How Much Does An Office Fit Out Cost?

The average cost of an office fit out is measured by square foot and generally ranges from £12.50 to £52.75 per square foot depending on the specifications.

However, an office fit out is a big project with a lot of costs involved. By calculating how much your office fit out project is set to cost you, you can budget appropriately and avoid spending more than expected. Here are the average costs of the various elements of an office fit out.

Average costs

Please note that these costs are estimations based on recent projects carried out by Dale Office Interiors, and costs vary between projects based on your individual needs.

The table below details costs paid for a number of recent fit out projects carried out by Dale Office Interiors. These costs provide a guideline – every project is unique and individual costings and quotations for your project can be provided upon request.

Learn more about the costs associated with an office fit-out with our free Office Fit-Out Costs Guide.

Low specification office fit outs

	Construction, Barnsley	Food in       Blackburn	Insurance, Nottingham	Construction, Nottingham
Structural alterations
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Power and data
New walls
New ceilings
Bespoke joinery
Kitchen/teapoint
Flooring
Furniture fittings and equipment (FF &E)
Cost per square foot	£8	£10	£15	£17

Mid-specification office fit outs

	Services,    Doncaster	Insurance, Nottingham	IT/tech, Sheffield	Services, Leeds
Structural alterations
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Power and data
New walls
New ceilings
Bespoke joinery
Kitchen/teapoint
Flooring
Furniture fittings and equipment (FF &E)
Cost per square foot	£21	£27	£28	£31

High specification office fit outs

	IT/tech, Shropshire	Manufacturer, Leeds	Logistics, Sheffield	Construction, Preston
Structural alterations
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Power and data
New walls
New ceilings
Bespoke joinery
Kitchen/ teapoint
Flooring
Furniture fittings and equipment (FF &E)
Cost per square foot	£39	£53	£58	£65

Breakdown of what you pay for:

Design

At Dale, when it’s clear that investing in a design service will give the client the best outcome, our fees are typically around 2% to 4% of the total estimated project value. This, of course, depends on the type, scale and complexity of the project. By comparison, architects’ fees are commonly quoted at between 8% and 12%.

So, for example, if the fit out project was estimated to be £250,000 we could charge between £5,000 and £10,000 for design, which is carried out in full collaboration with the client, who could expect outline or concept design, detailed design for estimating and construction phase detail drawings for the project delivery.

Preparation and build

It is difficult to give precise values for this until the design has been nailed down because it depends on the starting condition of the space to be fitted out.

But to give a typical example, for a £250,000 fit out project that includes the following elements:

• Flooring
• Lighting
• Meeting rooms
• Reception
• Kitchen area
• Furniture

Approximately £160,000 of this amount would be allocated to the preparation and building work.

Of course, this is just one scenario and costs will vary according to the individual client and project.

Furniture, fittings and equipment

You can typically expect to pay upwards of £500 to £600 per head or user for furniture of a reasonable standard. Typically, this would include a desk, chair, some personal storage and a shared desk screen/divider. In addition, allowances should be calculated for:

• Meeting room furniture
• Breakout and 3rd space furniture
• Peripherals, such as monitor arms, cabling extensions and solutions.

So, be prepared to factor those things into your budget separately.

Temporary on site cabins and facilities

Although the need to move staff during the fit out process depends on the scale of the project and nature of the space, we aim to avoid it where possible by carrying out work in phases and by working in zones on site to minimise disruption.

But if the smartest option is to relocate staff temporarily, we plan this with you in advance and work in partnership with a specialist temporary modular office and facilities provider.

A typical cost for hiring temporary cabins on site for 40 people over a 12-week period would be £19,500.

As you can see, there are a lot of different costs to consider when planning an office fit-out. To learn more about the specific costs involved and how you can budget for it, download our free guide below.