If you are budgeting for a new office, the per square foot figure is the number everyone asks for and the one that varies most wildly. Depending on the condition of the building and the standard of finish you want, UK fit-out costs can range from around £40 to well over £150 per square foot. This guide breaks down what sits behind those numbers so you can budget with confidence.
Most UK office fit-outs fall into broad bands based on specification. A basic refresh, meaning new flooring, decoration, lighting tweaks and some minor partitioning, typically comes in at £40 to £60 per square foot. A mid-range fit-out with new partitioning, a proper kitchen or tea point, upgraded mechanical and electrical services and decent furniture usually lands between £60 and £90 per square foot. A high-specification project with bespoke joinery, acoustic treatment, feature ceilings and premium finishes can run from £90 to £150 or more.
In Dorset and the wider South West, labour rates tend to sit a little below London levels, so local projects often land towards the lower half of these bands for an equivalent specification. That said, materials cost broadly the same wherever you are, so the saving is real but not dramatic.
A lot of confusion around fit-out costs comes from mixing up Cat A and Cat B works. Cat A is the landlord-standard shell: raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic lighting, heating and cooling. If you are taking a lease on a Cat A space, most of that is already done. Cat B is everything that makes the space yours, including partitioning, meeting rooms, kitchens, IT infrastructure, branding and furniture.
The per square foot figures quoted above are Cat B costs. If you are taking on a shell and core building where even the Cat A works are missing, add roughly £30 to £50 per square foot on top. Always check what condition the space is actually in before comparing quotes, because two identical-sounding prices can cover very different scopes.
Two offices of the same size can have wildly different costs, and it usually comes down to a handful of factors. Older buildings, which are common in Bournemouth town centre and along the coast, often hide surprises like outdated wiring, asbestos surveys and awkward floor levels that add cost before any visible work starts.
Density of rooms is another big driver. An open-plan floor with one meeting room is far cheaper per square foot than the same floor divided into cellular offices, each needing its own lighting, ventilation, data and acoustic treatment.
A sensible approach is to work backwards from headcount. Most modern offices allow 80 to 120 square feet per person once meeting rooms and breakout space are included. So a 30-person office needs roughly 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, and at a mid-range £70 per square foot you would be budgeting somewhere around £175,000 to £245,000 for the Cat B works.
Whatever figure you arrive at, hold back a contingency of 10 to 15 per cent. Fit-outs in occupied or older buildings almost always throw up something unplanned, and it is far less painful to have the buffer than to cut the specification halfway through. Also factor in professional fees, building control sign-off and landlord licence for alterations costs, which sit outside the headline per square foot rate.
Generally yes. Fixed costs like design fees, site setup and statutory approvals are spread across more floor area, so a 10,000 square foot project usually costs less per square foot than a 2,000 square foot one at the same specification.
Not always, so check every quote carefully. Some contractors quote Cat B works only and treat furniture as a separate budget, which can add £10 to £30 per square foot depending on what you choose.
A straightforward 3,000 to 5,000 square foot Cat B fit-out usually takes six to ten weeks on site, plus four to eight weeks beforehand for design, landlord approvals and ordering long-lead items like air conditioning units and glazed partitions.