Office Fitout FAQs
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most about commercial office fitouts in Melbourne. If yours is not here, call us on 1300 903 935 and ask. We answer within the hour during business hours.
Cost and quoting
How much does an office fitout cost in Melbourne?
Most fitouts land between $500 and $2,000 per square metre. Where you sit inside that band depends far more on what has to happen inside the tenancy than on how big it is. An open shell with no ceilings, no lighting and no services costs more to fit out than a tenancy the previous tenant left in good condition.
What does a fixed price actually mean?
It means we measure the tenancy, quote the job, and that quoted number is what you pay. Not a provisional sum, not an estimate that firms up later. It is why we insist on a site measure before quoting: an accurate number is only possible if someone has looked at the space.
Why do you measure before you quote?
Because services are the most common source of budget surprises on a fitout. Existing power, data, lighting, mechanical and fire all have to be assessed against what the new layout needs. A site measure costs us an hour. Getting it wrong costs you thousands.
Do I pay for the design?
Concept design and a test fit are part of the quoting process when you are engaging us to build. You are not paying for drawings before you know the number.
Timing
How long does a fitout take?
A straightforward refresh of an existing tenancy is usually a few weeks on site. A full fitout of an open shell, including design, permits, construction, joinery and furniture, more commonly runs eight to sixteen weeks from engagement to handover. The programme is set out in writing with the quote.
When should I contact you about a new office?
As early as you can, ideally while you are still comparing tenancies. Two buildings that look identical on a floor plan can differ by tens of thousands of dollars once you price the fitout. We are happy to look at a shortlist before you sign a lease.
Can you work while our team stays in the building?
Yes. Staged works and after-hours access are normal on refurbishments. Where your team is staying put, the programme is built around keeping them working.
Scope and services
What does a full fitout service include?
Design and documentation, permits and compliance, demolition and strip-out, partitioning, ceilings, flooring and painting, electrical, data and lighting, mechanical and fire adjustments, joinery, furniture, and the defects walkthrough at the end. One contract, one price, one project manager.
What design services do you offer?
Test fits, concept design and full documentation, done in-house by our own designers and drafters. The layout is worked out on paper, where changes are still free, rather than on site where they are not.
Do I need an architect?
Not always. A registered building practitioner with commercial fitout experience can take most projects from brief to handover. Where a project genuinely needs an architect or a specialist consultant, we will tell you and engage the right person rather than working around the gap.
What size projects do you take on?
From single tenancies of a few hundred square metres through to multi-floor workplaces. We have delivered more than 3,500 workplaces since 1985, so most briefs are ones we have seen a version of before.
Can you supply furniture only?
Yes. We supply and install workstations, task seating, boardroom and reception furniture as a standalone package, and we make our own joinery rather than buying it in.
Where we work and how we back it
What areas of Melbourne do you cover?
All of metropolitan Melbourne, from our base in Mitcham. Most of our work is in the eastern and south eastern suburbs including Mulgrave, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Clayton, Notting Hill, Knoxfield and Dandenong North.
Are you licensed?
Yes. Integrity Office is a Registered Building Practitioner with the Victorian Building Authority, CBL-17949, and has been trading since 1985.
What warranty and maintenance do you offer?
Workmanship is backed by us and manufacturer warranties pass through to you on furniture and fittings. Furniture carries an 8 to 10 year warranty depending on the range chosen. The terms that apply to your project are set out in writing with the quote, so you are not relying on a verbal promise. We also handle ongoing maintenance and small works for clients whose offices we have built.
Getting started
How do we start?
Call 1300 903 935 or send an enquiry. We answer within the hour during business hours, book a site measure, and your written fixed-price quote follows within two business days of that measure.
Next step
Find out what your fitout costs.
One team for design, construction, joinery and furniture. One contract, one fixed price, and one person to hold us to it.