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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallEstimate an office fit-out by multiplying a measured floor area by a local, dated rate that matches the work you actually intend to deliver. That multiplication is only a screening budget—not a quotation—until you define the geography, area convention, fit-out scope, specification tier, tax treatment and every included cost.
The reliable workflow is to choose a comparable benchmark, calculate a range, then replace it with a surveyed, drawn and itemised cost plan. The guide below shows how to do that and how to avoid comparing construction-only rates with all-in figures.
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2026 benchmark rates: useful starting points, not fixed prices
Published rates vary because they cover different markets, specifications and cost categories. Use the figures below to set an early budget, then confirm what each publisher includes before comparing it with another source or a contractor’s proposal.
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|---|---|---|
| London, UK — Cushman & Wakefield 2026 UK Office Fit Out Cost Guide | £148 low, £243 medium, £359 high per sq ft | City “all-in” tiers. Check the downloadable guide for detailed inclusions before treating any tier as a project budget. |
| Glasgow, UK — Cushman & Wakefield, 2026 | £117 low, £192 medium, £284 high per sq ft | City “all-in” tiers on the same guide; not directly comparable with every small refresh or contractor-only price. |
| Birmingham, UK — Cushman & Wakefield, 2026 | £121 low, £200 medium, £295 high per sq ft | City “all-in” tiers; confirm scope and area convention. |
| Manchester, UK — Cushman & Wakefield, 2026 | £128 low, £210 medium, £310 high per sq ft | City “all-in” tiers; confirm scope and area convention. |
| US and Canada — JLL Research, Q1 2026 | $295 per sq ft regional average; typical range $230–$375 | Medium-quality corporate office fit-out, based on Q1 2026 pricing inputs across 50 markets. |
| US and Canada typology — JLL Research, Q1 2026 | $255 baseline progressive layout to $355 high-quality traditional layout | National typology/tier examples in US dollars; these are not UK rates and should not be blended with UK figures. |
| UK contractor guide, updated 18 September 2026 | Category A £35–£60; Category B £55–£110; refurbishment £30–£65 per sq ft, excluding VAT | Indicative construction ranges with different scopes from the Cushman & Wakefield all-in city guide. |
As a sense check on why scope matters, a 2026 Cushman & Wakefield New York example lists $220.62 per sq ft of hard cost and $330.92 per sq ft all-in after the guide’s additional cost categories. The difference is not an error: soft costs, project costs, technology, furniture and other additions can materially raise an all-in budget.
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The City of Edinburgh Council’s non-domestic guide gives £2,940 per m² for a new-build office, using BCIS rates from Q2 2025 to Q1 2026. That is a new-build benchmark, not a fit-out rate. It is a useful warning to check the label and unit before applying any published number.
Define the estimate before choosing a rate
A rate is meaningful only when its conditions match your project. Write these decisions at the top of the cost plan so every option is measured on the same basis.
1. Location and price date
Name the city or market, currency and price period. Labour availability, logistics, import reliance and local subcontractor capacity can move costs between cities. A London rate, a Glasgow rate and a North American dollar rate are separate data points, not inputs to one blended average. Mark whether the figure is current to 2026, a specific quarter, or an older allowance that needs escalation.
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2. Area convention
Measure from the current floor plan or a measured survey and state exactly which area is being multiplied. Published sources give square-foot rates but do not establish one universal measurement convention. Ask the quantity surveyor or contractor to identify the area basis in the estimate—such as the measured tenant area, net usable area or another stated convention—and use that same basis for every option.
3. Scope label
Identify whether the landlord is delivering Category A, the tenant is building Category B, the job is a refurbishment, or only a partial package is included. A partial package can look inexpensive simply because major trades are outside the allowance.
4. Specification and layout
Record the quality tier, open-to-enclosed workstation ratio, number of meeting rooms, kitchen and hospitality requirements, finishes, acoustic treatment, lighting, air conditioning, security and technology. A medium-quality open-plan brief cannot be compared fairly with a high-quality cellular layout.
5. Inclusions, exclusions and tax
List whether the rate includes furniture, IT, AV, professional fees, project management, surveys, landlord licences, Building Regulations fees, moving, out-of-hours work, contingency and VAT. The cited UK contractor ranges exclude VAT; an all-in label does not remove the need to inspect the detailed inclusions.
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Understand the main fit-out scopes
| Scope | Common content | Budget implication |
|---|---|---|
| Category A | Base-build or landlord works such as ceilings, raised floors, lighting and services. | The cited UK contractor guide indicates £35–£60 per sq ft excluding VAT. It is not a tenant-ready Category B allowance. |
| Category B | Tenant rooms, partitions, kitchens, finishes and the detailed workplace layout. | The cited guide indicates £55–£110 per sq ft excluding VAT. Room count, finishes and services determine where a project sits in that range. |
| Refurbishment | Alteration of an existing fit-out, depending on what can be retained, repaired or replaced. | The cited guide indicates £30–£65 per sq ft excluding VAT. It is not directly comparable with a new fit-out benchmark. |
| All-in consultancy benchmark | A city and quality tier that may combine construction with professional and other project costs. | Cushman & Wakefield’s UK page labels its city figures “All-in”; inspect the full guide before using them as a complete project budget. |
A seven-step method for estimating the cost
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Describe the job in one sentence
For example: “3,000 sq ft tenant Category B fit-out in Manchester, medium specification, furniture and IT excluded, VAT excluded.” This prevents a construction-only allowance being mistaken for a complete occupancy budget.
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Obtain a reliable area
Use the latest measured survey or coordinated plan. Reconcile the area with the lease and landlord information, and have the estimator state the measurement convention used in the calculation.
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Select a local, dated, like-for-like benchmark
Choose the city and specification tier that most closely match the brief. Keep pounds and dollars separate. Do not combine a contractor’s construction-only Category B range with an all-in consultancy benchmark or average the two.
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Calculate a low and high first pass
Multiply the selected rate by the relevant area and show the arithmetic. Using the cited UK contractor Category B range, 3,000 sq ft × £55–£110 per sq ft produces £165,000–£330,000 before VAT. Label that result indicative and construction-focused.
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Build an itemised cost plan
Break the allowance into construction trades and mechanical and electrical services, then add soft costs, technology, furniture, moving, landlord charges and other project costs as separate lines. A single blended rate hides omissions and makes options impossible to compare.
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Adjust for the building and the brief
Inspect what can be retained. Existing ceilings, floors, furniture and usable services may reduce work; new partitions, enclosed rooms, feature ceilings, air conditioning, upgraded electrical capacity, technology and premium finishes can increase it.
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Add risk and validate on site
Show contingency as its own line and explain its basis. ACI’s 2026 UK contractor guidance suggests 10–20% of build cost depending on building age and complexity; it is a rule of thumb, not a universal standard. Before committing, obtain a site survey, coordinated drawings and itemised pricing from a contractor or quantity surveyor.
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Turn the rate into an itemised cost plan
Use the per-square-foot calculation only as the top line. A practical cost plan separates costs that behave differently and assigns an owner or quotation to each.
| Cost block | What to identify | Why it changes the result |
|---|---|---|
| Construction trades | Strip-out, partitions, doors, ceilings, floors, decorations, joinery and specialist finishes. | Room count, finish quality and retained elements determine quantities. |
| Mechanical and electrical services | Heating, ventilation and air conditioning, power, lighting, controls, fire and life-safety interfaces. | Existing capacity and landlord requirements can make a supposedly simple layout expensive. |
| IT, AV and security | Structured cabling, networks, screens, conferencing, access control and security systems. | JLL reports that security, IT and AV together account for approximately 10–12% of total fit-out cost in its 2026 US/Canada context, with a median year-over-year increase of 8%. |
| Furniture and workplace equipment | Desks, task chairs, meeting furniture, storage, breakout and kitchen equipment. | These may be excluded from a construction rate but are essential to occupation. |
| Professional and project costs | Design, surveys, quantity surveying, project management, statutory or Building Regulations fees and landlord licences. | They can be absent from a headline construction figure and must be confirmed individually. |
| Logistics and miscellaneous items | Moving, storage, temporary works, protection, waste, out-of-hours working and commissioning. | Occupied buildings and restricted access often create costs that do not scale neatly with area. |
| Contingency and tax | A separately identified risk allowance and VAT treatment. | Keeping them visible prevents a low headline number from becoming an unaffordable commitment. |
For each line, record the quantity, unit, allowance, source, date, inclusion status and confidence. Replace allowances with quotations as design information improves. If a cost is not yet known, write “not stated” rather than silently folding it into another line.
Worked calculations
3,000 sq ft UK Category B project
The cited contractor guide’s Category B range is £55–£110 per sq ft excluding VAT. The calculation is:
3,000 sq ft × £55–£110 per sq ft = £165,000–£330,000 before VAT.
This is an indicative construction range. It does not become an all-in occupation budget unless the estimate separately includes the agreed professional fees, IT, AV, furniture, landlord costs, moving, contingency and other exclusions.
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Applying Cushman & Wakefield’s published London figures illustrates the effect of the selected tier:
- Low: 3,000 × £148 = £444,000.
- Medium: 3,000 × £243 = £729,000.
- High: 3,000 × £359 = £1,077,000.
These are arithmetic applications of the guide’s London “all-in” tiers, not contractor quotations. Confirm the guide’s detailed inclusions and your project’s area convention before using the totals for approval.
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North American medium-quality fit-out
For a US or Canadian project, JLL Research reports a $295 per sq ft regional average for a medium-quality corporate fit-out, with a typical $230–$375 range from Q1 2026 inputs across 50 markets. A 5,000 sq ft screening calculation would therefore be $1,150,000–$1,875,000 at the typical range, with $1,475,000 at the regional average. Keep the result in US dollars and identify the market; it is not interchangeable with the UK figures above.
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Geography and labour conditions
City rates reflect local labour, logistics and supply conditions. JLL notes variation across North American markets associated with labour availability and import reliance. The differences between the UK city tiers also show why a national average can mislead a project team.
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Open workstations generally require less partitioning than a brief with many private offices, meeting rooms, acoustic rooms and glazed fronts. Count rooms and doors early; they are more informative than describing a project simply as “office fit-out.”
Finishes and visual features
Flooring transitions, bespoke joinery, stone or specialist surfaces, feature ceilings, decorative lighting and acoustic treatments can move a project into a higher quality tier. State the intended finish standard rather than relying on labels such as low, medium or high.
Building services and technology
New or upgraded air conditioning, electrical distribution, lighting controls, data cabling, AV and security can represent substantial spend. Verify landlord capacity and connection points before assuming that existing services can be reused.
Existing condition and retained elements
Refurbishment savings depend on what is genuinely serviceable and compliant. A survey should test ceilings, floors, partitions, fire protection, mechanical plant, electrical capacity and asbestos or other hazardous-material constraints where relevant. Retaining an item that later fails inspection is not a saving.
Project size and fixed costs
Small offices do not always scale proportionally by area because surveys, mobilisation, design, approvals, site setup and commissioning contain fixed components. The available sources do not establish a consistent small-project multiplier, so obtain a project-specific price rather than inventing one.
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Common estimating errors and how to correct them
- Comparing unlike scopes: Correct it by placing Category A, Category B, refurbishment and all-in figures in separate columns.
- Mixing currencies or markets: Correct it by keeping each city, country and price period explicit.
- Using gross, net and lease areas interchangeably: Correct it by stating the measurement convention and reconciling it to the plan.
- Calling a construction rate “all-in”: Correct it by listing soft costs, technology, furniture, moving, landlord charges, contingency and VAT separately.
- Hiding VAT: Correct it by showing whether every allowance is before or after VAT; the cited UK contractor rates are before VAT.
- Assuming refurbishment is automatically cheap: Correct it with a condition survey and test results before assigning a retention saving.
- Using an old benchmark without a date: Correct it by recording the publication or pricing period and refreshing the allowance before tender.
- Applying a city guide without checking inclusions: Correct it by reading the detailed guide and asking the estimator to map each inclusion to your cost plan.
- Relying on one blended number: Correct it with at least two or three itemised contractor or quantity-surveyor returns once drawings are developed.
How to compare competing options fairly
When you have more than one building, layout or specification, compare each option on the same axes:
- Location and local labour market.
- Price date and currency.
- Area measurement convention and measured floor area.
- Category A, Category B, refurbishment or partial-package scope.
- Quality tier, room count, open-to-enclosed ratio and finish schedule.
- Existing condition and elements proposed for retention.
- Mechanical, electrical, IT, AV and security assumptions.
- Furniture, professional fees, landlord charges, moving and out-of-hours work.
- VAT treatment and contingency basis.
- Lead time, phasing and access restrictions.
- Source of each allowance and the date it was prepared.
Do not rank an option as cheaper until all of these fields are aligned. A lower rate may simply omit furniture, technology, fees or landlord work that another estimate includes.
From screening budget to a dependable project figure
At the feasibility stage
Use a current local benchmark and a broad low-to-high range. State the assumptions in one page and identify exclusions. This is enough to test affordability, compare locations and brief the design team.
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During concept design
Measure the proposed layout, count rooms and doors, set a finish schedule, and confirm the landlord’s service constraints. Reallocate the benchmark into trade and project-cost headings so design changes have visible consequences.
Before contractor pricing
Complete surveys, coordinated drawings, specifications and schedules. Ask for an itemised return that identifies provisional sums, exclusions, programme assumptions, taxes and proposed alternatives. Have a quantity surveyor reconcile the return to the area basis.
Before commitment
Update volatile allowances, obtain written confirmation of landlord and statutory costs, and retain a separately justified contingency. A fixed price or zero-cost commitment cannot be derived from benchmark figures alone; it requires defined information and a stated scope.
Practical checklist
- City, country, currency and benchmark date recorded.
- Measured area and measurement convention stated.
- Category A, Category B, refurbishment or partial scope identified.
- Specification tier, room schedule and finish assumptions documented.
- Existing services and retained elements verified by survey.
- Construction, M&E, IT, AV, security and furniture separated.
- Professional fees, landlord charges, statutory fees, moving and out-of-hours work listed.
- VAT treatment shown on every applicable line.
- Contingency shown separately with a written basis.
- Benchmark inclusions checked against the full publisher guide.
- Estimate date and source recorded for every allowance.
- Itemised contractor or quantity-surveyor pricing obtained before approval.
Per-square-foot benchmarks are valuable because they make an early decision possible. Their value ends when they are treated as a promise. Define the scope, measure the area, select a comparable local rate, expose every exclusion and progressively replace allowances with surveyed, drawn and itemised prices.
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