Contingency for a £127,800 renovation of a 2,580 sq ft Edinburgh retail unit

[openTheWall]

The main constraint is that I cannot judge the reserve properly until the approval route and service access are clearer. The project is a 2,580 sq ft Edinburgh retail unit, although the existing description also refers to two bedrooms, so I need to establish whether any change of use or layout approval is involved.

My working renovation figure is £127,800 for kitchens and bathrooms, finishes, electrical testing and some energy-efficiency work, without an extension. Replacing finishes is easy to price; opening a floor and discovering inaccessible plumbing is not. What should I ask the surveyor and contractors about permit timing, concealed services and access, and what contingency would be sensible before those points are resolved?

 

[FreyaLinden]

Before choosing a percentage, clarify whether this remains retail space or involves creating or altering a two-bedroom residential layout. That could change the approvals, services and contractor scope substantially.

For an early budget with walls and floors still closed, I would tentatively hold 15–20%, then reduce it only when the electrical, plumbing and moisture risks have been investigated.

 

[freya.cedar]

Ask each contractor to list exclusions beside the price rather than burying them in qualifications. Specifically: opening and making good, waste removal, access equipment, temporary services, testing, design responsibility and work outside normal hours. Also confirm whether the £127,800 and their quotes are being compared on the same VAT basis. A low quote with several omissions will not protect the budget.

 

[mina.winter]

I would not let “no extension” become shorthand for “no structural work.” Existing floors, partitions or openings may still need attention once finishes come off. Is there any record of earlier alterations, and has someone inspected for movement, damp staining or soft areas rather than doing only a visual finishes survey?

 

[bakesAndView]

Plumbing access could control the programme. Find out where the existing water, waste and isolation points are, whether bathrooms and kitchen can use those routes, and what must be opened to reach them. If access depends on lifting finished floors or disturbing ceilings after decoration, the sequence is already wrong.

 

[weighTheGarden]

I disagree slightly with settling on 15–20% now. A percentage can create false comfort when the electrical scope is only described as “checks.” Separate a defined allowance for investigation and opening-up, then keep contingency for discoveries that remain genuinely unknown. Otherwise predictable remedial work consumes the contingency before construction is properly under way.

 

[openTheWall]

The distinction between investigation costs and contingency is helpful. I also need to resolve the “2 bed” description against the current retail use before treating this as a fit-out budget. I’m going to ask for an exclusions schedule and a room-by-room scope, with electrical remedial work separated from testing rather than left as one line.

 

[freya.cedar]

That should make the bids easier to compare. Add a short pre-start sequence: clarify intended use and any consent timing, complete targeted surveys, agree what can be opened, update drawings and service routes, then price the same scope. Ordering kitchens, sanitaryware or flooring before those steps may save no time if dimensions or routes change.

 

[freya.cedar]

One more contractor question: which materials or components have the longest lead times, and when must selections be frozen to protect the programme? Ask what substitutions are permitted as well. The answer should be tied to an actual work sequence, not just a general promise to order early.

 

[watchTheSlate]

Moisture deserves its own line of enquiry in Edinburgh rather than being bundled into decoration. Ask where readings will be taken, whether any suspected source can be distinguished from old staining, and who owns drying time and reinstatement if an area is opened. Painting too early can turn a hidden-condition problem into rework.

 

[DirectCairn]

I’d finish by putting the unknowns into a simple register: issue, investigation, person responsible, decision date, cost allowance and programme effect. Electrical condition, plumbing routes, moisture, possible structural alterations, approvals and long-lead materials would each get a row. That gives you a reason to release contingency gradually instead of treating it as money available for finish upgrades.