How long does an office fit out take?
There is no honest single duration that fits every office fit out. A light refresh with limited services change moves faster than a full Cat B reconfiguration with new meeting room stock, kitchen, and upgraded M&E. What you can rely on is a recognisable sequence of stages — each with a realistic range depending on scope, building, and how quickly decisions are made.
This guide explains what typically sits on the critical path, what accelerates programmes, and what quietly adds weeks when it is underestimated.
The stages most projects move through
Most fit outs follow a similar rhythm:
- Brief and concept — align on ways of working, headcount, and success measures.
- Design development and technical design — layout, specifications, coordination with engineers.
- Landlord and statutory approvals — submissions, reviews, sometimes iterations.
- Procurement and mobilisation — orders for long-lead items, site setup.
- Construction — first fix, second fix, finishes, commissioning.
- Snagging and handover — testing, defects, documentation, readiness for occupation.
Overlap between stages is possible, but dependencies are real — especially where approvals gate access or procurement.
What usually drives duration up
Common extenders include late brief changes, slow landlord responses, long-lead materials ordered late, coordination gaps between design disciplines, and restricted site hours. Listed buildings or complex base builds add review cycles. IT and AV integration can extend commissioning if testing waits on third parties.
What helps programmes stay on track
Single client-side ownership of decisions, frozen layout milestones, early identification of long-lead packages, and realistic allowance for approvals all help. Experienced design and build teams compress rework by catching coordination issues before site — not after the ceiling is closed.
How to plan a date you can defend internally
Rather than committing to one end date before the brief is stable, work backwards from your ideal occupation window with named milestones: concept sign-off, tender issue, start on site, commissioning complete. Build buffer before move-in for IT cutover and snagging — those weeks are rarely wasted.
