This is one of the first questions each office wants to know. It’s understandable. The answer is a little annoying though: It depends. Luckily we can be a little more precise when deciding what it depends on.

What varies the most is not the size of the office. It’s the choices.

Once you have a brief and some approvals, an office fit-out company can take things to the next level. Most of the time what slows things down is approvals that take weeks when they can take days, and furniture orders that cycle back and forth even after the orders are done. That’s what you should take into consideration when you set a deadline.

The planning stage

There can be a proper design, a proposal, and approvals from the landlord or building management before anything is even touched. For office fit-outs, this stage can take from a few weeks to a few months depending on how much signing off the landlord has to do.

This is not a stage you want to pick from. On site, changes cost money, but on paper they are nothing.

A small refurbishment

New paint, replacement furniture, updated lighting, a furniture layout — structural work or alterations of the walls changes.

Once materials arrive on site, the project is expected to take about two to three weeks to complete. The lead times of furniture orders can be problematic. Stocked furniture can take eight to twelve weeks, and custom furniture may take even longer. A project can be fully constructed in two weeks, and then any customer orders will be waited on.

Be sure to order something as soon as possible to avoid project delays.

Some areas of the business may need to stay open during construction. This requires longer times to complete the project. This is the same for staggered construction.

There is a lot of construction to be done to create a usable office space. The ceilings and floors are just as important as the walls and furniture that you will be building.

From 2,000 to 5,000 sq. ft., a realistic space build-out time frame is 4 to 6 months. For any larger additions, expect 6 to 9 months. If someone quotes a shorter time frame for a project this scale, that person should be questioned.

Common reasons for delays

There are a few recurring items that cause significant delays.

Decisions change. Once a decision is signed off, changes to the decision take time to implement. Make a decision and stick with it for design, layout, finishes, etc.

Mechanical and electrical issues. M&E is usually the longest critical path in a build-out. Any conflict with the building’s current services will delay the build-out.

Building and landlord approvals. Some landlords are easier to work with than others. If the building has a strict landlord approval, be sure you understand the building’s approval process before you set a projected start date.

Furniture ordering. Going back to a previous example, you will encounter issues if you set the build-out start date before ordering.

A few final points to be aware of

The build-out timeline is never as long as your lease. If the building is new for you, you should negotiate a free fit-out period. Most landlords expect this.