Commercial Decorating across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4). Whole-building commercial decorating — offices, retail, hospitality and managed estates — delivered as rolling contracts, phased refreshes or one-off projects. Low-VOC and scent-neutral systems, night-shift delivery, and managing-agent-format reporting.
Commercial Decorating across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4) is delivered by our in-house commercial team with current estate approvals and compliance records on file. We have completed works in or adjacent to 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel, 100 Liverpool Street among others. Teams mobilise from our London operations base, with direct transport links via Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Bank, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, St Paul's, Aldgate and the new Elizabeth line at Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Every project is run by a named project manager reporting weekly with photographs and programme RAG. Out-of-hours loading, estate permit-to-work and managing-agent liaison are included in the prelims — not charged as variations.
The City of London market is dominated by global investment banks and trading houses, top-tier law firms and professional services, insurance and reinsurance (lloyd's market), each with distinct commercial decorating requirements — programme compression, landlord co-ordination, out-of-hours delivery, and full compliance ownership. Our commercial team has delivered commercial decorating in trophy buildings including 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel.
The Square Mile is London's densest office market — 9m+ sqft of Grade A stock across trophy towers (22 Bishopsgate, Leadenhall Building, Walkie-Talkie, Scalpel) and period blocks around Liverpool Street and Moorgate. Occupiers are dominated by financial services, professional services, insurance and legal, with increasing tech and life-sciences take-up post-2022.
Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.
Portfolio survey and decorating condition report
Annual decorating calendar mapped to lease events and quarter days
Colour library held on file for brand consistency
Night and weekend delivery for live spaces
Monthly reporting in managing-agent template
| Tier | Range | What's covered |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling contract | £4–£8 per sqft pa | Programmed decoration cycle with fixed annual fee |
| Project decoration | £6–£14 per sqft | One-off decoration of a full floor or building |
| Specialist finishes | £18+ per sqft | Heritage, metal coatings, specialist commercial finishes |
City, Canary Wharf and prime Westminster carry a typical 10–20% premium over outer London zones due to loading restrictions, out-of-hours working and estate-approval overheads. Figures are guide ranges — we provide a fixed quote after survey.
Office decoration — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Retail decoration — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Hospitality decoration — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Common-parts — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Lobby decoration — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Exterior masonry — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Metalwork — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Woodwork — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.
Works in the City engage the City of London Corporation's planning framework and, for listed buildings, Listed Building Consent. Out-of-hours loading is tightly controlled under the Code of Construction Practice. Many buildings carry conservation area or heritage designations requiring specialist finishes and reversible alteration.
Reference list available on request under NDA.
Measured condition survey within 5 working days, including M&E, fabric and compliance review.
Scope capture workshop with stakeholders — occupier, landlord, managing agent, FM team.
Stage 3 design package with space plan, M&E schedules, specification and CAT A/B split.
Lump-sum price against the design package. All prelims transparent.
CDM notification, RAMS, permit-to-work, landlord licence-to-alter, estate approvals.
Weekly client reports with photos, programme RAG, variation log, compliance status.
O&M manuals, as-built drawings, building-regs sign-off, 12-month defects period.
Commercial Decorating in trophy tower grade a (25,000+ sqft floor plates) is typically specified to rolling contract level — programmed decoration cycle with fixed annual fee. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.
Commercial Decorating in period refurbished blocks (5,000–15,000 sqft plates) is typically specified to project decoration level — one-off decoration of a full floor or building. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.
Commercial Decorating in listed buildings in conservation areas (bank, guildhall) is typically specified to specialist finishes level — heritage, metal coatings, specialist commercial finishes. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.
Commercial Decorating in converted warehouses (shoreditch edge of ec2) is typically specified to specialist finishes level — heritage, metal coatings, specialist commercial finishes. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.
Commercial decorating across live portfolios is scheduled in night and weekend slots co-ordinated with managing agents. Monthly rolling decorate contracts allow even distribution of work across the year with minimal visible activity during business hours.
Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.
All City of London occupiers benefit from a PPM framework covering L8 water hygiene, EICR, emergency lighting, F-Gas registers and fabric maintenance. For a scoped PPM package in City of London see Office Maintenance in City of London or Commercial Maintenance in City of London.
Anonymised project outlines from our City of London and adjacent-area portfolio — full reference list with contact introductions available on request under NDA.
Scope · 18 buildings
Budget band · £820k/yr
Programme · Rolling
Full portfolio rolling decoration across 18 multi-let buildings
Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.
Scope · 6 hotels
Budget band · £340k
Programme · 12 weeks
Phased room and corridor refresh across 6 UK hotels
Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.
Scope · 24 stores
Budget band · £480k
Programme · 16 weeks
Night-only rolling refresh across national retail estate
Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.
Yes — typical rolling contracts see each lobby and common parts refreshed every 12–18 months, tenant demise on end-of-lease cycles, and exterior on 5–7 year cycles. Priced per sqft annually.
Yes — low-VOC, fast-dry systems allow in-store decoration between close and open (2–6 hour window). Full flooring and stock protection included.
Yes — monthly reports in MRI, Yardi, Qube or custom templates, including photos, spend, compliance and variance to budget.
Yes — we hold up-to-date CSCS, insurance and compliance records on file with all major City estate managers. First mobilisation time from instruction is typically 5 working days.
Loading is pre-booked with the estate — for typical CAT B fit-out we request a rolling 72-hour slot allocation. For out-of-hours deliveries (6am–8am, 6pm–10pm) we book 2 weeks ahead.
Yes. Most works are phased into 6pm–6am night shifts with full dust-sealed segregation, low-noise tools and managed waste removal. Trading floors remain operational throughout.
Yes — our architectural team manages LBC applications and works with the City's conservation officers on reversible fit-out, historic joinery retention and compatible finishes.
5,000 sqft: 8–10 weeks. 15,000 sqft: 12–16 weeks. 30,000+ sqft: 18–24 weeks phased.
Commercial painting and decorating for offices, retail, hospitality. Out-of-hours, low-VOC.
Full commercial refurbishment for occupied and vacant offices — CAT B fit-out, finishes, M&E upgrades.
Renovation of existing office space — modernising finishes, layout and services without full strip-out.
Whole-building commercial maintenance for multi-let, retail, hospitality and mixed-use assets.
Fabric, flooring, ceiling, joinery, paint and minor M&E repairs — attended and completed under one PM.
In-depth articles on commercial fit-out, compliance and market strategy.
Measured condition survey within 5 working days. Fixed-price quote within 10. Estate approvals on file.