Commercial Fit-out Builders in Sydney
We build fit-outs for cafés, restaurants, shops, salons, clinics, gyms and offices across Sydney. Bring your own drawings, or have our architects design the space first, and we build it to the approved plans.
OIC Architects builds commercial fit-outs across Sydney: the strip-out, walls and ceilings, plumbing, electrical, air-conditioning and exhaust work by licensed trades, joinery and counters, shopfronts, floors and finishes, and the make good when a lease ends. We price from drawings with an itemised quote, plan the build around your opening date and hand over with the trade certificates your certifier needs. We build to our own architects' drawings or to drawings you bring, and we work in English, Mandarin and German.
What we build
Fit-outs for small and growing businesses, from a single shop to a multi-site rollout.
Cafés and restaurantsKitchens, exhaust, grease traps, counters and dining rooms, built to the food premises standard and in the order the inspections need.
Shops, salons, clinics and gymsShopfronts, display joinery, basins and treatment rooms, gym floors and acoustic work, including night work inside shopping centres.
OfficesPartitions, ceilings, power and data, kitchenettes and meeting rooms, often built after hours in buildings that stay occupied.
Make good and strip-outReturning a tenancy to what the lease requires when you leave, or stripping out an old fit-out before a new one goes in.What a fit-out build includes
Every fit-out is different, but the work usually comes from this list. Your quote sets out which parts your job needs.
Sound familiar?
What owners tell us when they first call about a build, and how we approach each.
"We have drawings and need a builder to price them."
Send them through. We check they're complete enough to price properly and list what's missing, which is most often the services, the finishes or the landlord's requirements. Gaps found before the quote cost far less than variations found on site.
"We haven't got a designer yet."
Our architects design fit-outs and manage the approvals. You can have us design and build it, or take our drawings to other builders and compare their quotes with ours.
"The landlord wants us open by a set date."
Rent-free periods usually end on a fixed day. We set the program back from your opening date and tell you early if the approvals or long-lead items, such as shopfront glass, joinery or kitchen equipment, put it at risk.
"The shopping centre has sent us its fit-out guide."
Centres set rules for the builder as well as the design: inductions, insurance certificates, hoardings, noisy work outside trading hours and a final inspection by the centre. We plan the build around them.
"Our lease is ending and the landlord wants the shop made good."
Start with what the lease actually says, then the condition report from when you moved in. We price the make good against both, so you don't restore more than you have to.
How a fit-out build works
A free call, a quote you can compare line by line, then a written contract and a program set around your opening date.
Free 15-minute call
Your business, the site, your drawings if you have them, the opening date and the budget.
Site visit and drawings review
We measure up and check what the tenancy already has: power and switchboard, plumbing, exhaust, grease trap, fire services and access. Then we list what the drawings leave open.
Itemised quote
A line-by-line price with inclusions, exclusions and any provisional sums shown with their amounts, so you can compare it with other quotes.
Contract and program
A written building contract, a program to your opening date, and progress payments tied to stages of the work.
Approvals in place
Building starts once the CDC or DA, the landlord's or centre's approval and the construction certificate, where one is needed, are in hand.
The build
Strip-out, services, walls and ceilings, joinery, finishes and fit-off, with a weekly update and photos.
Handover and defects period
A final walk-through with you, the trade certificates for your certifier, and a defects period after you open.
Build only, or design and build with us
You can use our construction team on its own, or with our architects. Both start with the same free call.
| Build only, to your drawings | Design and build with OIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who designs | Your designer or architect | Our architects, for a fixed fee per stage |
| Approvals | Usually arranged by your designer | Prepared and managed by our architects |
| The price | An itemised quote on your drawings | An itemised quote on our drawings, which you can also take to other builders |
| Who you deal with | Your designer for the design, us for the build | One team for the design, the approvals and the build |
| Best for | Owners with approved drawings or a designer they already work with | New sites, a change of use, or owners who want one team to answer to |
Either way, you sign one building contract with us for the construction.
Built by a team that also designs
Most delays on a fit-out are found on site: an exhaust route that doesn't work, a grease trap with nowhere to go, a fire exit the layout blocked. Our builders work with architects who check these things on paper first, so they're in the quote before work starts.
What a fit-out build costs in Sydney
The site decides more of the cost than the finishes. These indicative 2026 figures show the usual range.
| Item | Indicative range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Café or restaurant build | $2,800 to $4,500 per m², typically about $3,700 (incl. GST) | Kitchen, exhaust and services drive it |
| Shop or salon build | $1,000 to $2,750 per m², typically about $2,000 (incl. GST) | Shopfront, joinery, display, lighting |
| Office build | $1,500 to $2,500 per m², typically about $2,000 (incl. GST) | Partitions, ceilings, power and data |
| Services the site lacks | For example, about $9,500 for a grease trap and plumbing, or $11,000 for three-phase power (ex GST) | The usual surprise |
| Make good when you leave | $80 to $350 per m², typically about $150 (incl. GST) | Whatever your lease says you must restore |
Industry figures. Your quote depends on the site and the drawings.
Questions about building a fit-out
Do you design as well as build?
Yes, and you can use either on its own. Our architects design fit-outs and manage the approvals (fit-out design), and our construction team builds them. If you already have drawings, we price and build those.
Can you build from my own drawings?
Yes. We check them first for anything a builder needs that drawings often leave out: services, finishes, the landlord's or centre's requirements and the approval conditions. You get the list with the quote, so nothing is left to argue about on site.
Do commercial fit-out builders need a licence in NSW?
NSW has no licence for commercial building work itself. The trades do: electricians, plumbers, gasfitters and air-conditioning and refrigeration technicians each need their own licence, whatever the building. Ask any builder which licensed trades they use and for current certificates of insurance. Our guide on how to choose a fit-out builder lists the checks.
Is the quote a fixed price?
When the drawings are complete, we quote a fixed price for the work they show. Anything that can't be settled yet, such as a kitchen equipment allowance, is listed as a provisional sum with its amount, so you can see what may move. See how to compare fit-out quotes.
How long does a fit-out build take?
It depends on the size, the services and how much of the old fit-out can stay. A small café, shop or office usually takes 5 to 6 weeks to build, and longer when the site or the scope is complex. The approvals come first: a CDC can take as little as 10 to 20 days, and councils aim to decide DAs within an average of 90 days. See the commercial fit-out process, step by step and how long until we can open.
Can you work after hours, or while we keep trading?
Shopping centres and office buildings often require noisy work outside trading hours, and we plan the program around it. If you're trading during a refit, we stage the work so part of the space stays open where the approvals and safety allow.
Who appoints the certifier?
You do. In NSW the owner appoints the principal certifier, and a builder can't appoint one for you. We work with the certifier you choose and give them the trade certificates they need for the occupation certificate.
Guides for business owners
Tell us what you are planning. In a free 15-minute call we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, what the approval route looks like and what the sensible next step is.
