Commercial Building Services

Specialist fit-out companies are great for cosmetic refurbishments — new carpet tiles, a lick of paint, and some partition walls. But the moment your project involves structural work, mechanical services, or building regulations, you need a builder.

We handle the whole spectrum. If your office conversion needs a steel beam to open up the floor plate, we install it. If your warehouse conversion needs new foundations and drainage, we dig them. If your restaurant needs a commercial extraction system routed through the roof, we build the ductwork enclosure and make the roof penetration watertight.

You get one contractor, one contract, one programme. No finger-pointing between the fit-out company and the structural contractor. No gaps where trades should overlap. Everything coordinated under one project manager.

Regional Pricing

London: Add 20-40% to all rates. City of London and West End locations carry a further premium due to access restrictions, parking costs, and congestion charges on deliveries.

Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol: Generally at national average rates.

Leeds, Liverpool, North East: 10-15% below national average.

Typical Project Costs

80m² shop fit-out: £40,000 – £120,000
200m² office Cat B fit-out: £120,000 – £300,000
300m² warehouse conversion: £240,000 – £600,000
100m² restaurant build: £100,000 – £350,000
500m² commercial extension: £600,000 – £1,200,000

Small Retail Fit-Out (under 100m²)

4-6 weeks on site. Pre-construction: 2-3 weeks for design, procurement, and building control submission. On-site: 1 week strip-out, 1-2 weeks M&E and partitions, 1 week finishes and joinery, 1 week snagging and handover. Total programme: 6-9 weeks from instruction to opening.

Office Fit-Out (100-300m²)

8-14 weeks on site. Pre-construction: 4-6 weeks (design, procurement, building control, landlord approvals). On-site sequence: strip-out (1-2 weeks), partitioning and ceilings (2-3 weeks), M&E first fix (2 weeks), finishes and joinery (2-3 weeks), M&E second fix, testing, and commissioning (1-2 weeks), snagging (1 week).

Warehouse Conversion (200-500m²)

16-24 weeks on site. These are major projects. Structural work (mezzanine floors, new walls, roof works) takes 4-6 weeks. M&E installation (often extensive — these buildings start with nothing) takes 4-6 weeks. Fit-out and finishes: 4-8 weeks. Testing, commissioning, snagging: 2-3 weeks. Planning permission (if required) adds 8-13 weeks upfront.

Restaurant Build

8-12 weeks on site. Restaurants are complex despite often being compact. The commercial kitchen alone involves gas, water, drainage, extraction, fire suppression, and specialist flooring. Environmental Health inspections need to be factored in. We recommend a 2-week buffer before your target opening for regulatory sign-offs and staff training.

What Causes Commercial Delays

Landlord approvals: Most commercial leases require landlord consent for alterations. Allow 2-4 weeks and start early.
Building control: Commercial applications take longer than residential — 3-5 weeks for a full plans check.
Specialist equipment lead times: Commercial HVAC, kitchen extraction, and bespoke joinery often have 6-10 week lead times. Order at design stage, not when you need it on site.

Check your lease before you start. Most commercial leases include specific requirements for reinstatement (returning the space to its original condition) when you leave, restrictions on structural alterations, and approval processes for any works. Ignoring these can result in expensive disputes with your landlord or dilapidation claims at lease end.

Plan for dilapidations from day one. Every alteration you make might need to be reversed when your lease ends. Use demountable partitioning systems where possible — they can be removed cleanly. Document the existing condition with photographs before any work starts. A dilapidations assessment at the outset can save tens of thousands at lease end.

Don't underestimate M&E costs. In a commercial fit-out, mechanical and electrical services typically account for 40-50% of the total budget. Three-phase power supplies, comfort cooling, ventilation, fire alarms, emergency lighting, data cabling — these aren't optional extras, they're regulatory requirements.

Coordinate IT early. Structured cabling (Cat 6A minimum for future-proofing), server room cooling, UPS power protection, and Wi-Fi access point locations all need to be designed before the ceiling goes up and the partitions go in. Your IT team or MSP should be involved from week one of the design process.

Consider acoustic performance. Open-plan offices, meeting rooms, and especially any space adjacent to neighbours need acoustic treatment. A meeting room without acoustic separation is just a glass box where everyone can hear your conversations. Ceiling tiles with a minimum NRC of 0.85, acoustic-rated partition systems, and sound masking can make the difference between a productive office and a noisy warehouse.

Get Environmental Health involved early for food premises. If you're opening a restaurant, café, or any food premises, contact your local Environmental Health department at design stage. They can advise on requirements before you build — much cheaper than retrofitting after they fail you on inspection. Key areas: hand wash facilities, food preparation surfaces, extraction systems, pest-proofing, and waste storage.