See glass partitions.
- Ceilings and lighting — see acoustic ceilings and lighting design.
- Services — electrics, data, air conditioning, fire detection and public address.
- Flooring and cladding rated for heavy wear.
- Shopfront — signage, lighting and window display.
The programme is built backwards
In a shop you start from opening day and build the programme backwards. In an office you start from operating hours. In practice this means phased work, nights or weekends, and planning a partial handover so some of the team can return to work before everything is finished. That is priced in advance, not added mid-way. See renovation timeline.
Working with the landlord and the management company
Most commercial buildings require a works approval from the landlord, coordination of service lifts, hours for bringing materials in, contractor's insurance and safety procedures. We handle that coordination as part of the work. A change to the ceiling almost always requires adapting fire detection and sprinklers with a safety consultant — see fire safety.
Accessibility — a requirement, not a choice
A business open to the public has accessibility obligations under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law: circulation widths, accessible toilets, signage and marking. A refurbishment is the right moment to close the gaps, because afterwards the fix is far more expensive. On projects that require it we work with an accessibility consultant appointed by you.
What drives the price
- Floor area and number of rooms.
- Extent of services — electrics, data and air conditioning.
- The level of acoustic performance required.
- Working outside normal hours.
How we work
We manage the landlord coordination, the consultants and the phasing as part of the job rather than as your problem. See office fit-out. Get in touch.