What we handle on a fit-out
Most fit-outs we price come from builders and project managers with a full design package, but we also work directly with tenants and business owners on smaller refurbishments where the drawings are thinner. Either way, the scope usually covers the same core items.
- Make-safe and strip-out of redundant cabling, fittings and old tenancy circuits
- Distribution board works, new sub-mains and tenancy metering where required
- Rough-in to partitions, ceilings and floor boxes before linings close up
- General power, dedicated circuits for kitchens, comms rooms and equipment
- Commercial lighting and lighting control, including sensors and DALI where specified
- Emergency and exit lighting to suit the new layout
- Coordination with data cabling, security and mechanical contractors
- Fit-off, verification testing and handover documentation
How we sequence the electrical on site
Timing matters more than anything else on a fit-out. We walk the site early with the builder or project manager to confirm set-out, check existing board capacity and flag anything on the drawings that won’t work in the space. Picking up a clash before the framing goes up costs nothing. Picking it up after the plasterers have been through costs everyone time.
From there the work follows the usual order. Strip-out and make-safe first, then first fix in the walls once the studs are up, then ceiling rough-in before the grid and tiles go in. We leave clear draw wires and labelled tails for other trades, and we keep our rough-in inspection photos so there is a record of what sits behind the linings. Fit-off happens once paint is done and ceilings are closed, followed by testing, labelling and commissioning of lighting controls.
If the program changes, and it usually does, we want to know as early as possible. We would rather move labour around than have a crew sitting idle waiting on a wall that isn’t framed yet.
Working in occupied buildings
A lot of commercial fit-outs happen inside buildings that are still trading. That might be a single floor of an office tower, a tenancy in a shopping centre or a clinic that needs to keep seeing patients next door. In those cases we plan around the building, not the other way around.
That means booking shutdowns with building management well ahead, doing noisy or disruptive work outside trading hours, isolating only what we have to and making sure neighbouring tenancies aren’t affected. Where a shutdown is needed to connect a new sub-main or modify a main switchboard, we schedule it after hours or on a weekend and have everything prepared so the outage is as short as possible.
Safety and site documentation
Builders need their subcontractors to fit into the site safety system, and we do. Before we start, we provide a SWMS for the high risk construction work involved, along with licences, insurances and any site-specific inductions required. Where the builder runs ITPs, we complete our hold points and sign-offs at rough-in and fit-off so the quality records line up with the rest of the project.
Our current licence and insurance details are listed on our licences and insurance page, and we can send certificates of currency with the quote.
Testing, certification and handover
All work is carried out to AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules, with cables sized and selected to AS/NZS 3008 where new circuits and sub-mains are involved. Before handover we carry out verification testing, including insulation resistance, earth continuity, polarity, correct circuit connections and RCD operation, and record the results.
At practical completion you get the paperwork the builder, certifier and building owner will ask for:
- Certificate of test and compliance for the electrical installation
- Test results for circuits and RCDs
- Marked-up as-built drawings showing final circuit and board layouts
- Updated distribution board schedules and labelling
- Emergency lighting commissioning results and logbook entries where relevant
- Product data and warranty information for installed equipment
We don’t treat the paperwork as an afterthought. A clean handover pack saves the facility manager a lot of guesswork the first time something needs to be changed or fault-found. Our commercial fit-out electrical checklist covers what to have ready before work starts.
What affects the cost of fit-out electrical
Every fit-out is different, so we price each one from the drawings and a site visit. The main things that drive cost are the size and complexity of the lighting design, the number of circuits and outlets, whether the existing distribution board has capacity or needs upgrading, the amount of after-hours work required, ceiling heights and access, and how much of the existing installation can be reused.
We give upfront written quotes with inclusions and exclusions spelled out, so there are fewer surprises at the variation stage. If the design is still developing, we can price on a preliminary set and firm it up once drawings are issued for construction.
Who we work with
We take on fit-out electrical for builders and construction companies, project managers, tenants and business owners. Typical projects include offices, retail tenancies, cafés and restaurants, medical and allied health clinics, gyms and showrooms. Monty Electrical is owner-led, so Stefan is on site, runs the job and is the person you talk to about programming, variations and handover. We work across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern NSW from our base in Mudgeeraba.