How Long Does an Office Refurbishment in London Take?

A typical single-floor office refurbishment in London runs 8-14 weeks on site, with 4-8 weeks of pre-mobilisation. The on-site programme typically splits: site protection and strip-out (week 1-2), structural and first-fix services (week 2-5), plastering and insulation (week 5-7), second-fix services and joinery (week 7-10), kitchens, bathrooms, finishes (week 10-12), snagging and handover (week 12-14). Pre-mobilisation covers design, scope confirmation, fixed-price quote, contract, and landlord approvals. Most landlord licences-to-alter take 3-6 weeks.

Multi-floor refurbishments add 4-8 weeks per additional floor with phased delivery. Phasing typically allows tenant occupation of completed floors while works continue elsewhere — common when the client wants to remain operational throughout. Whole-building refurbishments (10+ floors) typically run 6-12 months with phased handover. Critical-path items: structural alterations, lift refurbishment if in scope, façade works, and main service replacements. Trophy buildings often add 4-8 weeks to programme due to permit and sign-off complexity.

Most overruns happen at one of three points. First, landlord approvals taking longer than the 3-6 week assumption — particularly in trophy buildings where managing-agent permit portals can have backlogs. Second, asbestos or other surprise discoveries during strip-out — a refurbishment and demolition (R&D) survey before mobilisation reduces this risk. Third, specification changes mid-programme — locking specification at design freeze, before contract, prevents the most common cost-and-time overruns. Variations during delivery are 3-5x more expensive than the same work specified upfront.

Two common compression methods: (1) overlap design and procurement with mobilisation — start procurement of long-lead items (steels, glazing, kitchens) at design freeze rather than waiting until contract; (2) extended working hours — adding Saturday and evening shifts can compress programme by 20-30% but adds 25-40% to labour cost. Avoid: skipping snagging or handover phases. Defects discovered post-handover cost 5-10x more to fix than during snagging, plus disrupt the client.