Commercial Fit-Out Cost Calculator
Build a commercial fit-out budget from area rates for construction, furniture and technology, plus fees, contingency and landlord contribution.
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Fit-out budgets fail on the lines that are not construction. Furniture, technology, professional fees and contingency together routinely add half again to the building work, and a budget built from a contractor rate alone will be short before the job starts.
Any landlord contribution comes off at the end, and it is the number worth negotiating hardest — it is cash toward a cost you were going to incur anyway.
How the budget builds up
Construction, furniture and technology are each priced per unit of area and added. Professional fees are applied to that subtotal, then contingency to the whole, and any landlord contribution is deducted at the end.
Worked example
Five thousand square feet at 75 for construction, 12 for furniture and 8 for technology is 475,000. Ten percent fees add 47,500 and a 10% contingency 52,250, giving 574,750 — about 115 per square foot. A landlord contribution of 20 per square foot, worth 100,000, brings the net cost to 474,750, or about 95 per square foot.
Negotiate the contribution alongside the rent
A capital contribution is cash toward a cost you will incur regardless, and it is frequently easier for a landlord to grant than a rent reduction because it does not reduce the headline rent. Ask for it explicitly rather than hoping it appears.
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Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
What does a fit-out cost per unit area?
It varies enormously by market, specification and building condition, so the rate must come from local quotes rather than a published average. What holds everywhere is the proportion: fees and contingency add roughly a fifth on top of the works.
What is usually forgotten?
Technology and audiovisual, moving costs, temporary space during the works, and the reinstatement obligation at the end of the lease. That last one is a future cost created by the fit-out and should be reserved for from the start.
Should I take a landlord fit-out instead?
It removes the capital cost and usually raises the rent, so it is finance rather than a gift. Compare the rent uplift over the term against the fit-out cost — sometimes it is cheap money, sometimes expensive.
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