An office fit-out checklist keeps your project on track, on budget, and compliant with Irish building regulations. Without one, timescales slip, costs creep, and decisions get made reactively instead of strategically. Below is the step-by-step checklist we use on every project at Chawner & Trench, adapted here so any Irish business can follow it, whether you’re fitting out 200 sq ft or 20,000.

What should you do before starting an office fit-out?

Before you call a contractor, designer, or quantity surveyor, you need to answer four fundamental questions:

1. Why are you fitting out? Lease expiry, headcount growth, hybrid working shift, or brand repositioning? Your reason shapes every decision that follows.
2. What’s your budget range? In Ireland in 2026, a Cat B office fit-out typically runs between €80 and €180 per square foot, depending on specification. Know your ceiling before you start — not after you’ve fallen in love with a design.
3. What’s your deadline? Work backwards from your move-in date. A standard 3,000 sq ft fit-out takes 12–16 weeks from design to handover. Larger or more complex projects take longer.
4. Who’s making decisions? Fit-outs stall when approval chains aren’t clear. Identify your internal project lead and give them authority to sign off on day-to-day decisions.

Once you’ve answered these, you’re ready to move through the four phases below.

Phase 1 — Planning and budgeting

This is where most of the heavy thinking happens. Get this phase right, and the rest flows. Rush it, and you’ll pay for it — literally — further down the line.

Your Phase 1 checklist:

• Define your brief: How many people will use the space? What activities need to be supported (focused work, collaboration, client meetings, town halls)? What’s not working in your current office?
• Set a realistic budget: Use our Fit-Out Estimator to get a ballpark figure based on your square footage and specification level. Allow a 10–15% contingency on top.
• Review your lease: Check what your landlord requires. Are you responsible for reinstatement? Is there a rent-free fit-out period? What alterations need landlord consent?
• Appoint your fit-out partner: Choose a company that handles design, cost management, and project management under one roof. This reduces coordination risk and keeps accountability clear.
• Commission a site survey: Before any design work begins, get a measured survey of the space. This catches issues early — ceiling voids too shallow for ductwork, floor loadings that limit layout options, existing services that need rerouting. You can book a survey with us here.
• Establish your timeline: Map key milestones: design completion, planning submission (if needed), contractor start on site, furniture delivery, IT migration, and move-in day.

Typical duration: 2–4 weeks, depending on decision speed and lease complexity.

Phase 2 — Design and approvals

Design is where your brief turns into a space plan, then a full set of drawings and specifications. It’s also where regulatory compliance gets locked in.

Your Phase 2 checklist:

• Space planning: Start with adjacency planning — which teams need to sit near each other? Then develop a test-fit layout. A good designer will present two or three options with different trade-offs (more desks vs. more breakout space, for example).
• Concept design: Finishes, colours, materials, and furniture selections. This is where brand identity meets practical durability. Ask for samples of key materials — what looks great on a screen doesn’t always work in a Dublin office with north-facing windows.
• M&E design: Mechanical and electrical design covers HVAC, lighting, power, data, and fire alarm systems. In Ireland, your M&E design must comply with Part L (energy conservation) and Part B (fire safety) of the Building Regulations. Since the 2019 updates, nearly all commercial fit-outs require a BER assessment.
• Fire safety review: Ensure your layout meets escape route requirements. Open-plan offices over 60m in any direction from an exit typically need additional escape routes. Fire compartmentation, emergency lighting, and signage all need to be designed at this stage.
• Disability access: Part M of the Building Regulations requires accessible design. This includes accessible WCs, circulation widths (minimum 1,200mm), level thresholds, and hearing loop provision in meeting rooms.
• Planning permission check: Most internal office fit-outs don’t require planning permission. However, if you’re changing the use of the building, altering the external appearance, or adding signage, you may need to apply to your local authority. Check with your project manager early.
• Landlord approval: Submit your drawings to the landlord or their representative for licence to alter. Build in 2–3 weeks for this — it’s a common source of delay.
• Cost plan: Your quantity surveyor should produce a detailed cost plan at this stage, breaking down costs by element (partitions, flooring, M&E, furniture, IT, fees). This is your budget control document for the rest of the project. For a detailed breakdown of what to expect, see our office fit-out cost guide.

Typical duration: 3–6 weeks for design; 2–3 weeks for landlord and regulatory approvals (often running in parallel with design finalisation).

Phase 3 — Construction and fit-out

This is the phase most people picture when they think of a fit-out: tradespeople on site, walls going up, cables being pulled. But good preparation in Phases 1 and 2 is what makes this phase run smoothly.

Your Phase 3 checklist:

• Contractor procurement: If you’re using a design-and-build partner like Chawner & Trench, this is already handled. If you’re tendering separately, allow 2–3 weeks for competitive pricing and evaluation.
• Pre-construction meeting: Confirm the programme, access arrangements, working hours (most Dublin landlords restrict noisy works to outside core office hours), deliveries logistics, and health and safety requirements.
• Strip-out and demolition: Removing existing partitions, flooring, ceiling tiles, and redundant services. Waste must be disposed of in compliance with EPA regulations — your contractor should provide waste transfer documentation.
• First fix M&E: Electrical cabling, data infrastructure, HVAC ductwork, plumbing — everything that goes behind walls and above ceilings before they’re closed up.
• Partitions and drylining: Stud walls, glazed partitions, acoustic treatment. Acoustic performance matters — a meeting room partition should achieve a minimum Rw rating of 45 dB, ideally 50+ dB for confidential spaces.
• Flooring: Carpet tiles, LVT, polished concrete, or a combination. Raised access floors are standard in most Dublin offices and allow flexible routing of power and data.
• Joinery and finishes: Kitchen units, reception desks, built-in storage, feature walls, decorating.
• Second fix M&E: Light fittings, switches, sockets, AV equipment, air conditioning units — the visible elements of your electrical and mechanical systems.
• Furniture installation: Desks, chairs, soft seating, storage. Allow 1–2 weeks for delivery lead times on standard items. Custom or imported furniture can take 8–12 weeks — order early in Phase 2.
• IT and AV commissioning: Network setup, WiFi testing, AV systems in meeting rooms, digital signage. Coordinate with your IT team or provider — this often gets left too late.

Typical duration: 6–12 weeks depending on size and complexity. A straightforward 3,000 sq ft Cat B fit-out typically takes 6–8 weeks on site.

Phase 4 — Snagging and handover

Snagging is the process of identifying and fixing defects before you move in. It’s not optional, and it’s not something to rush through on a Friday afternoon.

Your Phase 4 checklist:

• Snagging inspection: Walk every room with your project manager. Check paint finishes, door alignments, socket positions, lighting levels, ceiling tile alignment, and joinery quality. A thorough snag list on a 5,000 sq ft office might have 40–80 items. That’s normal.
• M&E commissioning certificates: Obtain commissioning certificates for all mechanical and electrical systems — HVAC, fire alarm, emergency lighting, and electrical installation (ETCI certification in Ireland).
• Fire safety certificate: If your fit-out required a Fire Safety Certificate application, confirm it has been granted. Ensure all fire stopping, detection, and alarm systems are certified.
• BER certificate: If applicable, obtain your Building Energy Rating certificate. This is a legal requirement for most commercial properties in Ireland.
• Health and safety file: Your contractor should provide a complete health and safety file including as-built drawings, product data sheets, maintenance schedules, and risk assessments for the completed space.
• O&M manuals: Operation and maintenance manuals for all installed systems — HVAC controls, lighting systems, access control, AV equipment.
• Defects liability period: Confirm the defects liability period (typically 12 months from practical completion). Any issues that arise during this period should be rectified by the contractor at no additional cost.
• Move-in coordination: Plan your move over a weekend to minimise disruption. Brief staff on the new space — how the HVAC controls work, where the AV instructions are, what the clean desk policy is.

Typical duration: 1–2 weeks for snagging and handover. Move-in is typically a weekend.

How long does each phase take?

The table below gives realistic timelines for a mid-range Cat B fit-out of 3,000–5,000 sq ft in Dublin. Smaller projects can compress these timelines; larger or more complex fit-outs will extend them.

The single biggest factor in timeline performance is decision speed on the client side. Delayed sign-offs on design, finishes, or furniture selections can add weeks to a project. Appoint a decision-maker with authority and keep the approval chain short.

Common office fit-out mistakes to avoid

After 15 years of managing fit-outs across Dublin, these are the mistakes I see most often:

1. Underestimating the budget. The fit-out itself is only part of the cost. Furniture, IT infrastructure, AV equipment, professional fees, and VAT can add 30–50% on top of the construction cost. Our cost guide breaks this down in detail.
2. Skipping the site survey. Assumptions about ceiling heights, floor voids, and structural grids lead to costly redesigns once work starts on site. A measured survey costs a fraction of what a mid-project redesign costs.
3. Ignoring acoustics. Open-plan offices need acoustic treatment — ceiling absorbers, desk screens, phone booths, or acoustic wall panels. Without them, noise complaints start within weeks of moving in. Budget €8–€15 per sq ft for acoustic measures in open-plan environments.
4. Ordering furniture too late. Standard office furniture from Irish suppliers typically has a 4–6 week lead time. Specialist or imported items can take 10–14 weeks. Order during Phase 2, not Phase 3.
5. Not planning for growth. If you’re on a 5-year lease and expect 20% headcount growth, design for it now. It’s far cheaper to install extra power and data points during the fit-out than to retrofit them later.
6. Treating IT as an afterthought. Your IT team or provider needs to be involved from Phase 1. Network infrastructure, WiFi access point placement, server room requirements, and AV specifications all affect the design and the budget.
7. Forgetting about storage. The “paperless office” is still aspirational for most businesses. Plan for personal lockers, team storage, and archive space. A typical allocation is 1 personal locker per person and 2–3 linear metres of shared storage per 10 people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need planning permission for an office fit-out in Ireland?

Most internal office fit-outs are exempt from planning permission under Irish planning law. However, if you’re changing the building’s use class, altering the external appearance (new signage, windows, or entrances), or the building is a protected structure, you’ll likely need to apply. Your fit-out partner should advise on this during Phase 1.

How much does an office fit-out cost per square foot in Ireland?

In 2026, a Cat B office fit-out in Dublin typically costs €80–€130 per sq ft for a mid-range specification and €130–€180+ per sq ft for a high-end finish. These figures include construction, M&E, and finishes but exclude furniture, IT, professional fees, and VAT. For a detailed breakdown, see our full cost guide or use the Fit-Out Estimator.

What is the difference between Cat A and Cat B fit-out?

A Cat A fit-out brings a shell space up to a basic, lettable standard — raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic mechanical and electrical services, and fire protection. A Cat B fit-out takes that Cat A space and turns it into a finished, branded workplace — partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen, reception, furniture, AV, and finishes. Most tenants are responsible for the Cat B fit-out. Read our full Cat A vs Cat B guide for more detail.

Can I stay in my office during a fit-out?

It depends on the scope. Minor refurbishments can sometimes be phased to allow partial occupation, but a full Cat B fit-out usually requires the space to be vacated. Noisy works (demolition, drilling, heavy construction) are typically restricted to outside business hours in multi-tenant buildings. Discuss phasing options with your project manager early in the planning process.