It is usually the second question we hear, right after “can you do it?”: how long will our office fit-out take? It is a fair question: your lease has a start date and your team needs somewhere to sit.
We have been designing and building workplaces in Pune since 2010, and the honest answer is that it depends. But it depends on things you can understand and plan for. This guide walks through the stages of an office fit-out, what speeds a project up, what slows it down, and how to set a timeline you can actually trust.
The short answer
A light refresh of an existing office, such as new paint, lighting, some furniture and a reworked reception, can move in a matter of weeks. A full fit-out of a bare shell, with partitions, false ceilings, electrical and data cabling, HVAC, washrooms, pantry and loose furniture, is a project of months rather than weeks.
Where your office falls between those two ends comes down to the size of the space, how much is being built from scratch, how quickly decisions get made, and what approvals the building needs. After a site visit and a clear brief, we give you a stage-by-stage schedule rather than a single number pulled from the air.
The stages of an office fit-out
Most of the time on an office project is not spent on site. A good part of it goes into getting the plan right, because that is what keeps the site work fast and clean.
1. Brief and site survey
We visit the space, measure it, check the existing services and talk through how your team works. How many people today, how many in two years, how many meeting rooms, whether you need a server room, how much storage. A clear brief at this stage saves a lot of time later.
2. Space planning and concept design
We prepare layout options showing workstations, cabins, meeting rooms, collaboration areas and the pantry, along with a design direction for materials, colours and lighting. This is where you make the big decisions. The more people who need to sign off, the longer this stage usually takes.
3. Detailed drawings and BOQ
Once the layout is approved, we produce working drawings for civil work, ceilings, electrical, data, plumbing, HVAC and joinery, along with a detailed bill of quantities. This is the document that tells everyone on site exactly what gets built and where.
4. Approvals and building permissions
Many commercial buildings in Pune, especially in IT parks and managed towers in areas like Baner, Hinjewadi, Kharadi and Magarpatta, have their own fit-out guidelines. Some need drawings submitted for approval, a deposit, insurance documents and agreed working hours before any work starts. Fire and safety requirements may need their own sign-off. Starting this early is one of the simplest ways to protect your timeline.
5. Site execution
This is the part everyone pictures: civil work and partitions, false ceilings, electrical and data cabling, HVAC, flooring, painting, then joinery and furniture installation. Several trades work in a planned sequence, and a good site team overlaps them carefully so no one is waiting around.
6. Snagging, testing and handover
Before you move in, we walk the space with you, list anything that needs fixing, test the electrical, data and air-conditioning systems, and close out the snag list. A proper handover also includes as-built drawings and warranty details for your facilities team.
What makes a fit-out take longer
- Slow decisions. Waiting on layout or material approvals is the most common cause of delay we see. One clear decision-maker on your side makes a big difference.
- Changes after work starts. Moving a cabin wall after the ceiling grid is up means undoing finished work. Changes are sometimes necessary, but they always cost time.
- Imported or custom items. Special furniture, imported tiles, acoustic panels or particular light fittings can have long lead times. These need to be ordered early, not when the site is ready for them.
- Building restrictions. Many towers allow noisy work only at night or on weekends, limit goods-lift timings, or need permits for each stage. These are normal, but they must be planned for.
- Monsoon season. Pune’s monsoon can slow deliveries, affect painting and polishing work, and reveal leakages in older buildings that need fixing first.
- Working in an occupied office. Refurbishing while your team keeps working means phasing the project zone by zone, which takes longer than a clear site.
How to keep your project on schedule
- Start earlier than you think. Bring a designer in before you sign the lease if you can. We can tell you whether the space suits your headcount and flag anything that will take extra time.
- Freeze the design before site work begins. Finalise layouts, materials and furniture selections on paper, where changes are cheap and quick.
- Get the building’s fit-out manual on day one. Knowing the rules up front avoids surprises halfway through.
- Order long-lead items first. Workstations, chairs and special finishes should be locked in as soon as drawings are approved.
- Ask for a stage-wise schedule. A schedule broken into stages, with clear responsibilities, lets you see early if something is slipping.
- Consider a single turnkey team. When one team handles design and execution, there is less back-and-forth between consultants and contractors, and fewer gaps for delays to hide in.
Why the planning stage is worth it
In our experience, the projects that finish on time are the ones where the drawings were complete, the materials were selected and the building approvals were in hand before the first worker arrived. A few extra days of planning often save weeks on site.
If you are planning a new office or refreshing an existing one, you can see how we approach workplaces on our office interiors in Pune page. We also design restaurants and cafés and homes.
Frequently asked questions
Can we keep working while the office is being fitted out?
Often, yes. We can phase the work so one zone is completed at a time, and schedule noisy or dusty work for evenings and weekends. It takes longer overall than working on an empty floor, but it keeps your business running.
Does the building’s approval process add time?
It can. Many managed buildings in Pune need drawings reviewed before work starts and have fixed working hours. We factor these into the schedule from the beginning so they do not become a surprise.
When should we contact an interior designer?
Ideally before you finalise the space. An early conversation helps you check whether the floor plate fits your team, and gives enough time for design, approvals and ordering.
Will we get a fixed timeline?
After the site visit and once the brief is clear, we share a stage-wise schedule with milestones, so you know what happens when and what we need from you at each step.
Planning an office move or upgrade in Pune? Get in touch with our Baner studio to start your project, and we will help you build a timeline you can rely on.
