Why Should You Have a Category A Fitout in Your Office Building?
Posted on: 25 October 2021
If you're refurbishing a building to lease out office space, then you have to decide on a type of fitout. Some building owners take a basic shell-and-core approach, leaving most of the work to their tenants. Others take on a more complete fitout, known as a Category B job.
However, you can take a middle route and opt for a Category A option. Here, you fit out your space with all necessary elements such as electrical work, plumbing, toilets, fire safety systems, floors and ceilings. However, you don't customise or decorate the space.
What are the advantages of a Category A fitout?
1. Get the Basics Right
If you decide on a shell-and-core fitout, then you do a bare minimum renovation. You create a shell for the space. So, for example, you leave the space stripped back to bare concrete and any work you do on things like electrics are at a basic level.
While some tenants and landlords like this approach, it can be problematic. You have to rely on tenants completing the rest of the renovation. They have to meet building standards and your own requirements. If they don't, you'll have to deal with any problems.
If you take on a Category A fitout, then you control more of the basic infrastructure work in your building. You ensure that all necessary systems and jobs meet building standards and are set at the same levels through the whole building to meet your specifications.
2. Attract More Tenants
You might find it hard to attract a lot of tenants after a shell-and-core fitout. Your tenants will have to plan out an effectively empty space and then fit it out themselves. They might not want to take on this job or its costs. Even if you agree to cover some of the costs of this next stage, it might be a step too far for some businesses.
On the other hand, a full Category B fitout might not suit all tenants either. They might not like the way you divide up the space. They might not like the décor, layout, flooring and furnishings.
If you go for a Category A option, then you create a middle-ground solution. Tenants will have less work to do to make the space their own. However, they do have some choice over the way their office works and looks. Your space will be more attractive.
3. Reduce Your Fitout Costs
The more work you do on your renovations, the higher your fitout costs will be. You have to juggle these costs with making the space attractive to prospective tenants.
Category A office fitouts are cheaper than a Category B option. You create a space that is almost ready to use without having to budget for final cosmetic and furnishing work.
To find out more, contact office fitout companies in your area.
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