Office Fit Out vs Renovation: When do I need What?

When you’re managing a building and looking to have professional work done, whether it’s a simple paint job or a large-scale rebuild, it pays to know exactly what service to ask for and when to ask for it. If you don’t, you’ll inevitably face delays and complications when communicating your needs to contractors. This can raise costs, extend timelines and generally make life difficult for you, your tenants and their customers.

For people who aren’t in the building maintenance industry, office fit outs and renovations may seem interchangeable. After all, they both involve changing the interior of a building. But while they share some common ground, renovations and fit outs are very different services that serve distinct purposes.

In this blog post, we’ll explain these differences in detail so you’ll know which to ask for depending on your future needs.

What is an office fit out?

Simply put, a fit out is the process of making a building suitable for whatever activity people will be doing within its walls. As such, an office fit out will turn a building into a place where people can work safely and comfortably: with electricity, suitable airflow, insulation and enough space to move around without bumping into each other or falling down a stairwell.

A key aspect of a fit out is that it makes a space “fit for purpose” by laying the foundational features that make a building suitable for human occupation. So if you’re dealing with a building that has never been used as an office before, and need to turn it into a bustling, productive work environment, then you’re in the market for an office fit out.

There are a few different types of fit outs, depending on the state of the building when the builders arrive. These are:

• Shell & Core: the most fundamental of fit outs, this involves getting the concrete structure of the building fit for purpose with basic electrical work and mechanics. This is often what a landlord provides in a new building, depending on the lease agreement and complexity of the tenant’s requirements.
• Category A: with the “shell” in place, a category A fit out gets the empty rooms as ready as can be without any furniture or interior design considerations. This includes elements like more complex electrical work, toilets and plumbing, fire and carbon monoxide detection systems, as well as suspended ceilings and drywall.
• Category B: the last type of office fit out gets all the final details of the workspace in place, like furniture, plants, appliances, paintwork and various aesthetic elements to add character and optimal functionality. A category B fit out is the most similar to a standard renovation, though it still counts as a fit out if the space has never been used as an office and doesn’t have existing furnishings.

What is an office renovation?

An office renovation or refurbishment is the practice of refreshing, updating or redesigning the interior of a workplace. This often includes updating the furniture, layout, paintwork and finishings.

You might consider an office refurbishment if the space feels aesthetically dated and in need of a refresh. If it’s been a while since any work was done, general wear and tear can be another motivating factor.

Office renovations are also a good idea to accommodate changes in how the company operates. For example, if a business is trying to encourage a more agile and cooperative working environment, they might renovate the interior to provide employees with co-working spaces, hot desks and an open plan office.

Whatever your reason for considering an office fit out or renovation, make sure to choose a building maintenance partner who understands your vision and can offer guidance around service delivery choices. At First Response, we pride ourselves on reliable service with quick turnaround times and minimal disruption to your building and its staff. We also go the extra mile to keep office fit out costs to a minimum, working efficiently and keeping you informed at every step of the process.

To learn how we can help you with all your office fit out and renovation needs, get in touch for a quote today.