How long will your office fit-out take?
A meaningful timeline starts with the floor you have, the work you need and the date you are planning towards. Floor area matters, but so do approvals, design decisions, long-lead materials, building access and the work assigned to different teams.
The six stages of a fit-out.
The sequence below is typical. Some activities can overlap; others cannot begin until earlier decisions and approvals are complete.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Survey and brief | Confirm the floor, business requirement, initial constraints and responsible decision-makers. |
| 2. Coordinate | Develop the agreed layouts and bring in required services and specialist inputs. |
| 3. Approve | Confirm drawings, materials, scope, commercials and programme dependencies. |
| 4. Procure and prepare | Order or manufacture approved items; prepare access, logistics and site requirements. |
| 5. Execute | Complete the work in an agreed sequence and track progress, changes and inspections. |
| 6. Test and hand over | Finish required checks, document outstanding snags and complete contracted handover activities. |
What commonly affects the date?
Landlord approvals can take time. A change in meeting-room layout can move power, air-conditioning and cabling. Specialist equipment may have longer procurement lead times. Restricted lift access or noisy-work windows can limit the number of trades working at once.
Work backwards from your required opening date.
Tell us when the business needs the office. We can review which information must be finalised first and where the schedule depends on decisions from your organisation, building management or external vendors.
Can the duration be estimated from square footage?
Not accurately from area alone. A straightforward warm-shell office and a technically complex renovation of the same size can have very different programmes.
Can work start before every decision is final?
Some preparatory activities may be possible, but unresolved decisions should be assessed for rework and schedule risk. Critical design, scope and procurement information needs agreement before the affected work is released.