How to choose and vet a fit-out builder in Sydney

To choose a fit-out builder in Sydney, shortlist two or three who have done work like yours in buildings like yours, then check their licences, insurance and references, and meet the person who would actually run your job. Compare quotes only once they price the same scope, program and exclusions.

Laidre has been building in Sydney since 2010, from office fit-outs on Bligh Street and Bond Street and building upgrades at 25 Martin Place, to venues in Woolwich, Alexandria and Brookvale, and aged care and retirement living work from Narrabri to Coffs Harbour. Here is what we would check if we were the client.

Start with work like yours

A good office builder isn't automatically a good restaurant builder, and a builder used to empty floors may struggle in a tower that stays open. Look for:

• The same type of space. Office, restaurant, bar, gym, shop, heritage building or aged care home.
• The same kind of building. A CBD tower with a fit-out guide and loading dock bookings, a shopping centre, a heritage-listed pub or a village where residents live.
• A similar size. A builder who mostly does $50,000 jobs and one who mostly does $5 million jobs work very differently.

Ask to see finished projects, not just photos on a website. Our projects page lists jobs by sector, and our commercial fit-outs in Sydney guide explains how different tenancies change the job.

Check licences, insurance and company details

These checks take minutes and should be done before you sign anything.

• Company details. Check the builder's ABN and business name on ABN Lookup.
• Licences. NSW does not currently require a builder's licence for general commercial building work, as the NSW Small Business Commissioner notes. Specialist work, such as electrical, plumbing, drainage, gasfitting and air conditioning, must still be done by licensed contractors. If a builder says they hold a licence, check it on the NSW Government licence register. Laidre holds NSW company builder's licence 454197C.
• Insurance. Ask for current certificates of currency for public liability, contract works and workers compensation. Your landlord or building manager will usually set minimum amounts.
• Systems. Certifications such as ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (health and safety) show the builder runs audited management systems. Laidre holds all three through Citation Certification.

Meet the person who will run your job

The people in the pitch meeting aren't always the people on site. Ask to meet the project manager or site manager who would run your job, and ask:

• Who is my day-to-day contact, and who is on site every day?
• Do you use your own team, subcontractors, or both? Which trades?
• How will you handle the building's rules, work hours and after-hours work?
• How often will I get updates, and what will they include?
• How are surprises and variations priced and approved before the work is done?
• What happens after handover if something isn't right?

At Laidre, Dylan, Matt or Neil walk the site with you first. Then one of our project managers runs the job, with a site manager on the ground, and you get a weekly report with photos. You deal with the same people from the first site walk to the last defect.

Monday Club commercial gym — heritage fit-out, Balmain

Ask how they work in a building that stays open

Most Sydney fit-outs happen inside a building that keeps running: an office tower, a shopping centre, a venue or a home. Ask for a specific example of how the builder staged a job, where they put the noisy work, and how they kept the people next door informed.

For example, on RP Infrastructure's office fit-out at 20 Bond Street, the team kept working in their existing office areas, so painting, electrical work and the lobby carpet in those areas were done on weekends or before 8am. At RFBI Hawkins Masonic Village we refurbish resident bathrooms two at a time and hand each pair back before the next starts. Our guide to fit-outs in occupied buildings covers what to look for.

Check references properly

A reference list is only useful if you call it. Ask for two or three recent clients with jobs like yours, and ask them:

• Did the job finish when it was meant to? If not, why, and how was it handled?
• How were variations priced and agreed?
• How did the builder treat the building, its manager and the tenants or residents?
• Were defects fixed quickly after handover?
• Would you hire them again?

The last question matters most. Repeat work is the best sign there is, because clients who own a lot of buildings don't keep using a builder who lets them down. We've worked with Dexus across multiple assets over a number of years, and RFBI and Aveo keep bringing us back across their villages, from Sydney to regional NSW.

If you can, also ask a building or centre manager who has had the builder in their building. They see how a builder works when the client isn't watching.

Cucinetta restaurant — Laidre fit-out, Woolwich

Compare quotes on the same scope

Two or three quotes are usually enough, as long as they price the same thing. Line them up item by item:

• the scope, drawings and finishes each builder priced
• exclusions and provisional sums or allowances
• the program and the building's work hours
• after-hours work, hoarding, protection and cleaning
• how variations are valued
• the payment schedule and retention

A low price with long exclusions often ends up the most expensive. Our Sydney fit-out cost guide explains what drives the number, and our guide to fit-out payment terms in NSW covers deposits, progress claims and the Security of Payment Act.

Decide how you want to deliver it

If you already have a designer and drawings, you are looking for a builder to price and build them. If you would rather one team handle design, budget and build, that is design and construct, and you should vet the builder's design partners too. At Bucketty's Brewing Co. in Brookvale, we designed and constructed the venue with North + North and Kiwi Creator.

Talk to us before you shortlist

Send us the address, the floor area and your timing, and talk to Dylan, Matt or Neil. We'll walk the site with you, introduce the people who would run it, and give you clients to call. You can also read about Laidre and see our commercial and hospitality work.