“How long does an office fit-out take?” is one of the first questions we hear from London SMEs, usually asked in the same breath as “how much will it cost?” It is a fair thing to want pinned down: you have a lease clock ticking, a team to keep working and a landlord to keep happy. The honest answer is that a typical small office fit-out runs anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. The real timeline depends on the size of the space, the specification you choose and, crucially, how much groundwork you do before the first tradesperson arrives on site.
So how long does an office fit-out actually take?
As a rough guide, a light refresh of a small office — new paint, flooring, a bit of rewiring and a tidy-up of the layout — can be done in two to four weeks. A straightforward fit-out of a 2,000–5,000 sq ft office, with new partitions, a kitchen and meeting rooms, usually takes six to ten weeks on site. Larger or higher-specification projects, or those needing structural changes, mechanical and electrical upgrades or bespoke joinery, can run to twelve weeks or more. These are on-site build times only. The planning, design and approvals that come first often take just as long, and are the part most people underestimate.
What are the stages of an office fit-out timeline?
It helps to think of a fit-out as a sequence of stages rather than one block of work. Broadly, a project moves through:
- Briefing and feasibility (1–2 weeks): agreeing what you need, checking the space works and setting a realistic budget.
- Design and space planning (2–4 weeks): turning the brief into drawings, finishes and a specification you can price accurately.
- Quoting and approvals (2–4 weeks): pricing the works, and securing landlord consent — a licence to alter — where your lease requires it.
- On-site build (2–12 weeks): the physical works, from strip-out and partitions to power, decoration and furniture.
- Snagging and handover (a few days to a week): fixing the small defects, testing everything and getting you moved in.
Add these up and even a modest office fit-out is realistically a two-to-three-month journey from first conversation to move-in, with a good chunk of that before any building work starts.
What can slow an office fit-out down?
Most delays are avoidable, and almost all of them happen off site. The usual culprits are:
- Landlord consent. If your lease needs a licence to alter, waiting on the landlord and their solicitor can add several weeks. Start this early.
- Late decisions. Changing your mind on the layout or finishes once the build has started is the fastest way to lose a fortnight.
- Long-lead items. Some furniture, glazing and bespoke joinery can take six to eight weeks to arrive, so they need ordering well before you need them.
- Building access and rules. Restricted working hours, shared lifts and out-of-hours-only deliveries in managed London buildings all stretch a programme.
How can you speed up a fit-out?
You cannot rush a plaster to dry, but you can protect your timeline. Get your design and specification locked down before you go to build, so nothing is left to decide on site. Order long-lead items as soon as the design is signed off. Deal with the lease and landlord consent in parallel with the design work rather than after it. And choose a contractor who can handle design, build and project management under one roof — a single point of accountability removes the gaps where projects tend to stall.
Don’t forget the lease side of the clock
Timings are not only about the build. If you are fitting out towards the end of a lease, your dilapidations and reinstatement obligations may mean you have to strip work back out again later — so it is worth designing with that in mind. If you are moving in, factor in the time to get landlord consent and to complete any Cat A works the landlord is responsible for before your Cat B fit-out can begin. Getting the lease timing right is one of the quiet ways a project either runs smoothly or slips.
A realistic timeline for a small London office
Picture a 3,000 sq ft office in Clerkenwell taking a mid-range fit-out at an indicative £65–120 per sq ft. You might spend two weeks on the brief and feasibility, three weeks on design and space planning, and three weeks pricing the works and securing landlord consent — much of it overlapping. The on-site build then runs around eight weeks, followed by a week of snagging and handover. Start to finish, that is roughly three to four months. Plan for that from the outset and the lease clock stops being a source of stress.
Does the type of fit-out change the timeline?
Yes, quite a lot. A Cat A fit-out — the basic finished shell of ceilings, lighting, raised floors and services that a landlord often provides — is quicker than a full Cat B fit-out, which is the bit that makes the space yours: partitions, meeting rooms, a kitchen, branding and furniture. If you are taking space that already has good Cat A in place, you are only adding the Cat B layer, which shortens the programme. If you are starting from a bare shell, or reconfiguring an older office with tired services, expect the M&E works alone to add a couple of weeks. Being clear about which category of work your project actually involves is the quickest way to get a timeline you can trust.
Related reading (internal links)
- The Office Fit-Out Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for First-Timers
- How to Get an Accurate Office Fit-Out Quote (and Compare Them Fairly)
- Lease Break Coming Up? A Tenant’s Guide to Refurbishment Timing
Ready to put a realistic timeline against your own office? Beem Interiors gives London SMEs an honest, itemised quote and a clear programme before you commit to anything. Get in touch for a no-obligation chat and we will talk you through what your project would really involve — and how long it would take.
