Office Refurbishment delivered in Paddington, London W2
Paddington · Office Refurbishment

Office Refurbishment in Paddington

Office Refurbishment across Paddington (W2). Full-service office refurbishment for occupied and vacant London commercial space. We deliver CAT B fit-outs, M&E upgrades, partitioning, flooring, decorating and lighting under a single fixed-price contract, with a named project manager and principal contractor duties under CDM 2015.

Estate-approvedCDM 2015FIRASNICEIC£10M insured

Office Refurbishment in Paddington — what businesses typically need

Office Refurbishment across Paddington (W2) 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 Merchant Square 1–5, The Point (Paddington Basin), The Colonnades, Sheldon Square 1–5, 1 Kingdom Street among others. Teams mobilise from our London operations base, with direct transport links via Paddington (Elizabeth line, Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City + National Rail + Heathrow Express), Edgware Road (Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City), Lancaster Gate (Central). 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 Paddington market is dominated by tech (microsoft, vodafone, nissan hq), pharmaceutical / life sciences (astrazeneca), media (wpp units, itv studios nearby), each with distinct office refurbishment requirements — programme compression, landlord co-ordination, out-of-hours delivery, and full compliance ownership. Our commercial team has delivered office refurbishment in trophy buildings including Merchant Square 1–5, The Point (Paddington Basin), The Colonnades, Sheldon Square 1–5.

Paddington combines the Basin's modern Grade A (Merchant Square, The Point, The Colonnades) with the Sheldon Square commercial core (British Land) and the Marble Arch Place cluster. Occupiers include tech, media, pharmaceutical/life sciences and professional services.

Our commercial delivery model

WCC standard: 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, 08:00–13:00 Sat. Paddington Basin estate operates additional managed-access hours for loading to preserve tenant amenity during trading. Sheldon Square service yard and Merchant Square service road both require pre-booking (typical 48-hour lead). Surrounding streets are red routes with parking suspensions needed through TfL.

  1. Stage 1

    Measured survey and condition report within 5 working days

  2. Stage 2

    Space plan and CAT B design brief in 2 weeks

  3. Stage 3

    Fixed-price quote with CAT A dilapidations split

  4. Stage 4

    Principal contractor appointment under CDM 2015

  5. Stage 5

    Mobilisation with agreed DSEAR, RAMS and induction pack

  6. Stage 6

    Weekly programme reports to landlord and managing agent

  7. Stage 7

    Handover with O&M manuals, as-built drawings and building control sign-off

Programme, budget, and disruption

TierRangeWhat's covered
Light refresh£45–£75 per sqftPaint, carpet, light fittings, minor partitioning
Standard CAT B£85–£140 per sqftNew partitioning, flooring, M&E alterations, joinery, full redecoration
High-spec CAT B£160–£250 per sqftBespoke joinery, specialist lighting, VRF upgrade, executive suites
Trophy / HQ£275–£400+ per sqftArchitectural feature work, marble, timber, audio-visual, wellness spaces

This area sits outside the core trophy-tower premium zone — programme and pricing typically sit at the mid-range of the bands below. Figures are guide ranges — we provide a fixed quote after survey.

Typical works we deliver in Paddington

CAT B fit-out — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

CAT A plus — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Dilapidations works — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Partitioning — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Ceilings — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Flooring — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Redecoration — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

M&E alterations — delivered in Paddington under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Planning and compliance for Office Refurbishment in Paddington

Westminster City Council holds planning authority. Paddington Basin Character Area and Paddington Conservation Area cover much of the area. Listed buildings at Paddington Station (Grade I) and Paddington Green restrict external works.

Service-specific compliance

CDM 2015 (principal contractor + principal designer route)FIRAS fire-stopping certification on compartmentationNICEIC certification on all electrical worksPart B fire safety compliancePart E acoustic performance testingPart M accessibility — level thresholds, door widths, WCsBS 5266 emergency lighting testingEICR report at completion£10M public and £10M professional indemnity

Buildings we have worked in across Paddington

Notable buildings

  • Merchant Square 1–5
  • The Point (Paddington Basin)
  • The Colonnades
  • Sheldon Square 1–5
  • 1 Kingdom Street
  • 2 Kingdom Street
  • 3 Kingdom Street
  • 4 Kingdom Street
  • 5 Merchant Square
  • One Merchant Square
  • Paddington Place
  • 6 Merchant Square

Notable estates

  • Sheldon Square (British Land)
  • Paddington Basin (European Land / Paddington Central)
  • Church Street Regeneration (edge)

Reference list available on request under NDA.

Our process — seven stages

  1. Survey

    Measured condition survey within 5 working days, including M&E, fabric and compliance review.

  2. Brief

    Scope capture workshop with stakeholders — occupier, landlord, managing agent, FM team.

  3. Design

    Stage 3 design package with space plan, M&E schedules, specification and CAT A/B split.

  4. Fixed quote

    Lump-sum price against the design package. All prelims transparent.

  5. Mobilisation

    CDM notification, RAMS, permit-to-work, landlord licence-to-alter, estate approvals.

  6. Delivery

    Weekly client reports with photos, programme RAG, variation log, compliance status.

  7. Handover

    O&M manuals, as-built drawings, building-regs sign-off, 12-month defects period.

Office Refurbishment specifications by building type

Modern Grade A (Merchant Square / Sheldon Square — 18,000–28,000 sqft plates)

Office Refurbishment in modern grade a (merchant square / sheldon square — 18,000–28,000 sqft plates) is typically specified to light refresh level — paint, carpet, light fittings, minor partitioning. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Trophy HQ buildings (Microsoft UK HQ, Vodafone UK HQ)

Office Refurbishment in trophy hq buildings (microsoft uk hq, vodafone uk hq) is typically specified to standard cat b level — new partitioning, flooring, m&e alterations, joinery, full redecoration. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Converted period stock (Marylebone edge)

Office Refurbishment in converted period stock (marylebone edge) is typically specified to high-spec cat b level — bespoke joinery, specialist lighting, vrf upgrade, executive suites. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Regeneration stock (Paddington Square)

Office Refurbishment in regeneration stock (paddington square) is typically specified to trophy / hq level — architectural feature work, marble, timber, audio-visual, wellness spaces. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Out-of-hours, weekend, and live-environment working

We deliver refurbishment works in live offices through phased 6pm–6am night shifts and weekend programmes. Dust-sealed segregation with negative-pressure extract, scent-neutral paint systems and noise planning co-ordinated with the managing agent. Out-of-hours staff are CSCS-inducted and attend the building's specific permit-to-work and fire evacuation briefings.

WCC standard: 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, 08:00–13:00 Sat. Paddington Basin estate operates additional managed-access hours for loading to preserve tenant amenity during trading. Sheldon Square service yard and Merchant Square service road both require pre-booking (typical 48-hour lead). Surrounding streets are red routes with parking suspensions needed through TfL.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)

All Paddington 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 Paddington see Office Maintenance in Paddington or Commercial Maintenance in Paddington.

Case studies

Anonymised project outlines from our Paddington and adjacent-area portfolio — full reference list with contact introductions available on request under NDA.

Financial services HQ refurbishment

Scope · 12,000 sqft

Budget band · £1.6M

Programme · 14 weeks

Full CAT B including executive suite, trading floor, client meeting rooms

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Professional services CAT A plus

Scope · 7,500 sqft

Budget band · £620k

Programme · 9 weeks

Partitioning, flooring, LED lighting upgrade, redecoration

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Tech occupier refresh

Scope · 4,200 sqft

Budget band · £310k

Programme · 6 weeks

Open plan redesign, acoustic treatment, tea point and meeting rooms

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

FAQs — Office Refurbishment in Paddington

Can you work while our staff remain in the office?

Yes. We phase refurbishment into occupied and decanted zones, with physical hoarding, air-sealed segregation, and noise-generating works confined to out-of-hours shifts. A typical floor plate can be refurbished in 2–3 phases over 8–14 weeks.

How do you price refurbishment — open-book or fixed?

We price fixed lump-sum against an agreed scope. Any variations are priced per item with a written instruction before works proceed. No open-book percentage markups.

Do you handle the CAT A dilapidations split?

Yes. Where a lease requires CAT A reinstatement on exit, we split the quote between permanent CAT B works and end-of-lease reinstatement, so you can plan the dilapidations liability from day one.

What warranty do you provide?

10-year structural warranty where applicable; 2 years on M&E alterations; manufacturer warranties on finishes, carpet, flooring and light fittings passed through to the client.

Are you insured for commercial works in the City and Canary Wharf?

Yes — £10M public liability and £10M professional indemnity. Full cover for works in managed estates including Broadgate, Canary Wharf Group, Great Portland Estates and Grosvenor.

Do you handle landlord licence-to-alter applications?

Yes. Our project manager liaises with the managing agent and landlord's surveyor throughout, including drawings, M&E schedules, and dilapidations undertakings.

Do you work on the British Land Sheldon Square estate?

Yes — we hold British Land approved contractor status with compliance pack on file for Sheldon Square and associated Paddington holdings.

How has the Elizabeth line affected the Paddington market?

Significant rental uplift since 2022, with sharpened demand for floor plates 15,000 sqft+. Tech and life-sciences occupiers now compete for space historically dominated by professional services.

Do you handle life-sciences CAT B?

Yes — including containment laboratories, dry labs, write-up space, and BSL-1/BSL-2 support. F-Gas, COSHH and specialist ventilation covered.

Typical CAT B cost in Paddington?

Sheldon Square / Merchant Square: £130–£200 per sqft. Trophy HQ level: £220–£350 per sqft. Life-sciences labs: £350–£650 per sqft depending on containment level.

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Related insights

In-depth articles on commercial fit-out, compliance and market strategy.

Start with a survey in Paddington

Measured condition survey within 5 working days. Fixed-price quote within 10. Estate approvals on file.