How Much Does an Office Refurbishment Cost? (2026 Guide)

11 minutes ago
5 min read

Short answer: in 2026, a standard Cat B office refurbishment in the UK costs roughly £75–£140 per square foot for construction works alone. Premium schemes run £140–£250, and heritage or listed buildings reach £250–£400.

Once you add furniture, professional fees, dilapidations and VAT, the all-in figure is typically 50–80% higher than the construction quote you're first shown. For a 5,000 sq ft space, most refurbishments land between £375,000 and £1.25m depending on specification.

Here's what drives that number, what's hidden inside it, and how to budget with confidence.

What drives an office refurbishment cost?

Square footage is only the starting point. Six factors move the budget more than floor area:

Specification level — the single biggest lever. The gap between a standard and a premium finish can be a 60–80% swing on the same floor area.
Mechanical & electrical (M&E) scope — heating, ventilation, power, lighting. If the existing services are old or failing, replacing them is often the largest single line.
Building age and condition — older and listed buildings carry compliance, access and structural surprises.
Occupied vs empty — refurbishing a live, occupied building costs more than an empty shell. It's a Zentura specialism: we phase the work and control noise and dust so your team keeps operating throughout.
Programme and access — tight timescales and city-centre logistics add cost.
Landlord overlay — Licence to Alter, dilapidations and reinstatement terms in your lease.

Office refurbishment cost per square foot (2026)

The single most useful benchmark is cost per square foot, split by specification tier:

Refurbishment tier	What it includes	Cost per sq ft (construction)
Light refresh	Redecoration, flooring, furniture, minor changes	£40–£70
Standard Cat B	Partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen, branding, M&E updates	£75–£140
Premium	High-spec finishes, bespoke joinery, advanced AV/IT	£140–£250
Heritage / listed	As premium, plus listed-building constraints	£250–£400

These are construction figures only. In our own recent projects, lighter mid-touch refurbishments have ranged from around £24–£56 per sq ft — the market ranges above reflect fuller Cat B and premium schemes. Our figures align with 2026 industry benchmarks published by Cushman & Wakefield.

Office refurbishment cost per person

Budgeting per head reframes the project as an investment in your team rather than just construction:

Specification	Per workstation	Furniture (per person)
Standard	£1,800–£3,500	£500–£600
Premium	£3,500–£7,000	£800–£900

Estimate your own project in two minutes. Ranges are useful, but your building, spec and headcount decide the real number. Use the Zentura Office Budget Calculator for a tailored figure, or download our Office Fit Out Cost Guide to work through it step by step.

The hidden costs nobody quotes upfront

The construction quote is not the whole story. Budget for these on top:

Professional fees — design, project management, M&E and QS fees.
FF&E — furniture, fixtures and equipment, often quoted separately.
Dilapidations — your obligation to reinstate the space at lease end.
VAT — at 20%, on the lot.
Contingency — refurbishments uncover surprises. Allow 5–10%.

This is why the all-in cost typically runs 50–80% above the headline construction figure. A contractor quoting £100 per sq ft on a 5,000 sq ft space isn't quoting you £500k — realistically you're planning for £750k–£900k all-in.

Cat A vs Cat B — and why it matters for cost

Cat A — the landlord's basic finish: raised floors, ceilings, basic M&E, lighting. A blank, functional canvas.
Cat B — your space: partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen, branding, furniture, the works.

Most businesses need a Cat B refurbishment, because Cat A isn't somewhere you can actually work. When you compare quotes, always check which one you're being priced for — it's the most common reason two quotes look wildly different.

Refurbishment vs relocation — which is right for you?

Refurbishing your existing space avoids the cost of a new lease, a full relocation and business downtime. But if the building genuinely no longer fits how your team works, relocation may be the better long-term investment — our London office relocation guide weighs it up, and the Stay vs Go tool on our site gives you a steer in minutes.

How Zentura prices a refurbishment

We work to a fixed price agreed before work starts. What you see is what you pay — the contract price is final, with no hidden fees or withheld costs. While projects elsewhere spiral over budget, we stand by our quote.

That certainty sits on three values we hold to on every project: Accountability, Transparency and Peace of Mind — delivered on time, on brief and on budget, and backed by a 3-year post-contract care programme. See how we work on our office fit out and refurbishment services.

A real Zentura refurbishment

When advisory firm Campbell Lutyens needed to ease overcrowding and support hybrid working across their 10,000 sq ft Marylebone office, we delivered a flexible, modern refurbishment with minimal disruption to a live, occupied building — improving collaboration, wellbeing and day-to-day performance. See it alongside our other work in the Zentura project portfolio.

How to control an office refurbishment budget

Engage a design-and-build partner early, before the design is locked.
Get a fixed price, not a day-rate estimate, so scope creep is the contractor's risk, not yours.
Value-engineer finishes where they aren't seen or touched daily.
Prioritise M&E and infrastructure over cosmetic upgrades you can phase later.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to refurbish an office in the UK in 2026?

A standard Cat B office refurbishment costs around £75–£140 per square foot for construction in 2026, with premium schemes at £140–£250. All-in costs (fees, furniture, VAT) typically run 50–80% higher than the construction figure.

Why are office refurbishment costs higher than a few years ago?

Costs reset structurally upward after 2022 and haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels, driven by labour costs, mechanical and electrical packages and rising specification expectations.

Is it cheaper to refurbish or relocate?

Refurbishment usually avoids the cost of a new lease and relocation downtime, making it the more cost-effective option — unless your current building genuinely can't support how your team works.

What's not included in a typical refurbishment quote?

Professional fees, furniture, dilapidations, VAT and contingency are frequently quoted separately — always confirm what a per-sq-ft figure does and doesn't include.

How long does an office refurbishment take?

It depends on size, but for most offices allow roughly three to five months end to end. The on-site build is the main driver — around eight weeks for a 2,000–5,000 sq ft refurbishment, ten to twelve weeks at 5,000–20,000 sq ft, and longer for larger or more complex schemes. Design and legals run alongside the build rather than stacking on top, so the real programme is shorter than adding every phase together.

Thinking about refurbishing your office? Talk to Zentura about a fixed-price refurbishment that keeps your business running throughout — get in touch.