For warehouse operators and owners
Best Warehouse Fit-Out Contractors UK: How to Choose
Sviatoslav JerdetchiiCEO & Founder of Craftex. Updated , 5 min read
The short answer
The best warehouse fit-out contractor depends on what the building needs. For racking alone, go to a storage specialist; for offices, welfare and services inside a working warehouse, hire one contractor that owns the whole job.
- Start from the problem: racking, a new building, or a fit-out of an existing one.
- Ask how the contractor kept a live warehouse running on its last job.
- Check who designs, tests and signs off power, heating, lighting and drainage.
- Get one price and one programme for the whole scope, with exclusions listed.
Most warehouse fit-outs go wrong in the gaps. The racking firm installs the racks. Someone else does the lighting. A third firm builds the office. Nobody owns the programme or the fire strategy.
This guide helps you decide what kind of contractor you need, then how to judge them. We are a design and build contractor working in London and across the UK.
We also say where another type of firm will suit you better. Want a second pair of eyes on the building? Book a site visit and we'll walk it with your operations manager.
Start from the problem, not the warehouse fit-out contractor
The right contractor depends on what the building needs. Find your row first.
| What the warehouse needs | Usually the best fit |
|---|---|
| New racking, shelving or a mezzanine only | Storage-system specialist |
| A brand-new distribution building | Industrial or logistics construction contractor |
| Offices, welfare, storage rooms and services inside an existing warehouse | Warehouse fit-out contractor, ideally design and build |
| Turning a warehouse into offices, studios or another use | Contractor with conversion and planning experience |
| Repairs, a floor finish or redecoration | Local industrial builder or specialist trade |
If your answer spans more than one row, and it usually does, you need one contractor to own the whole job.
Six checks for any warehouse fit-out contractor
These are the questions that separate a contractor who has done this from one who is learning on your building.
1. Have they worked in a live warehouse?
Forklifts, pickers, deliveries and dispatch don't stop for a fit-out. Ask how the contractor fenced off its works, kept routes open and phased noisy jobs on its last live site.
Our Banbury project was built in four weeks in a busy, working warehouse.
2. Can they handle the services?
Warehouses often need a full engineering upgrade. That means new power, heating that works in a tall space, lighting for each work zone, and water and drainage where there is none. Ask who designs the services, who tests them and who signs them off.
3. Racking, mezzanines and fire
Mezzanines and racking interact with Building Regulations, escape routes, sprinklers and floor loading. A mezzanine usually needs Building Regulations approval. A good contractor coordinates the specialist's design with the building. Read our guide to warehouse mezzanine floor regulations before you buy one.
4. The building's limits
Older warehouses and railway arches come with constraints. Floors may be weak. There may be no drainage outfall. Some structures can't take a single fixing.
Ask the contractor what it found on its last difficult building, and how it designed around it.
5. People spaces as well as storage
Changing rooms, kitchens, toilets and offices are often the hardest part to fit into a working warehouse. They are also the part staff notice most. Ask to see finished welfare areas, not just racking.
6. One price, one programme, one team
Ask for the whole scope priced together, with exclusions listed. Ask for one named project lead. Splitting the job between four suppliers saves nothing if your operations manager ends up coordinating them.
How the main types of warehouse contractor compare
Typical patterns, not judgements on any one firm.
| Type of firm | Usually strong at | Ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Racking and storage specialist | Racking, shelving, mezzanine supply | Services, welfare, building works |
| Industrial construction contractor | New buildings and big sheds | Small fit-outs in a live building |
| Office fit-out firm | Offices and office services | Racking, floors, industrial services |
| Local industrial builder | Small repairs and own trades | Design, testing and sign-off |
| Craftex (design and build) | Offices, welfare, services and storage in one job | Whether your project is in our range |
Where Craftex is not the right fit
- Racking or shelving on its own. Buy directly from a storage-system specialist. There is no reason to pay a contractor to manage it.
- Racking inspections and repairs. These are specialist services. Use an inspector qualified for the job.
- Very small works. We take on projects from £100,000. A local industrial builder is better value for one partition or a floor repaint.
Warehouse projects we have delivered
Three buildings, three different problems.
Banbury: new space without stopping the warehouse
At Banbury Warehouse in Oxfordshire we added 148 sq m of new space in four weeks, worth £380K. We built a staff changing room with lockers, a bench and a sink. We added a storage room with double doors, pallet racking and metal safety barriers. The existing floor was made good to a polished finish.
The client hired us after we finished their office in Kensington.
Hackney: a full engineering overhaul
The Hackney warehouse is 120 m² with 6 m ceilings. In four weeks we improved the electrical layout and installed electric heating for even warmth. We added lighting designed for each work zone. There was no natural wastewater outfall, so we installed a pumped system for a sink and an emergency safety shower. Every system was inspected and tested.
Drake's: nothing could be fixed to the arch
At the Drake's railway arch in London, nothing could be drilled into the structure. So we designed a fully self-supported internal build across 500 sq m in eight weeks, for £200K. It holds offices, a kitchen, a photo studio, a manufacturing zone, storage and a clear dispatch route.
We recently worked with Sviat and the Craftex team on a complete warehouse refurbishment, and the results have been outstanding. From the very beginning, their team was professional, organized, and attentive to every detail. The project was completed on time and within budget, without disrupting our day-to-day operations.
The team behind a warehouse fit-out
Earlier projects named here are from each person's career before Craftex.
- Joe Crawford, Operations Director. 37 years in construction, on projects from £100K to £135M.
- Martin Hickey, Preconstruction Director. More than 50 years in construction. He leads preconstruction and project management.
- Konstantin Jegorovs, Projects Director. 16 years in retail and commercial work.
- Rob Barton, Development Director. For owners deciding whether to refurbish, re-let or convert. He delivered more than 4,000 homes in his housebuilding career. See our warehouse conversion service.
Around 60% of our labour is in-house. We hold ISO and CHAS accreditation, with £10M public liability and £10M employers' liability cover.
Questions to ask before you sign
Not sure whether you need a fit-out or a deeper renovation? Read warehouse fit-out vs renovation and what a warehouse fit-out includes. Our warehouse fit-out and refurbishment service shows how we run it. If the building can't stop, book a site visit and we'll plan around it with you.
Six questions for any warehouse fit-out contractor
- Which live warehouse have you worked in, and how did you keep it running?
- Who designs, tests and signs off the electrical, heating and drainage work?
- How will you coordinate the racking or mezzanine specialist?
- What did you find on your last difficult building, and what did you change?
- What is excluded from your price?
- Who is our single project lead?
