A commercial fit-out turns a bare or inherited tenancy into a workplace that is ready to occupy. The design is the visible part. The commercial fit-out process around it, from the brief through landlord approval, consent, contractor appointment and handover, is what decides whether the doors open on the date the lease was signed for.
Most delays are not design failures. They come from a brief that was never written down, a landlord requirement found late, a consent assumed to be unnecessary, or a contractor appointed before the drawings were complete. This guide sets out the sequence that keeps those risks in order.
Key takeaways
- Write the brief before the layout. Headcount, ways of working and growth decide more than any finish.
- Read the lease and the landlord’s design manual first. Landlord approval and building consent are separate tracks.
- Measure the tenancy and check the base building services before the design is fixed.
- Confirm consent triggers early. A change of use is a council notification, not a consent.
- Appoint the contractor on a complete drawing set, with the scope and programme in writing.
- Plan handover from the start: records, warranties, compliance documents and a defects process.
What a commercial fit-out covers
A commercial building usually arrives as a base building: structure, shell, core services, and sometimes a ceiling and floor. The fit-out is everything the tenant adds to make that shell usable. On an office tenancy that normally includes partitions and glazing, ceilings, lighting, power and data, air conditioning adjustments, fire services, finishes, joinery, signage, and often furniture and audio visual equipment.
The scope boundary matters more than the list. Some services stop at the tenancy riser, some belong to the landlord, and some are shared. The lease and the fit-out agreement should say where each one sits, because every later argument about who pays for a cable run or a sprinkler shift costs programme as well as money.
This article covers the commercial fit-out process rather than the plan. For desk settings, meeting room ratios and zoning, see our guide to office layout ideas. Layout decides what the space does; the fit-out process decides how it gets approved, built and handed over.
Step 1: Start with the brief, not the plan
A workplace brief is a written statement of what the tenancy has to do: the headcount now and during the lease, the mix of focused work, meetings, collaboration and quiet rooms, equipment and storage, the visitor route, accessibility, brand expression and a realistic budget. It should also record the constraints: lease dates, building rules, available services and anything the landlord has already refused.
Write the brief as priorities. A short list of non negotiables, then things that would be nice, gives the designer and the contractor a basis for decisions without a meeting every time.
Two items are routinely missed. The first is growth: a plan that fits today’s team but has no room for the next hires will be rebuilt sooner than expected. The second is the way the business actually works, which is often different from the org chart.
| Brief input | What it decides | Why it matters early |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount and growth | Desk count, meeting rooms, storage and circulation | Drives the area required and the density the landlord will accept |
| Ways of working | Mix of focus rooms, collaboration space and open floor | Prevents a plan that looks efficient but does not support the work |
| Equipment and storage | Power, data, cooling, floor loading and joinery | Late equipment changes are a common source of variations |
| Accessibility | Route widths, door clearances, counter heights, toilets | Hard to retrofit and part of the consent and access review |
| Budget and lease dates | Scope, specification level, procurement route and programme | Sets the trade offs before the design is developed |
Step 2: Read the lease and the landlord’s design manual
The commercial fit-out process starts with the lease. Read it with the landlord’s design manual before the first sketch. The manual usually sets the approval process, permitted materials, acoustic and vibration requirements between tenancies, signage rules, working hours, insurance requirements, and make-good obligations at the end of the term. It can also limit load, occupant numbers and what may be fixed to the base building.
Landlord approval is not building consent and does not replace it. The landlord protects the building, the other tenants and the asset. The council protects the Building Code and the public interest. A fit-out needs both, on different timetables, and landlord review often runs in stages that each return conditions.
Get the approval conditions in writing and keep them with the drawing set. Ask two practical questions early: what hours can work happen, and how are deliveries, lifts and protection of common areas handled.
Step 3: Measure the space and develop the design
Measure the tenancy before you trust the lease plan. Lease plans are often indicative and the as-built condition rarely matches. A measured drawing should record the structure, ceiling heights and bulkheads, columns, windows, risers, existing services and floor level changes. It should also test the base building: how much power is available, whether the air conditioning can serve the proposed density, and where the fire services run.
Design then develops in stages: a concept that sets the planning idea and material direction, a developed design that resolves rooms, joinery and services coordination, and documentation that a contractor can price and build. Each stage should end with a decision, because a design that keeps changing after pricing destroys the value of the tender.
Bring the right consultants in early. Structural advice before a wall is removed, mechanical and electrical advice before the ceiling is set, and fire, acoustic and accessibility review where the tenancy needs it. The air conditioning, lighting and sprinkler layout all compete for the same ceiling void, so a coordinated drawing set is worth more than any single impressive detail.
Step 4: Confirm consents and compliance
Consent is the stage most likely to surprise a tenant, so confirm the position early with the council. Building work that is structural, that alters a specified system such as a fire alarm, a sprinkler system or an air conditioning system, or that involves plumbing and drainage will normally need a building consent. Some interior alterations are exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004, but the exemptions are conditional, the building owner is responsible for confirming the work qualifies, and exempt work must still comply with the Building Code. The council can also grant a discretionary exemption under Schedule 1 when asked.
A change of use is separate. The Building Act 2004 requires written notice to the council before a building is used for a different purpose, and the new use cannot begin until the council confirms in writing that the building will comply as nearly as is reasonably practicable, which can mean upgrade work first. Moving between office tenants is usually not a change of use; turning a warehouse or retail space into offices can be.
Access is part of the same review. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment publishes the Building Code D1 access routes guidance, and NZS 4121 sets the access standard. When an alteration to an existing building needs consent, the Building Act 2004 requires access and facilities for people with disabilities, and means of escape from fire, to be upgraded as nearly as is reasonably practicable. In an office tenancy that usually covers an accessible route from the lift or entry, doors a wheelchair user can pass and open, and at least one counter position at a usable height with clear space beside it.
Fire is the other area where a small change can trigger a large one. A new wall can alter egress distances, a new ceiling can shadow sprinkler coverage, and different occupant numbers can affect the evacuation scheme. Some buildings need an evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and altering a specified system means updating the building’s compliance schedule. Consented work needs a code compliance certificate when it is finished.
Older buildings add one more check. A building constructed or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, and refurbishment work must not start until it has been identified and managed. WorkSafe publishes guidance on managing asbestos. The same early check should cover seismic ratings and services capacity.
Use the official guidance. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment publishes the Building Code compliance guidance, and the council’s building team will confirm what a specific tenancy needs. Ask in writing, with a drawing attached, and keep the reply with the project file.
Step 5: Select the contractor or shop fitter
The contractor is appointed on a drawing set and a scope, not a verbal understanding. A competitive tender works when the documents are complete enough for every tenderer to price the same thing. A negotiated appointment works when the contractor advises early on buildability and programme, but it still needs a defined scope and a written contract.
Read the tender returns for what is missing, not just the total. Provisional sums, prime cost sums, exclusions and qualifications are where the risk sits. Ask each tenderer to confirm the programme, site management, insurances and the people who will run the job.
Check the qualifications that apply. Prescribed electrical work must be done by licensed electrical workers, who issue a certificate of compliance, and fire systems are installed and certified by specialists. The contract should say how variations are priced and approved, how progress is reported and what happens if the programme slips. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 the tenant, the landlord and the contractor can all owe duties on the same site, so agree in writing who manages site safety, inductions and access to occupied areas. Our guide to selecting and contracting a shop fitter covers the tender and contract side.
Step 6: Build the programme around the lease
The lease sets the real deadline, including rent free periods, access dates and make-good obligations. Work backwards from the date the business must be operating. The programme should show the design stages, landlord review cycles, consent processing, the tender period, long lead items, construction and commissioning.
Long lead items deserve their own line. Switchboard upgrades, imported light fittings, bespoke joinery and furniture can take longer than the build. If work can only happen after hours, or the lift must be booked, the programme needs to show it before the contractor prices it.
Build in a buffer, and decide in advance how a staged occupation will work. Moving part of a team in early can be the right commercial call, but it needs a plan for temporary services, fire egress and protection of finished areas, and the landlord’s agreement.
Cost drivers in a commercial fit-out
Cost is driven less by floor area than by how much of the base building has to change and how much of the work is bespoke.
| Cost driver | What pushes it up | How to control it |
|---|---|---|
| Area and density | More desks and meeting rooms in the same footprint | Agree the density and room mix in the brief |
| Services | New circuits, supply upgrades, data cabling, air conditioning changes | Check base building capacity and riser positions at measured drawing stage |
| Fire and compliance | Sprinkler and alarm alterations, egress changes, access upgrades | Confirm the consent position and specified systems early |
| Partitions, ceilings and doors | Full height glazing, acoustic ratings, bulkheads, solid core doors | Standardise the system and repeat details across the floor |
| Joinery and finishes | Reception, kitchen, bespoke storage, stone, specialist linings | Spend on surfaces people touch and keep the rest simple |
| Programme and access | After hours work, staged handover, lift bookings, inductions | Book access early and price the real working hours into the tender |
| Existing building conditions | Asbestos, services capacity, structural upgrades, uneven floors | Inspect before strip out and hold a contingency |
Step 7: Handover, defects and close out
Handover is a process, not a morning. Practical completion should be agreed against a written list that covers the items proving the space is safe and compliant as well as the items proving it looks right. Walk the tenancy room by room with the contractor and the landlord’s representative, record the defects, and agree a date for each one.
The document pack matters as much as the keys: as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, warranties, electrical and fire system certificates, the compliance schedule entry, the code compliance certificate for consented work, and spare materials for finishes that will need repair. Confirm the building’s records have actually been updated, not just promised.
Then plan the review after occupation. Meeting rooms that are always full, a reception that queues, a lighting scene nobody uses: all are cheaper to adjust while the contractor and the suppliers are still close to the project. Record the base condition before work starts, because a fit-out designed for disassembly is easier to unwind at the end of the lease.
Planning a fit-out?
Tell us about the tenancy, the team and the lease dates you are working to. We can test the brief, the layout and the approval path before you commit to a design or a contractor.
Planning a fit-out?
Tell us about your site, timing and brief. Studio Gascoigne designs retail, hospitality and workplace interiors across New Zealand.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a commercial fit-out take?
It depends on the size, the consent position, the landlord’s review process, contractor availability and the lead times of the specified items. The sequence matters more than the total: design and approvals usually take longer than the build, so start with the lease dates and work backwards.
Do I need building consent for an office fit-out?
It depends on the work. Structural changes, alterations to specified systems such as fire alarms or air conditioning, and new or altered sanitary plumbing or drainage, such as an added kitchen or toilet, normally need consent. Some interior alterations are exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004, but the exemption is conditional. A change of use is a separate council notification.
What is the difference between landlord approval and building consent?
Landlord approval protects the building and the other tenants, and follows the design manual and the lease. Building consent is the council’s check that the work will meet the Building Code. They are separate tracks with separate timetables, and neither replaces the other.
When should we appoint the shop fitter?
Early enough to test buildability and programme, but not before the scope is clear. A tender needs a complete drawing set, and a negotiated appointment still needs a written scope and contract. Appointing before the design is resolved usually turns design work into variations.
What is usually missed at handover?
The records are the usual gap: as-built drawings, warranties, certificates, the updated compliance schedule and spare finishes. The second gap is the defects process, with one owner and one list. Both are easier to secure before final payment than after it.
Related reading
- Office layout ideas for the planning side of a workplace.
- Selecting and contracting a shop fitter for tendering and contract questions.
- Showroom design for tenancies with a customer facing display or trade counter.
- Our office projects for completed workplace interiors.
