They don’t. Each one refers to a different stage of a commercial space’s life, and knowing which applies to you can save you a fair bit of confusion when you’re getting quotes or talking to your landlord.
Here’s the short version. A fitout is building a space out from nothing. A refurbishment is updating a space that’s already built out. A makegood is stripping a space back to how it was before you moved in. All three can involve similar trades, carpentry, plastering, painting, electrical work, but the goal of each is completely different.
Below, we’ll break down what each term actually means, when you’d need one over the other, and how to tell which situation you’re in.
A fitout is the process of building out a bare or existing commercial space to suit how a business wants to operate in it. Think of a brand new office floor with nothing but concrete, structural columns, and services stubbed in. A fitout adds the walls, partitions, joinery, flooring, lighting layout, and finishes that turn that shell into a working office, shop, or medical clinic.
Fitouts are typically needed when:
A fitout is the biggest of the three jobs in scope, because you’re essentially creating the working environment from the ground up. It usually involves design input early on, followed by construction, and it needs to meet building codes, approvals, and certifications along the way.
A refurbishment, or refurb, is different. Instead of building a space from scratch, you’re updating or reworking a space that already has a fitout in place. Maybe the layout still works but the finishes are tired. Maybe your business has grown and you need to reconfigure meeting rooms or add more desks. Maybe you’ve taken over a lease from a previous tenant and want to make the space feel like your own without a full rebuild.
Refurbishments are typically needed when:
A refurb can range from a fairly light touch, new paint, flooring, and fixtures, through to a more substantial reconfiguration involving new partitions or services. The key difference from a fitout is that you’re working with an existing base rather than starting from an empty shell.
A makegood is the opposite process to a fitout. It’s what happens at the end of a commercial lease, when a tenant is required to restore the space back to its original condition before handing back the keys. This is a clause found in most commercial lease agreements, and it’s often the part tenants overlook until the lease end date is suddenly close.
Depending on the lease, a makegood might mean returning the space to a blank, open plan layout, similar to how it looked before any fitout was installed. It typically involves removing walls, partitions, and joinery, patching and repainting, floor grinding or replacing carpet, decommissioning services like lighting and air conditioning, and a final clean before inspection.
Makegoods are required when:
Unlike a fitout or refurb, a makegood isn’t about building something better. It’s about meeting a contractual obligation, so getting the scope right against your actual lease terms matters more here than in either of the other two jobs.
| Fitout | Refurbishment | Makegood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Bare shell or empty space | Existing fitout | Existing fitout |
| Goal | Build a new working space | Update or improve existing space | Restore space to original condition |
| Typical trigger | New lease, new business, new space | Ageing fitout, growth, rebrand | Lease ending |
| Scope | Design and construction from scratch | Partial to substantial rework | Strip out, repair, repaint, clean |
| Who usually drives it | Tenant, business owner | Tenant, business owner | Lease agreement, landlord requirements |
A good rule of thumb is to think about the direction you’re heading. If you’re moving into a space and shaping it around your business, that’s a fitout. If you’re already in a space and want to improve or change it, that’s a refurb. If you’re moving out and need to hand it back in the state you found it, that’s a makegood.
It’s also worth knowing that these three aren’t always separate projects for separate businesses. A single commercial space might go through all three across its life: a fitout when a new tenant moves in, one or more refurbs while that tenant occupies it, and a makegood when the lease finally ends and it’s handed back for the next tenant to fit out all over again.
If you’re not sure which situation applies to you, the safest place to start is your lease agreement and a proper assessment of the space itself. From there, it’s much easier to scope the right work, get an accurate quote, and avoid doing more, or less, than what’s actually required.
Trade Project Services works across all three, office fitouts and refurbishments, and end of lease makegoods, for businesses across Brisbane. If you’d like a hand working out which one applies to your situation, get in touch for a free quote.
