In recent years, it has become apparent to business owners everywhere that the look, feel and functionality of an office plays an important role in a company’s success. Workspaces are much more than just a place for your employees to sit in rows of cubicles and churn out work all day long. If done right, the workplace can inspire productivity, creativity and loyalty in your employees, and thereby increasing the bottom-line.

As such, office fit outs are important – but they can be costly at times. We look at how to plan the budget for your project with the help of our office fit out cost calculator:

What is an office fit out?

An office fit out is simply the process of getting your workspace ready for occupancy in a way that meets your company and staff’s specific needs and requirements. It’s easy to sign a lease or rent an empty office space, but making that space a functional, productive, and aesthetically-pleasing workplace for you and your employees is a different beast. Creating a bespoke office requires a lot of planning, logistics and construction. And as such, it will require an investment that can get quite costly if not budgeted properly or rendering the services of an incompetent and unreliable contractor.

How should you budget for a fit out?

Without a proper budget in place, your fit out project could run on the expensive side. To prevent any unnecessary spending, you must keep certain factors in mind when crunching the numbers for your office fit out. When budgeting for a fit out project of any size or complexity, always consider the following elements:

• Type of fit out: Is your office a little more than four concrete walls or do you only require a cosmetic makeover? The condition of your office space will impact your budget. For example, a shell and core fit out will require a much larger investment than a Cat-B fit out.
• Materials & customisation: The type of materials and the level of customisation required will have a major effect on your end costs. Minimally designed, open-plan offices tend to be much cheaper than an office that requires luxury finishes, specialized work areas, lots of meetings rooms or bespoke furniture.
• Size: Most fit out costs are calculated on a per square foot basis. Therefore, the bigger your office space, the more money it’s going to cost to fit out.
• Timeframe: If you need a quick turnaround time for your project, it will push up your overall costs. The faster your fit out needs to be completed, the more manpower and hours it’s going to require. Having a longer timeframe will not only reduce your cost but will allow you to discuss and manage changes with your project manager.
• Fit out specialist: Finding a capable and reliable contractor who offers an all-in-one fit out solution and can deliver your project on time and on budget will save you time and money at the end of the day.

Estimate your fit out cost

There is no definitive number associated with an office fit out as there are too many factors and variables that need to be taken into consideration before crunching the numbers. Each office fit out project will be unique, defined and based on a range of aspects like size, location and active requirements. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to predict a one-size-fits-all amount that can be applied to every situation.

We may not be able to provide an average figure, but we can do the next best thing – estimate. Contractors.Direct offers a free-to-use fit out cost calculator that is a simple, straightforward way of predicting what your office fit out might cost. All you need to do is fill in a few prompts and our calculator will estimate the cost of your project. The figure is not definitively accurate, but it will provide a close round number that’s a great starting point when budgeting.

Finance your fit out project

Expand your business without depleting your cash reserves by financing your office fit out project with Contractors.Direct. Businesses now have the opportunity to spread the cost of their commercial fit out – up to AED 3.5 million – over a period of one to three years.

Contractors.Direct can connect you with quality contractors who have been thoroughly vetted to ensure that they can bring your fit out vision to life. When using our services, you will be provided with a Project Manager who will guarantee that your project is delivered on time and on budget – with not one extra penny spent.

If you'd like to find out how much your project could cost, take a look at our fit out calculator or get in touch with us here.