What Does An Office Refurbishment Typically Include?

Having a well-thought-out office space that works for your employees is essential. If you’re considering undertaking an office refurbishment project to meet the demands of your growing organisation, it’s important to understand what’s involved. So, what is included in a typical office refurbishment?

An office refurbishment project should maximise the existing space available. This might include making structural changes, adding partitions or creating new rooms. Many office refurbishments also include installing modern systems, such as HVAC systems and modern office communication technology, including updates to the fixtures and fittings.

Read on for a more detailed breakdown of everything that’s typically included in an office refurbishment project.

What Does an Office Refurbishment Involve?

What is involved in an office refurbishment project depends on the scale of work required and the client’s needs. However, here is an overview of some of the tasks typically included in an office refurbishment project with Jarvale Construction:

• Space planning and design. This should reflect the company’s needs and should maximise the space available. It might include creating a more open-plan layout or adding tailor-made quiet zones or breakout rooms.
• Construction and structural changes (if required). This might include installing partitions to create separate workspaces or adding an extension to accommodate new members of staff.
• Electrical or IT upgrades. Offices typically require a large amount of electrical equipment, so it’s crucial that the wiring is correct and that there are ample electrical sockets throughout the space. Suspended ceilings are common in office spaces to hide wiring and pipes.
• Improving lighting or adding natural light sources. Poor lighting can have a negative effect on employee health and productivity, so this is something that should be considered in every office refurbishment project.
• Installing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. If your office is located in an older building rather than a purpose-built office block, an HVAC system might not be installed. Adding an HVAC system as part of your office refurbishment can help maintain a comfortable working environment for your employees.
• Improving the sustainability of the space. More and more businesses are preparing for Net Zero, including the team at Jarvale Construction. All office refurbishment projects should be undertaken in line with the company’s sustainability goals. Read more about sustainable office refurbishment in our blog, ‘Going Green: How To Refurbish Your Business Using Sustainable Office Design?’
• Decoration and finishing touches. Applying the finishing touches to the space, such as flooring, painting and decor, is a crucial part of any office refurbishment. The company’s brand colours should be considered during this step.

Do You Need Building Regulations Approval for an Office Refurbishment?

If you are undertaking an office refurbishment, you will likely require Building Regulations approval. Projects which involve adding new partitions or walls, adding new rooms or making structural changes will likely need Building Regulations approval. Any project that involves new construction, including an office extension, will definitely require approval. You should check with Building Control before starting an office refurbishment project to ensure you obtain all necessary approvals.

At Jarvale, we will be happy to assist you with getting Building Regulations approval for your office refurbishment project.

Is Building an Extension for an Office Classified as Refurbishment?

If your company has grown over the last few years, you might consider adding an extension as part of your office refurbishment project. Technically, an extension is classed as a commercial construction project, rather than a commercial refurbishment. However, office extensions are frequently undertaken alongside refurbishment projects.

When choosing a partner for your office refurbishment project, you need to choose a company experienced in commercial construction if you want an office extension or significant structural changes. At Jarvale, we are experts in commercial construction projects, including office refurbishment, extension and new builds.

Is Office Refurbishment Tax Deductible?

When refurbishing an office building, there is plenty of tax relief available, especially if you know how to approach your refurbishment project from a tax perspective. As an experienced Design and Build company, we often find that clients are unaware of the tax implications of an office refurbishment. It’s essential to work with your construction partner and finance team to make the most of the tax relief available to you.

Is an Office Refurbishment Capital or Revenue Expenditure?

The first step is establishing whether your refurbishment project is classified as an improvement project or a repair. This will determine whether your project is capital or revenue expenditure.

Revenue Expenditure

If the works can be considered a ‘like-for-like’ replacement or the ‘modern-day equivalent’ (for example, replacing single-glazed windows with double-glazed ones), your refurbishment project can be classified as a repair. All repair and maintenance works are 100% tax deductible, giving your company an effective cost saving of 25% (as the main rate for UK Corporation Tax is currently at 25%).

According to the Government’s ‘Direct Tax: Guidance on Repairs and Renewals of Assets’, if the “asset can simply be used to do the same job as before, then it is likely to be a repair and therefore allowable expenditure”.

Can I Capitalise Office Refurbishment Costs?

If your office refurbishment is considered an improvement, it will need to be ‘capitalised’ in your accounts. However, capital allowance schemes allow businesses to access tax relief for capital expenditure. The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) allows you to claim capital allowances on assets purchased for use in your business, including IT hardware. You can also claim on fixtures, fittings and integral features, including HVAC, electrical and CCTV systems.

Jarvale Construction can provide you with detailed cost breakdowns to allow you to offset your allowed capital and revenue expenditure to maximise the tax relief available for your refurbishment project.

Refurbish Your Office With Jarvale

If you are looking for an experienced construction partner for an office refurbishment project, the team at Jarvale can help. Office Refurbishment Service can transform your existing space into a functional and aesthetically pleasing work environment for your staff.

At Jarvale, every office refurbishment project is completed according to the construction schedule and within your specified budget. You can rely on our expert team to take a professional, cost-effective and future-ready approach to your office refurbishment.

We have completed commercial refurbishment and construction projects throughout South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and the Midlands. With over 50 years of experience in undertaking comprehensive commercial construction projects, you can guarantee that your office refurbishment will be completed to the highest possible standard. View our completed projects to see what we have accomplished in the past.

If you’re looking to refurbish your office or commercial building, get in touch with our team today.