London Office Refurbishment Fit Out Planning and 2024 Services

Refurbishing and redesigning a London office space is not confined to the workspace fit out in itself – In advance there’s a substantial amount of planning, purchasing, collaboration with suppliers and managing the contracting team that needs connecting together in a seamless plan for 2024 and beyond.

What truly sets Initial Interiors apart is our team of trusted contractors, many of whom have been with the company since its inception. Tim Griffiths has meticulously built this team, handpicking each member for their expertise, commitment to quality, and shared vision. This longevity in our team has fostered a deep sense of trust and camaraderie, which is evident in the seamless execution of our projects.

Interested? Send a message today or call the Project Manager directly on 020 8938 3893.

This informative guide of ten tips and steps below will help you visualise the fit-out and refurbishment processes:

10 Ways To Identify Steps Involved in a London Office Fit Out/Refurbishment

• Defining why you need to redesign and reconfigure the office space. This is sometimes more than the obvious “We’d like to give our company arena a refresh, the decor is looking dated, the break out room needs a new kitchen fitted and the reception area definitely needs to appeal to clients”, sometimes it’s a combination of practicality, ceiling repairs or electrical upgrades wrapped up with heightening the staff morale with a choice of vibrant colours.
• Appointing a team of skilled contractors. Finding an established team of contractors with end to end experience at all stages of the refurb from an on-site visit, supplying plans and visuals together with a breakdown of costs in a clear cut manner is essential. Remember to ask for Refurbishment Testimonials.
• Contacting a number of companies to get a feel for their approach and to establish a relationship with a Project Manager who is a good personality fit and is able to demonstrate a verified background of similar refurbishments and career history.
• Collaborating with your committee and deciding why the type of space that would suit the company. One consideration could be an open plan hot desking environment, or alternatively with the aim of reducing office noise with sound reducing glass office partitions. Glass manifestation and corporate bespoke logos are a popular choice.
• Agreeing on a budget for the project. UK National companies understandably have higher overheads than an independent team of contractors. If pricing is a hot topic for you, we are exceptional at working without the need for large overheads, budget is one of our main considerations as our methods of rolling out have been honed over 25 years. Read more about Cost Savings.

• Communicating together with your appointed fit-out Project Manager, Architect and Interior Design team to select and tailor your design. Making changes to your London-based offices and workspace can often be a daunting task so it is important to know you have the right people for the task. Initial Interiors offer a variety of solutions and will work with you, your ideas and your concepts to find the right office solution for you.
• Choosing the best furniture suited for the new environment design. This can be in the form of bespoke upholstered Reception seating, to colour coordinated meeting room chairs, or little touches such as kitchen stools for the canteen/break out area.
• Managing the works on site. This should be one of the easiest aspects. Tim, the owner of Initial Interiors, will be available to speak with 24 hours a day on his personal mobile. Whilst this may sound like a huge commitment you must remember that his team regularly work out of office hours and on night shifts to avoid disrupting staff who work 9-5pm. It’s this level of service you can expect from a dedicated independent company when compared to a large national operation.
• Managing the handover. Agree a date for the handover, on the contract may be a clause for the contractor not to pay rent in the property whilst works are carried out to ensure delivery on time.
• Supporting staff to move in and get settled. This can include a snagging list, or additional extras that were not realised when your initial plans were agreed. As the strategy gets deployed it’s often the case that little occurrences arise that could not be predicted.

How long does a London office fit out take for complete refurbishment in 2023?

We have determined a typical fit-out office refurbishment project can be completed in as little as 8 to 12 weeks from start to finish (handover day). Take a look at our price comparison and timeline guide to an office fit out/refurbishment for more knowledge on what’s involved.

We regularly tender for office works in the City of London and postcode areas including EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4, E1, WC1, WC2, W1, N1 and SE1. There’s an infinite number of variables as every project is essentially unique, there is no concrete formula to calculate out how long your bespoke process will take  – size of the space, total number of employees and so forth.

What office health and safety requirements to consider?

The health and safety of employees and all visitors is the responsibility of the employer to continually assess whether their workspace meets the requirements to protect the staff working within it. To ensure the office environment in question is as safe and conforming to UK Employment Laws, remember to envisage:

• Layout – Aesthetically pleasing and pretty colours isn’t everything; your layout should provide a positive element to the health and wellbeing of your employees, to provide an unobstructed workspace.
• Lighting – poor office lighting is a health hazard as well as being bad for morale. If it’s possible, try to maximise natural light in your office design to make the space brighter and lighting costs lower.
• Fire safety – it may sound obvious, but every office should have a robust fire safety system in place, with fire hazards minimised to the lowest possible level.
• Covid-Friendly Facilities – with toilets, for example, there need to be enough for your staff members. You should also consider whether disabled access and additional facilities are needed. All communal facilities need to be cleaned frequently to ensure they are free from bacteria and well stocked with handwashing products.

If you are looking for an office refurbishment or similar services in London, then look no further than Initial Interiors. With a competitive price guarantee and a diverse variety of services on offer, you shouldn’t hesitate to get in contact with Tim via the contact form on their website or call the team on 020 8938 3893 to discuss your project today.

Will I need a feasibility study? How do I ensure a proper risk assessment is carried out? How much will it cost? We understand that budgets will vary so will happily work with you to find something that works for you and see the project through to completion to include feasibility studies and inclusive risk assessments.

Below are the selection of services we have to offer for office spaces in City of London areas:

London Office Fit Out

An Office Fit Out is the perfect one stop solution for a business looking for the whole deal. Working with your own designers and architects to bring your vision to life. Watch your office transform from a blank canvas to exactly what you want, thanks to Initial Interiors fantastic service.

With fantastic lighting solutions, glass partitions, doors and even bespoke furniture, your office will be transformed from absolutely nothing to a space you can be proud of.

At Initial Interiors, we are not just refurbishing office spaces; we are creating environments that reflect the ambitions and ethos of the businesses that occupy them. Our two decades of experience, combined with our network of exceptional contractors, positions us uniquely to bring your vision to life. If you are seeking a partner who can deliver excellence across London’s key postcodes, look no further than Initial Interiors.

Complete Office Refurbishment Services

A full office fit out may not be the service for you but how about an office refurbishment? A refurbishment can provide the aesthetic change that you want and give your staff a boost which in turn should help with productivity rates. Make better use of the space you have on offer by brightening and utilising every inch.

Initial Interiors will work with you to find out the right colour scheme for your workspace and make the refurbishment a totally positive experience.

Interior Glass Partitions and Doors with Noise Reducing Benefits

If you are looking for privacy between offices and meeting rooms or want some strong walls that are capable of holding multimedia devices, then you may want to consider glass partitions and doors. Both the framed and frameless options offer the benefits of an attractive aesthetic effect and positively enable you to enjoy a bright and vibrant office space by maximising natural light.

Whilst some offices relish a completely open space, others require some privacy or plenty of storage which is where these glass partitions and doors are the perfect solution.

Power Data Lighting Installation – Energy Cost Saving to Decrease Annual Expenditure

Light is so important in a London workspace as traditionally property space is at a premium, whilst natural light is favoured as the best, it’s important to strike the sweet balance of correct lighting for the wellbeing of your staff. With a power data lighting installation service, you can not only save on energy and costs with the right LED technology but also it should have an instant impact on how your staff work.

As well as great lighting solutions, media walls can also be installed in your boardroom with projectors fitted onto the ceiling with screens that can slide out of the ceilings for presentations and/or training. These will enable you to have conferences with clients anywhere in the world which is imperative with a recent emergence of WFH – Working From Home – opportunities.

Budget to Bespoke London Office Flooring Solutions

As well as office fit-outs and glass partitions, office and commercial flooring is also a service Initial Interiors offers. Their flooring solutions include carpet tiles, vinyl flooring and laminate flooring.

Carpet tiles are both cost-effective and extremely versatile. Not only that but they are easy to replace when damaged and easily maintained. Vinyl is versatile, easily cleaned and hard-wearing – best suited to areas like kitchens, canteens and toilet areas which see a lot of footfall and require regular cleaning.

Other flooring solutions include engineered wood office flooring which is both natural and visually appealing and is great for the floors of receptions and boardrooms. Another option, although not used as regularly as others due to the expense, is ceramic tiles or marble flooring – these are perfect for a reception area or lobby as they give a great first impression.

Office Suspended Ceilings

If you are looking for a great way to improve your office environment, then office suspended ceilings are a great way to do this. They not only enhance the acoustics of an office but they enable you to install brighter and improved lighting. When choosing this service, Initial Interiors will help you to select different tiles to suit your needs (one type being sound absorbing tiles help to reduce background noise).

Suspended ceilings enable you to make your workspace a bright, fresh and airy place to be, something that has been proven to help with workplace productivity and morale.

Small Works and Weekend One-off Projects

Is your office a smaller working environment than other offices? Initial Interiors offers a variety of small works to help you utilise your working space to its full potential. Whether you are looking for space saving concepts or a change in colour scheme, there will be a solution for you.

These small refurbishments can often be done in a couple of weekends to minimise disruption to your office and your workforce. The team are also able to work through the night to get the work done. If the work can be done without disrupting the smooth running of the office, they will do so.

Initial Interiors is a run by a contractor who has a skilled team of contractors on hand and who complete refurbishments with total ease – with plenty of experience in working together and over 22 years experience between them.

They will work through the night and at weekends to avoid disrupting office hours and are loyal to their long term suppliers, buying direct from them. They will happily work with tenants, landlords or designers looking to update the look of their office.

If any of these services sound like what you need to bring your office up to date and boost the morale and productivity of your workforce, then send a message or call on 020 8938 3893. Initial Interiors can help you get your office looking precisely the way you want.