Things to note for when renovating offices, factories, retail shops in Singapore

Taking this opportunity to share with our customers what to watch out for when planning for the renovation for your office, factory and retail shop:-

1) Obtain the fitting-out manual / renovation guideline from the landlord / building management office. This spells out the terms and conditions for the decoration work and it may includes cost for certain work such as for the fire protection system (sprinkler, heat / smoke detectors), contact for their Qualified Persons (QP), Professional Engineers (PE), Licenced Electrical Worker (LEW), etc.
Pass a copy of this manual to your Interior designers / Renovation contractors for their reference and compliance. Application forms for the Renovation permit, Shut down of Fire Sprinkler System, Application of Hot Work Permit are found in the manual, and needs to be submitted prior to the commencement of the renovation.
We would also advise tenants to ask the building management office for any special instructions relating to the renovation, as this may spells out any hidden cost to you later.

2) Engage only designers / contractors that are experienced in this type of commercial work relevant to your premises. Avoid pitfalls and ask for their experience and portfolio.
Experienced teams from Singapore Interior Pte Ltd will provide a full turnkey service to your renovation needs:-
. Preparation of drawings for submission to relevant authority such as FSSD (SCDF), HDB, URA, BCA, etc.
. Cabling work for lighting, power, voice and network points.
. Provision of keyphone / PABX system, server rack, UPS, door access, surveillance camera.
. Erection partition rooms with drywall gypsum board, tempered glass, fire rated board, etc.
. Install false ceiling and plaster ceiling
. Floor finishing - carpeting, vinyl tiles, vinyl sheet, granite / homogenuous tiles.
. Wall finishing - wall paper covering, emulsion / enamel painting.
. Fire protection system - addition / alteration to the fire sprinkler, heat / smoke detectors, call points. Provision of FM200 for server rooms / data centre.
. Plumbing work - inclusive of supply and waste piping, coring of floor slabs for new wet pantry and toilets. Installation of toilets sanitary ware, sink, etc.
. Carpentry work - all design and built items relating to furniture inclusive of decorative items such as stainless steel, mirrors, glass, etc.
. Office furniture - complete range of office furniture, system furniture, open plan partition, desks, cabinets, chairs, conference table, reception counter, etc.
. Company signage - in 3D acrylic, stainless steel, aluminium box-up, vinyl stickers, etc.
. Provision of telephone and video conferencing equipments, projectors, etc.

3) Obtain from the landlord / management office / your property agent a copy of the floor plan. Try to get hold of the M&E drawings too, this shows the aircon, lighting and fire protection system. Pass a copy of this to your interior designers / contractors.

4) Prepare a list of your requirements before meeting up with your interior designers / renovation contractors. List down for example, your head counts, rooms required, what you expect for the finishing / furniture.

5) Ask these informations from your landlord / management office prior to meeting up with your interior designers / contractors:-
. Is electrical distribution board provided?
. What is the electrical supply rating provided?
. Is the telephone main cabling from TAS riser to unit provided on site by landlord?
. Any floor trap for water discharge (for pantry, etc)?
. Hacking of floor screed allowed (to conceal cabling)?
. Installation of split unit aircon allowed?

6) Ask your interior decorators for layout plans (space planning), 3D drawings, quotations. Study the proposals and make revisions to suit your operation, purpose.

7) Always ask for detail drawings / production drawings to illustrate items proposed prior to the execution of work on site. This will avoid any mis-interpretation and changes while work is in-progress. Production drawings shall show the ceiling, lighting, cabling for power, voice and LAN points positions. Including shop drawings for custom-made furniture / fittings.

8) When taking over the premises from the landlord / property agents, please conduct due diligence to check for any defects from previous tenants, such as cracked / stained ceiling boards, cracked glass panels, window mullions with screw holes. All defects must be written down on the handover sheet and have the landlord rectified them before handing over to your interior designers / renovation contractors. It is advisable to take pictures of the premises and forward a copy to the landlord for their file. This will avoid any future dispute on your reinstatement once your lease expires. Quantity of lighting, air-conditioning units / diffusers, EXIT and emergency lighting shall be indicated in the handover record.
Our project team will also conduct a Pre-inspection check when the premises is hand over to us and we will list down any irregular items found and forwarded to our clients for their reference / followup action. Similarly once our fitting out is completed, we shall conduct a handover to our client.

We trust that the above information will be useful for your purpose and please do not hesitate to contact us for any further assistance required.
Tel: 63239213 Email: sales@singaporeinterior.com URL: http://www.singaporeinterior.com/


Information mentioned above is strictly for your reference only and not for sales as training material, neither allowed for use by interior designers / contractors for their check list. All authorisation from us must be written. All rights reserved.