This Design and Refurbishment project including supplying and fitting two steel beams to support the three floors above the shop, and to remove a structural wall and so needed some design work in order to carry out the refurbishment of the space.
The effective use of space was very difficult to achieve due to the small space in the office, however we still had to produce drawings to satisfy Building Control and to determine exact positions of voice, data and lighting positions. The project included electrical work, decorations, air conditioning, construction of step, flooring, lighting design and carrying out the work in 7 days. We had to carry out a complete design and refurbishment of the existing space.
Design and Refurbishment work
We spent some time working out what was needed in the space and what we could get in. The beam was calculated, as the back wall to the shop needed to come out to widen the office space, the issue was that the wall held up the 3 floors above. One of the main problems was that the main beam was 6 meters long and it took 4 people to lift it into the shop from the main high street. The delivery vehicle had to leave the beams on the pavement whilst everything was prepared.
Construction Photographs
Main support beams arrive
Beams going in
Beams in and walls being demolished
More demolition
Better detail of the beam
Walls finally out
Entrance platform construction
Walls nearly prepared
Decoration underway
Walls done
Flooring being laid
Helping out
Completion photographs.
General Refurbishment and Fit out Work
If you need any advice or are thinking of an office refurbishment project please give us a call, we would love to talk to you, on 01380 738844
Our client wanted a complete redesign refurbishment of the existing office space. The first task was to come up with some ideas and some colour schemes, the director wanted an adventurous new scheme, so we focused upon creating a more spacious effect through introducing new concepts of Lighting, Suspended Ceiling, Partitioning, new Air Conditioning systems, Flooring and Furniture in order to create a more relaxed office environment that mixes bold contemporary colour and natural materials.
Design and Drawing work
In working out what needs to be done, we need to know what is there. A detailed drawing showing positions of electrics and the walls was produced. The new layout required a few designs, and in particular the Director wanted to have a meeting end on his new desk, so we had to design a desk and get it made particularly for him.
Existing space had to be measured and drawn
A plan of the new design
Specially made desk for the Managing Director
Colour scheme / Design
As this area was a completely separate area from the upstairs directors suite, we thought that the whole scheme could be different. The room was completely separate from the rest of the building, so when you walked in, there was a different feel which was modern, had a blend of the traditional timber partitions, along with some stripy carpet, and the middle solid carpet was a very high quality cut pile carpet which felt soft and luxurious underfoot. One of the main requirements was that the Managing Director wanted a meeting end on his desk and it was not possible to get one to fit from standard product ranges. We therefore had to get one made..
Existing space
As you can see from the photographs the whole area needed completely stripping out and replacing.
Large meeting room with old colours
Nice pink walls and green carpet
Egg crate suspended ceiling grid
Green door frames
Lots of nice natural light though
Small cupboard with lots of stuff in it
Green doors frames, green floor tiles in places
Deep in thought
Wider view again
Table was nice but wrong size and colour
Old Mitsubushi units to be replaced (R22 gas)
Cabling had to be sorted !
Stripping out and building photographs
I always like this phase as the office transforms, from a very dull space to something new. We do get an immense level of satisfaction in carrying out office refurbishment projects for this reason.
Demolition was quick
New ceiling grid going in
Main materials delivered as well
On the phone!
Grid being fitted
We had to span this
Lots of pipes exposed
Head tracks fitted first
Block walls had to come out
New demountable partition frames going in
Walls tape and jointed
Other frames in
Other frames in
Holes filled
Decoration with expensive wall paper
Decoration with expensive wall paper
Door over panels fitted
Channeled power supplies in the floor
Final trims
Power cables sunk into floor
Walls taking shape
Fitting of wall boards
Window frames being built
Doors hung
Chairs arrived !
Carpeted ready for furniture
Carpeted ready for furniture
Carpeted ready for furniture
Waiting for glass installation
Final photographs
As you can see from the final photographs, Cre8tive were successful in carrying out a complete redesign and office refurbishment of the customers existing space.
Final photo
Bespoke MD’s desk
Bespoke MD’s desk
New sofas as well
Bespoke MD’s desk
Bespoke MD’s desk
MD’s new office
LED lighting throughout
Glazing with internal blinds
Why Demountable Office Partitions?
Demountable partitions are tax efficient in that they are seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts, we can also lease elements of office refurbishments. Anything that can be moved.
We mainly lease Demountable Partitions as they are movable, this spreads the costs of having the work done as Demountable Partitions always cost more than customers think.
Leasing of movable items is very tax efficient and Cre8tive can provide illustrations, please contact us for further information.
Most landlords insist on demountable partitions in an office as it is much easier to take them out should the tenant renting the space leave for any reason. The benefit is that is saves making a huge amount of mess and destruction that would be need with a conventional stud and plasterboard constructed wall.
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Not sure what to do?
Please give us a call and we can help with any aspect of interior office fit out, along with space planning and design work.
We were invited by this customer to have a look at their existing office space as it needed an office refurbishment in Milton Keynes and the customer did not know where to start. They found us on the internet and liked our website as it showed real photos of actual projects rather than nice photo shopped images.
Out of the few that they contact we were the only ones to respond to their enquiry within a day.
When we first visited the client it was very obvious that the while area needed stripping out and starting again. What was surprising, although in reality we are not surprised, was that the existing partitions and mezzanine floor were not fire rated. We recognised the system below the mezzanine as a 50mm wide demountable partition system which has no fire rating at all. None of the exit routes out of the building were 30 minute protected and the mezzanine floor had a suspended ceiling fitted but it was not fire rated. The staff were working in a death trap. If there was any problem in the building then there would be a lot of trouble. The customer specialises in fire detection equipment, so for them to be in a building that was a potential death trap as it was not properly fire protected was nonsense.
Building Regulations
There were three different mezzanine floors installed at various times at different heights, and no paperwork to show that they had been passed Building Regulations, so from a fairly straightforward requirement to refurbish the offices there was a need to look at the whole building, design and specify it properly and get Building Regulation Approval. In the design we had to consider:
Fire protection of the mezzanine floors using the correct grade of suspended ceiling tile and support column encasement
Correct design of protected fire exit routes throughout the building, checking of escape distances and signage
Full electrical design to suit.
New fire rated partitions where needed to meet Building Regulations
Supplementary fresh air systems to enclosed offices
Changes to air condition systems
Heating were needed.
CDM
There was no doubt that we were going to be on site for more than a month, and have more than 5 people on site, the whole project was quite a bit of work and so the work comes under the Construction Design and Management Regulations. The purpose of the regulations is to protect the employee and employer in making sure that a construction project is run safely. If you do not notify the Health and Safety Executive that the project is being carried out and there is a problem then directors of the company where the work is being done can go to jail.
Where do we start?
The first step is to measure everything and take lots of photos to see exactly what has been fitted. The next was to understand from the customer how they wanted to work in the space, so this included some basic functional block drawings identifying where they wanted Sales, Accounts and Technical. Once the broad locations were identified then the detail layouts were carried out identifying voice and data positions, partitioning and ceiling layouts and the work that had to be done on the mezzanine floor. Once the layouts were agreed we had to submit the plans to Building Control and get their approval which we did.
We produced many many drawings. All showing everything that was needed for each trade. Some shown below. The important document was the Building Regulations Approval document that is a legal requirement.
Ground Floor
Ground Floor proposed showing carpet
Upstairs proposed showing carpet
Ventilation upstairs drawing
Plans Approval Building Control
Existing Photographs
The first two photographs below show the immediate and obvious problem. The partitions are 50mm wide demountable and are not fire rated at all. The third photo shows the the vast storage area out the back. The rest just show the general bland and dated look of everywhere needed some tlc.
Downstairs obvious non-fire rated partitions fire exit route!
Non Fire rated partitions again
Downstairs warehouse with MD’s car
Downstairs warehouse
Downstairs warehouse
Upstairs needing new ceiling and walls to be re-used.
All offices very small and dark
Very old ceilings everywhere
All doors painted as well looking very dated
Stripping out and Construction work
We produced a plan and submitted all of the documents to the local Building Control people who assessed the drawings and arranged for some visits throughout the work. We also employed a Health and Safety Consultant who oversaw the work and kept all of the sub contractors on their toes, and they submitted the F10 to the Health and Safety Executive.
Main office downstairs stripped out
Boards out to be re-used
Downstairs frames going up
Ceiling grid being installed
Upstairs sales office being rebuilt
Another upstairs room with new grid being fitted
Top floor meeting rooms to be built here
New stud frames up
Loads of new materials delivered
More demountable partition frames
New grid tight to the ventilation duct work downstairs
Cre8tive was asked to help carry out an office fitting project for Coombe Castle,who were moving from Corsham to Melksham. The work on this started 6 months ago, once the customer had in mind what they wanted to do, Cre8tive carried out a detailed plan of the building. This involved taking accurate measurements of all of the inside and outside space, in particular determining where all of the cabling went.
Cre8tive then designed the position of the new canteen and offices that were required on the existing mezzanine floor. The only problem was that the roof height was over 4 meters high, and Building Regulations says that you have to have 1 hour fire separation between offices and warehouse, so we devised a specification to meet this.
Other requirements for office fitting included spaces that need ventilation and heating, so Cre8tive had to extended the existing heating system, and fit a VAM unit within the ceiling void to take air from the outside to the inside.
The office fitting project included data cabling the existing offices as well as the new, providing all electrical, flooring, kitchen, decorations and suspended ceiling for the space.
Drawing and specification work.
We produced many drawings for each of the areas that we had to work on. This included work to the front offices, so they needed power and data, lighting, repairs to the suspended ceiling and new carpet. Other areas included:
Repairing some of the panels in the toilets.
Stripping out the existing kitchen and canteen, converting into a new Sales office.
Providing all of the plumbing requirements for the clean room area downstairs.
Building new offices and canteen on top of the mezzanine floor which had to meet building regulations.
New heating and ventilation.
New comms rack.
Painting much of the outside block walls white.
Building a couple of offices on the shop floor, again these had to be 1 hour fire rated.
Upstairs space, needing offices
Existing downstairs including car park
Detail of the new offices and canteen.
Detail of data cabling for the Sales Office
Existing building photos before work
Front offices all walls and carpets need replacing
Kitchen to strip out and convert to Sales Office
Kitchen to strip out and convert to Sales Office
New offices to go here
Big open factory floor
Fully fitted desks needed to be removed in offices
All walls dull grey block
Construction photos
Initial open space for the new upstairs offices
Chiller being built by others
View of where the offices need to go
New comms rack delivered
VAM Ventilation unit in
1 hour fire rated wall
Frames in for the office fronts
Boarded one side
Formation of openings for windows
Special fire rated window frames in
More boarding
Very tall walls!
Old kitchen units out, to be re-used in new kitchen
Most boards tape and jointed ready for painting.
Suspended ceiling going in
Walls wall papered to improve sound performance and wear.
Internal demountable partitions to the offices.
The line across the office fronts.
Starting work on the kitchen
Getting on with the kitchen
Electrical work being done.
New Sales office complete
Glass installed
Warehouse offices being built
Warehouse offices being built
Lots of plumbing work downstairs
Completion photographs
All block walls painted
Doors fitted and finished offices
Warehouse offices completed
Canteen complete (and kitchen)
Non-slip flooring in the canteen
View of upstairs offices on the mezzanine floor completed.
Project Management..
We have many ideas on how to make the best use of space, and we are seeing offices and talking to customers all of the time. Over the years we have seen many projects and often have to work to a budget. What we do is get the space working right first and then focus on the budget. In this case the budget was very tight so we ended up using a very cheap carpet which did not affect the design of the office, and just brought it into the manageable level for the customer. This project was leased over 3 years. Please contact us for further information about leasing and financing.
We completed this replacement suspended ceiling project for Zircon Software in Trowbridge who moved to new premises. The existing ceiling was very tired, so we produced a lighting scheme along with some drawings to present to the customer with the costing. We supplied new suspended ceilings and lighting throughout and also took out a couple of walls for them. The work carried out here is typical of what we call dilapidation work, in that the work is needed for someone moving in to be able to occupy it in a reasonable state.
Cre8tive was asked to tender to carry out an office refurbishment in a 3 storey building in Shepton Mallet. Having successfully won the project, the next problem was how to carry out the work in a relatively short space of time, over the winter months with snow on the ground and no heating until the air conditioning was commissioned. The building was not a traditional office, in that there were no suspended ceilings (and not the height to fit any), and no raised floors, and the customer wanted lots of walls removed as well as fitting CAT6 cable into floor boxes in all of the floors.
All of the major elements that are used in a conventional office refurbishment were used, electrical work including data cabling, new lighting, reconfiguration of the power between floors, flooring using a rubber insulation floor to reduce sound transfer between floors, new air conditioning throughout, new kitchens on the floors including new appliances.
One of the difficulties was that the work had to be carried out in the winter months and without any heating until the air conditioning system was installed it was freezing on site. We had heaters but you cannot have the heaters on too much as it would dry out the plaster too quickly causing cracking. The paint also did not dry out properly so it just made the project much more difficult to complete. We also had snow to contend with and we lost several days as the guys could not get into work. We did finish the project a week early allowing the customer some more time on getting the IT equipment in.
Existing building photographs
Lots of the rooms to be completely stripped
More corridors to open out
More old cabling to be removed
Lots of walls upstairs to come out
All radiators where air conditioning going to come out
Lots of old IT equipment to come out
New kitchen required
Some of the windows needed repair
Single glazed windows needing repair
New non slip floor required
Some of the old boards damaged
Front porch of the building
Construction photographs
Site signage to get right
More signage
Walls coming out damaging the ceilings
More signage
Water pipes had to be laid under floorboards
Doorway blocked in
Doorway now plastered
Floor lifted for wiring
Decoration of walls
Floorboxes being cut
Mainly electricians mess
CAT 6 cables being pulled
CAT 6 cables again with floor laid
Fitting of floor boxes
Office compliant lighting being installed
CAT6 cabling and power being installed
Lots of the floors had to come up
Transfer boxes for the air conditioning
False beams constructed to cover a/c pipes
More decoration
Air conditioning BS boxes in roof
Still more cables
Insulation going back in the floor
New kitchen units for tea points
Protecting the air conditioning units from the decorators
The old mill had some really wonky walls
Floor box positions protected
Second floor work
More painting
Steps were tricky to sort out
Installing the air conditioning
Steps being cut with new nosings
Rubberised backing to prevent noise through ceiling.
Then Plywood everywhere
And here
Landing looks nice
Finished stairs
One of the finished rooms
Another room finished
One of the 3 kitchens finished
Main office area completed
Another view
Painting finished and lights
Main entrance foyer complete
One of the second floor rooms
Rather annoying dusty feet
Open office finally cleared.
Office refurbishment
If you need any advice or are thinking of an office refurbishment project please give us a call, we would love to talk to you, on 01380 738844
