Many office refurbishment projects in London are initiated by the buildings’ occupants, who may be owners, leaseholders or tenants. However, Thames Contracts also welcomes office fitout enquiries from building owners.
Tenant demand in London is recovering as the recovery gathers pace, and recently rents have been going up. One survey showed that rents for office space in the West End rose by 8% over the 12 months to September 2013, while rental prices for some city offices have soared by more than 22 per cent since 2009. Experts predict that the rents commanded by offices in prime locations will continue to rise in the near future, driving many businesses to look to outer London areas. This will in turn help to increase rents and building values in those districts – but only for offices refurbished to the highest standard.
This means that now is a perfect time to consider office refurbishment if you are a London property owner. Carrying out an office refit will help to attract the new generation of businesses now coming through the post-recession period – and the cost of refurbs can be funded by the promise of a much better rental income. Developers may now also be able to buy existing office developments at bargain prices and increase the value by refurbishing them, either to let out or to sell on.
What Thames Can Offer
When setting out on a major project such as refurbishing an office block, you need to call on specialist office fitout contractors. A firm such as Thames, which has worked in the field of office design and build for more than 25 years, has all the expertise you will need and can provide you with a one-stop shop. We keep abreast of the latest trends and have a detailed knowledge of the features tenants will be likely to expect, from materials to interior design, décor and facilities.
Thames can deal with utilities and make sure that work is compliant with all relevant legislation, including building regulations. As specialists in the office design sector in London, we can also advise on issues such as durability. We are aware that landlords will want a commercial refurbishment to last for a good while, minimising future maintenance costs, and we pride ourselves on carrying out work to high standards in order to achieve this.
Design flair is essential to attract tenants, who will be looking for property which excites them and is either already suited to the personality of their firm or can easily be adapted to fit the bill. We know what companies are looking for in the current market, so, for instance, we can create an open-plan area likely to attract media or software companies. Modern office space with a light and airy feel is likely to be in far more demand than an outdated building where a prospective tenant would have to carry out extensive work before moving in.
Features such as glass office partitioning, purpose-built flooring and lighting, storage walls and breakout areas or kitchens can all add value and mean that a firm will be able to visualise immediately what it would be like to have the building as their base. We are also experienced in making the best use of a building’s original features, which, together with its location, provide unique selling points for tenants. A blend of heritage and hi-tech can prove an irresistible combination.
Of course, if you are already negotiating with a tenant, we can work together with both of you, but, equally, we can also ensure that your property receives a grade A office refurbishment which makes it more likely to draw interest from a wide range of London businesses looking for a move.
Planning Your Office Space
When you are setting out to arrange an office refit, we can advise on use of space and opportunities for better layout and facilities, which will all help to maximise rental income for you as landlord and enhance the attractions for any firm moving in. The best starting point is to arrange a no-obligation site visit to assess the space and your requirements. We will come to the premises to carry out office space planning and discuss your requirements before drawing up a design brief.
This involves looking in detail at how the space can be best laid out and using computer visuals to show exactly how the refurbished offices will look when complete. We will provide you with a detailed quote and agree a timetable for the work, before going on to manage the entire project. This means you will have one port of call to come to with any queries and will not have to deal with any individual trades yourself, as we take care of everything.
As experts in office refurbishments across the London area, we at Thames Contracts pride ourselves in sticking to the agreed budget and finishing on time. This is one reason why we receive so much repeat business from satisfied clients, who also recommend us to others.
Office Refurbishment London – Get in touch now for information on our services.