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SME & startup

Small office renovation Singapore

Tactical refits for 100–1,500 sqft offices — suburban Tier-B locations, SME and startup budgets, 4–6 week typical programme. BCA-registered contractors who work to small-floor budgets without cutting compliance corners.

Two-minute brief, up to three BCA-registered contractors, no obligation. PDPA (2012) consent on submit.

What counts as a small office in Singapore

For renovation purposes, “small office” covers floors roughly 100–1,500 sqft — typically suburban Tier-B buildings (Bukit Merah, Toa Payoh, Tai Seng, Paya Lebar) or strata-titled offices in older CBD blocks. Most are 5–25 person teams: startups, professional-services SMEs, regional satellite offices.

Typical scope is a tactical refit rather than a full strip-out: paint, carpet tile or vinyl, light partitioning for one or two meeting rooms, M&E top-up (data points, lighting, AC), pantry refresh and FF&E. Programme runs 4–6 weeks on site for most projects.

Cost reference: S$60–100/sqft Source: Moom 2024 SG Office Fit-out Cost Benchmarks for a basic refit. Heavier scopes with new glazed partitions and bespoke joinery push into S$100–180/sqft Source: JLL Asia Fit-Out Cost Guide . The cost-per-sqft guide has the full breakdown.

Small-office scope we tackle

01

Paint & flooring refresh

Full repaint, new carpet tile or vinyl plank. The single highest-impact, lowest-cost item on a small-floor budget.

02

One or two meeting rooms

Glazed or plasterboard partition, door, basic AV. Most SMEs need exactly two rooms — a phone room and a 6-seat meeting room.

03

Lighting & data

LED replacement, additional data points and power for new workstation layout, structured cabling tidied up.

04

Pantry refresh

Cabinetry, sink, fridge cavity, hot-water tap. Pantry is the single most-used surface on a small floor — worth spending on.

05

FF&E

Workstations, task chairs, meeting-room furniture, sofa for reception. Loose-furniture procurement can be split out for cashflow.

06

Reception & signage

Front-counter joinery, brand wall, wayfinding, vinyl wall graphics. Brand expression in a tight budget.

Small office renovation cost reference

2026 Singapore market rates per sqft. Each band carries a source citation.

Basic refit
S$60–100/sqft Source: Moom 2024 SG Office Fit-out Cost Benchmarks

Light refresh — paint, carpet, light partitions. Tier-B office, suburban locations.

Standard fit-out
S$100–180/sqft Source: JLL Asia Fit-Out Cost Guide

Full fit-out with meeting rooms, M&E, finishes. Tier-A office.

Small floors typically sit at the upper end of each band — minimum-call-out fees, fewer economies of scale on materials. The cost-per-sqft guide has line items.

BCA licensing on small jobs

Even a 600-sqft tactical refit is general building work. The contractor must hold an active BCA General Builder Licence — GB1 or GB2. Many small-job specialists hold GB2, which is sufficient for the project values typical at this scale. Source: BCA Builder's Licence framework

If new partitions cross fire compartments or affect sprinkler heads, an SCDF Fire Safety Certificate submission may be required. Most pure-refresh jobs (paint + flooring + FF&E) without partitioning changes do not trigger SCDF. Source: SCDF Fire Safety Certification

SME owners can claim qualifying renovation expenditure under IRAS Section 14N — up to S$300,000/cap Source: IRAS — Renovation or Refurbishment works (S$300k cap, 3 YA) per three-year window, deductible over three years of assessment. Ask your contractor to itemise the invoice to make the s14N claim straightforward.

Small floor, sharp refit.

Floor area, lease term, scope (paint+carpet, meeting rooms, pantry, FF&E). We match up to three BCA-registered small-office specialists.

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