A commercial fit-out follows a clear order: concept design, technical design and specification, approvals, strip-out, first fix, second fix, finishes, then commissioning (lighting and furniture) and handover.
Knowing the order helps you plan, and it matters most if you have an opening date or a team and a launch to coordinate.
Approvals are the stage most people underestimate. This means building control, and planning before that if you need it. Start them early, alongside design, because if you leave them until the design is finished they become a bottleneck. Depending upon how the building control approvals are sought they can add significant time.
Strip-out and first fix hold the surprises, especially in older buildings. And, it’s therefore good to get the strip out underway as early as possible - to help iron out any discrepencies as soon as poisslbe. You may find services that don't match the drawings, structure that limits the design, or a survey that finds asbestos. Build contingency into both time and cost.
Second fix and finishes are the most visible stage, and also where a rushed programme does the most harm. Finishes shouldn’t be rushed - if they are laid over work that wasn't properly commissioned they may need redoing, so protect this stage rather than squeezing it to recover time lost earlier.
