What Warehouse Refurbishment Involves

Every project is different; however, most warehouse refurbishments involve a combination of these activities.

Demolition and strip-out are typically the first phase of a refurbishment. This includes removing redundant structures, outdated fittings and obsolete racking systems, damaged cladding, or disused partitions that do not meet current layouts. If done effectively, this will reset the building and allow for planning of future works without having to work around unnecessary items.

Structural modifications encompass any changes to the building's structure or function. Some examples include: roof replacements and repairs, cladding replacement, upgrading load bays, installing dock levellers, replacing roller shutter doors, and updating entrance screens. Structural modifications are likely to have the greatest impact on both the building's daily functioning and its appearance to potential tenants/owners.

Floor slab repairs/resurfacing are important in warehouses more so than in virtually any other building type. Irregularly shaped, uneven, or poorly designed floor slabs lead to operating issues, cause racking failures and present health/safety hazards. Existing floor slabs may be repaired to meet the desired specifications, or new floor slabs may be installed to meet the loading requirements for each specific area.

Installing a Mezzanine Floor is an efficient way to increase usable space without increasing the building's overall size. Our team designs and installs mezzanine floors for added storage, office accommodation, production areas, or employee welfare facilities. When designing a mezzanine, our focus is on your business's specific loading needs and on ensuring the structural design does not compromise the existing frame of your building.

Warehouse Office Fit-Outs - As more companies move functions into a single location (e.g., combining manufacturing operations with administrative support), warehouse office fit-outs are becoming more popular. Whether you need a single management office or a fully functional office block complete with kitchenette, break room, toilet facilities and meeting areas, our team will assist in designing and building internal office space that operates seamlessly with your warehouse activities without impeding them.

Dividing and organising interior space without undertaking large-scale structural modifications can be achieved by partitioning or reconfiguring the building's interior. Creating separate work zones via fixed/demountable partitions, establishing separate temperature-controlled areas, creating production environments or quiet offices within a hectic warehouse can all be achieved. In addition to installing permanent partitions, our company also installs movable walls for situations requiring maximum flexibility.

When it comes to improving your facility's operational efficiency, Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) upgrades can deliver significant returns. As such, when undertaking a refurbishment program, upgrading your M&E infrastructure should be considered early on. Examples of typical M&E upgrades include: installing new LED lighting systems, upgrading heating and ventilation systems, enhancing power distribution systems, installing/replacing fire alarms and sprinkler systems, and implementing various types of access control/security systems.

Improving yard and exterior conditions typically receives less attention during a refurbishment project than it should. Improvements such as resurfacing, repairing drainage deficiencies, constructing new perimeter fences, developing new access roadways, installing canopies, exterior lighting systems and landscaping can improve how well your site functions and/or how attractive it appears to prospective clients, tenants or investors.

Increasing sustainability and reducing energy consumption are integral components of nearly every refurbishment program today. Insulating building envelopes more effectively, improving roofing U-values with upgraded roofing materials, replacing older lighting systems with LED-based systems, and installing electric vehicle charging stations or solar panels can result in reduced operating expenses and enhanced Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

As a landlord, providing high-quality finishes to vacant units returning to the rental market is crucial. Through completing a CAT A (core shell) or CAT A+ (shell and core) fit-out for landlords who require their unoccupied/vacant properties returned to a lettable condition. We deliver finished products that meet today’s occupier expectations.

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Who we work with

Landlord and Asset Managers - We help landlords and property managers complete refurbishment work on empty properties so they are ready to let again after the previous tenant moves out. Also, we help them upgrade their stock before the current lease ends. In addition, some property owners may have an entire portfolio of properties and want to completely regenerate the whole estate to increase asset value and therefore improve tenant quality. The main reason landlords and property managers hire contractors like us is the strong commercial pressure to complete each project as quickly as possible and at a cost that makes it worthwhile to raise the rent on the unit.

Developers - Regarding developers, we typically work with them on "re-positioning" projects, which involve taking an old industrial building and turning it into a new type of property (logistics centre, warehouse, etc.) or a multi-use development. As you might expect, the projects we work with them on tend to be much larger in scope than those we work on for landlords/asset managers. In many cases, the projects require significant structural changes, planning approval, and may also require phased construction. For these types of projects, our ability to understand both the building's physical characteristics and the process of constructing a project like this makes us ideal candidates to work with.

Occupiers - Our client base includes occupier-type organisations (e.g., manufacturing companies, retailers, etc.) that need to make changes to the physical environment of their premises due to evolving operational requirements. They may need us to create additional office space, alter the layout of warehouse areas, install equipment needed for their production process, etc. Our services are used by our client base to ensure that growth does not outpace the design of the space they occupy.

Working Around Live Operations

Refurbishment projects are very different from "new-build" projects; this is where inexperienced contractors can cause the most business disruption. We will plan our work around your operation (and not the other way round). This includes phased operations on your site which allows for operational parts of your site to be kept "live", whilst we do the works on non-operational parts of the site; we will manage your access/egress routes & load/unload points during all phases of the project; we will schedule our work with regards to your operational shifts when necessary; and we will communicate clearly at each phase to ensure you have no surprises.

Your Warehouse Refurbishment - On time and On Budget.

We know that timing and cost control matter just as much as quality in warehouse and industrial refurbishments. At WCC, we keep projects moving by combining hands-on management with digital tools that give clients complete visibility throughout the build. Our in-house project software gives everyone, from site managers to clients, a clear view of progress, key dates, and any decisions that need to be made. This helps avoid delays and keeps everything on track from day one. We also work with a supply chain we know and trust. Many of our trades and suppliers have partnered with us for over two decades. That continuity helps us avoid last-minute issues with materials or labour, and lets us deliver confidently, even on tight schedules. If you're planning a refurbishment or industrial fit-out and need it done with care, speed, and control, we're ready to get started.

How Much Does a Warehouse Refurbishment Cost?

Warehouse refurbishment Costs can vary greatly depending upon the extent of the refurbishment, the condition of the warehouse, and the end goal/objective of the refurbishment. A targeted refurbishment project (for example, upgrading of mechanical & electrical services; adding of a mezzanine floor; or fitting out offices) may be achievable at a relatively low cost. On the other hand, full demolition/refurbishment of a warehouse (including structural repairs, cladding replacement, upgrades to loading bays, etc.) will be a major undertaking and therefore significantly more costly than a targeted refurbishment project.
Some factors that often have a direct impact on the overall cost of a warehouse refurbishment include:
The condition of the warehouse prior to commencing the refurbishment works
The amount of remedial works required to bring the existing structure to a condition where the majority of the refurbishment works can commence.
The extent and type of structural and external envelope refurbishment works required.
The level of mechanical & electrical specification.
Whether the refurbishment project will be phased around maintaining ongoing operations.
Any planning/compliance requirements.
It should also be noted that Asbestos is found in many old industrial buildings, and its presence needs to be assessed, controlled, and removed by licensed specialists before any further works are carried out on the building. Sometimes this is a surprise cost for those involved in the refurbishment process who have failed to identify it from the outset.
We provide our clients with transparent costing based on the actual project scope rather than providing generic rates. After visiting your site and understanding what you wish to achieve with your project, we produce a detailed cost plan which you can use as a basis for progressing your project.

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How Long Does a Warehouse Refurbishment Take?

The amount of time depends on the size and complexity of the project. For example, targeted work (such as installing a new mezzanine or upgrading the lighting) can be completed in as little as a few weeks. A full strip-out and refit of a larger building will normally take between three and six months.
More complex multi-unit estate regeneration projects that involve major structural elements, extensive planning, and phased completion will be much longer and require a program tailored to these needs. At the beginning of each project, we establish realistic timelines, and then we follow those timelines. If there are changes to the project on-site that affect our timeline, we will let you know right away and explain what this means for your timeline, not when the issue has become a bigger problem.

Planning Permission for Warehouse Refurbishment

The majority of internal refurbishment projects don’t require a planning application. It's when there are changes to the way that the warehouse looks externally, where there have been substantial structural changes made to the warehouse itself, or where there has been an alteration in the use class (use) of the warehouse, that planning permission is usually necessary.
At the beginning of each project, we identify whether planning approval is likely to be needed and provide clear guidance on which parts of the proposed works may be subject to planning control. Should planning approval be deemed to be required, then we will work closely with our planning consultants, who have extensive experience in dealing with industrial development schemes and can ensure that the planning process is carried out efficiently.
Approval under building regulations will normally be required for many types of refurbishment works. This includes structural works, mechanical & electrical (M&E) upgrade works and those that affect fire safety. As part of our overall project management service, we will ensure that all aspects of your refurbishment scheme are checked by appropriate authorities prior to completion and are duly signed off.

Warehouse Dilapidations — Landlords and Tenants

Dilapidations is perhaps the most common cause of warehouse refurbishment work. As the lease comes to an end the condition of the building becomes a financial issue rapidly. Tenants become liable for restoring the property to the required condition outlined in the lease. Landlords require the works to be completed as soon as possible to prevent a prolonged void period.

Typical examples of dilapidations works would include roof and cladding repairs, reinstating the original door and loading bay configurations, removing tenant fit-out, including mezzanines and partitions, floor slab repairs, full decoration of the building, resurfacing yards, and reinstallation of mechanical and electrical services. The scope of the works will depend upon the terms of the lease and the schedule served by the landlord’s surveyor. In some cases, negotiations occur prior to the commencement of works.

The contractor used matters more than most people realise. Tenants who use contractors without dilapidations experience often overspend, completing works to a higher standard than required by the lease or omitting items that could have been negotiated out of the contract. Landlords who use the wrong contractor find that the works do not meet the requirements of the schedule, causing disputes and delays in re-leasing the building.

We operate our own specialist dilapidations company, Dilapidation Contractors, which works alongside our refurbishment team. For tenants this means we can deliver the works exactly as defined within the lease – no more, no less – thus keeping your liability under control. For landlords, it enables one team to take the building from lease expiry through dilapidations and into a full cat-a refurbishment without any hand-off delays, causing programme slowness and increased costs.

Dilapidation Contractors

Warehouse Refurbishment Across Different Sectors

The starting point of a warehouse refurbishment varies; despite how similar they may appear externally, the desired output of a refurbishment varies dramatically by sector.
Logistics and E-Commerce
Speed and throughput are key factors in logistics and e-commerce. Warehouse refurbishments will focus on maximising available clear floor space, optimising loading bay configuration, ensuring the building can accommodate current racking height requirements, and installing M & E infrastructure with sufficient capacity to support automated picking and conveyor systems. A very important factor when selecting a floor slab is the frequency of use by high-speed forklifts and racking loads; the slab should be reviewed/assessed to determine if upgrades are necessary.
Cold Stores and Food Production
When it comes to cold stores and food production, there are special requirements for the finish of walls and floors, including smoothness, imperviousness, and compliance with food safety standards. In addition, drainage systems in these types of buildings must prevent contaminants from entering the washdown system during washdown. Insulated panels, refrigerated plants, and condensate management require specialised knowledge and design. Compared to standard ambient warehouse designs, the M&E specifications for cold stores are considerably higher, and designing the ventilation system is also more complicated.
Pharmaceutical/Hospital Storehouses
In pharmaceutical/hospital storehouse refurbishments, temperature and relative humidity control must meet exacting tolerances, with strict documentation of those temperatures. Access controls must be more restrictive than in typical industrial applications. In many cases, cleanrooms are required for some or all areas of the facility, which necessitate highly controlled wall/floor/ceiling systems along with specially designed air-handling systems. Obtaining accurate M&E specifications is mandatory in these applications, as failure to do so could impair an operator's ability to comply with regulatory standards.
Industrial Manufacturing Facilities
Unlike other types of buildings, manufacturing facilities are designed around the processes involved rather than the building's structure. At design time, equipment placement, electrical service capability, compressed air lines, exhaust systems, ventilation systems, and structural floor loading capabilities for large/heavy machinery must all be resolved. While staff amenities such as restrooms/changing rooms must be provided in greater numbers than in other types of buildings (due to the number of personnel working in the building), their location and quantity must not compromise safe movement through the facility.
Trade Counter/Last Mile Distribution Centres
A trade counter/logistical distribution centre is unique in that it includes a retail component that is absent in traditional warehouses. The front-of-house area must operate effectively as a commercial space (i.e., provide clear customer areas, ample parking, etc.) while also providing operational efficiencies as a logistical centre. This dual objective requirement must be accomplished within a limited amount of space, usually in an urban environment, which presents an extremely difficult task that requires significant experience with this type of project.
Self Storage Facilities
Transforming existing warehouse space into self-storage involves utilising as much of the net rentable space as possible, creating efficient corridors/partitioning schemes, and equipping the required access-control/security systems for your particular operation. Design decisions related to fire separation and sprinkler protection become significant due to local regulations. Due to our past experience in constructing self-storage facilities, we have first-hand knowledge of what a conversion requires.