Casinys - Why Office Fit-Out Budgets Blow Out in Melbourne

Most fit-out budgets don't blow out because the builder is greedy. They blow out because something under the floor or above the ceiling was never priced. Aged air handling units, asbestos in the riser, a switchboard that can't take the extra load, hydraulic stacks in the wrong place. These are the things you find when the ceiling comes down in week two, and they cost real money to fix. Late selections are the second big one. If you haven't picked the carpet by the time the programme hits week five, the builder either orders a safe option you'll regret or puts the job on hold waiting for you. Either way the cost goes up. We ask for final selections eight weeks before they're needed, and we hold the programme until they're locked in. Unclear scope is the third. A quote that says new lighting without saying how many fittings or which circuits is going to grow. Every line in a Casinys quote names the quantity, the supplier and the standard we're building to. If it doesn't, ask why, because you'll be paying for the answer later. The cheapest way to avoid all three is to spend money up front. A proper base building survey, a services audit and a documented scope cost a few thousand dollars. Skipping them costs ten times that when the surprises land mid-build and the whole programme slips. It's not glamorous work but it's where the budget actually gets protected.

Casinys crew working on a live Melbourne office floor — Zoned works in progress on a tenanted floor in Cremorne.

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Occupied office receiving a refurbishment

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Budget

Why Office Fit-Out Budgets Blow Out in Melbourne

Base building surprises, late selections and vague scopes are where the money quietly disappears.

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