Planning a shop, cafe or office fit-out? These are the costs that were never in the quote, and how to price them in.
Most commercial fit-out budgets are not blown by the finishes; they are blown by things nobody priced: building defects, M&E, power, approvals, building rules, late decisions and the cost of leaving. ClickBina's office fit-out guide puts M&E at 30–40% of an office budget and names underestimating it as the most common reason budgets blow out. Price the approvals, the landlord's rules and the reinstatement before you sign, keep defects out of your fit-out quote, and freeze equipment early. A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.
A home renovation budget usually goes wrong in the finishes. A commercial one goes wrong earlier, in items that were never in the quote: a leak the landlord should have fixed, an aircon system that has to be extended, a power supply that is too small, approvals, night-work rules and a deposit that is not returned. The twelve surprises below apply to shops, F&B outlets and offices, and each comes with the fix.
The figures quoted come from ClickBina's published guides, indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges. They are a planning aid, not a quote for your unit.
The cheapest time to solve a fit-out problem is before the tenancy agreement is signed. ClickBina's commercial fit-out process guide lists what to check first: power supply, water and drainage, the roof or floor above, toilets, the shutter and any leaks, plus the approved use of the unit. Agree landlord works in writing and negotiate a rent-reduced period for the fit-out.
ClickBina's ground-floor shoplot guide splits a shoplot budget into four layers: building defects, base works, approvals and fit-out. Roof or upper-floor leaks, cracked walls and failed drains are normally the owner's or landlord's, agreed before the lease. A single lump sum that mixes a leak repair with shop joinery is impossible to compare.
The office fit-out guide is direct: air-conditioning reconfiguration, electrical and data cabling, lighting and fire-protection works typically take 30–40% of the total, and underestimating M&E is the most common reason an office budget blows out, especially when the base-build aircon has to be extended to a new layout. The same guide calls designing to the existing M&E, rather than relocating it, the biggest single saving.
A shoplot that was a small office may have far less electrical capacity than a cafe, a salon or a laundromat needs. Check the supply size before committing to heavy equipment, and budget for new circuits, a distribution board and aircon points. Electrical and plumbing work is quoted after a site look, because it depends on what is already there.
Council building or renovation approval, Bomba fire-safety approval, the business premise permit and a signboard permit are the usual list for a commercial renovation. ClickBina's commercial renovation permit guide lists authority submission at RM8,000 – RM25,000, and the office guide puts authority submission and fees at 3–8% of an office budget. Start them first: late design is the most common reason a launch date slips.
Commercial buildings impose approved-contractor lists, work-hour windows, service-lift booking, hoarding, a renovation deposit and reinstatement obligations. In a mall, noisy works usually happen overnight, which adds labour. ClickBina's mall tenant fit-out guide lists how deposits are lost: scuffed corridors, debris, working outside permitted hours, fixing into the mall's frame without approval, and setting off fire detectors with dust. Ask for the deduction list in writing.
Landlords often hand over office space as a basic shell with ceiling, base aircon and lighting, sometimes called CAT A. A bare shell needs the base services built first, and a unit reinstated by the last tenant may be somewhere in between. Knowing which one you are getting changes the budget materially.
For a food outlet, the kitchen layout, exhaust, grease trap and power loads are the expensive, slow items. Find out at survey where kitchen exhaust can discharge and whether a grease trap can be installed. A problem found at survey costs a drawing revision; the same problem found on site costs weeks and variation orders.
The electrical and plumbing design cannot be finished until you know what is being installed. Decide the equipment early, write the brief down and keep it stable, because every change after drawings are submitted can mean a new submission.
Signage and custom lighting are the classic late orders on mall jobs. Order them on approval, not after, and prefabricate joinery off site so that night work is assembly rather than cutting.
Compare quotes on the same drawings, finishes and exclusions. Approvals, professional fees, landlord deposits, equipment and signage are the common gaps, and a quotation that does not say which hours the contractor will work is not comparable with one that does.
What you build now, you may pay to remove later. Read the reinstatement clause before you design: heavy joinery fixed into the slab, chasing into walls or changing the ceiling grid all become make-good work at the end of the lease. Freestanding or lightly fixed joinery is cheaper to leave with.
| Item | Indicative price | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| Authority submission (drawings and fees) | RM8,000 – RM25,000 | Commercial fit-out process guide |
| Office fit-out, basic / functional | RM80 – RM130 per sq ft | Office fit-out cost guide |
| Office fit-out, mid-range corporate | RM140 – RM200 per sq ft | Office fit-out cost guide |
| Standard shop fit-out | RM80 – RM150 per sq ft | Ground-floor shoplot guide |
| Under-sink / stainless-steel grease trap, supply and install | RM500 – RM2,000 | Ground-floor shoplot guide |
| Standard office reinstatement at lease end | RM6 – RM12 per sq ft | Commercial fit-out process guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteSet a budget line for every row that applies to you, not only the per-sq-ft fit-out rate. The reinstatement line is there on purpose: it is a cost of the lease, even though it is paid years later.
| Stage | Surprises that appear here | What to do at this stage |
|---|---|---|
| Before the lease | 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 | Inspect, agree landlord works, read the reinstatement clause |
| Survey and brief | 3, 7, 9 | Check what is handed over; fix equipment and headcount |
| Design and approvals | 5, 6, 10 | Submit early; get the building rules and deduction list |
| Quotation | 11 | Same drawings, same exclusions, working hours stated |
| On site and handover | 6, 10 | Protect common areas; clear the defects list |
The process guide puts commercial approval lead time at about 2–6 weeks and fit-out on site at 4–10 weeks by sector, so a surprise found late costs time as well as money.
ClickBina handles commercial renovation and fit-out works and coordinates the trades, including the specialists for M&E and fire protection. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote:
We reply within the hour, the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges, and a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.
Methodology: every RM figure, percentage and duration is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named above (indicative 2026, Klang Valley).
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour.
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