Understanding a project’s costs is one of the first steps in assessing how well your budget and goals align, but this can often be a trying experience. As you gather bids from multiple general contractors in Miami, you may find yourself getting all the more frustrated.

Quotes will likely vary significantly, and they be formatted differently, which makes it difficult to compare vendor bids. It may lead you to wonder what things should really cost and who can trust to do quality work.

How Office Buildout Costs are Determined

As you plan your budget, there are a few ways to think about cost categories so you can best evaluate bids and plan for your project’s expenses. If you have questions about a quote you received from another contractor, just ask us for help understanding it.

Office construction costs can be split into several major categories. At the highest level, they include:

• Hard costs
• Soft costs
• Vendor fees

Hard costs are all those items needed for the physical makeup of the space. This is things like mechanical, electrical and plumbing costs, framing, drywall, concrete, paint, flooring, doors, frames, etc. Though material costs have fluctuated in recent years, an experienced general contractor will be able to give you a good estimate for your project based on the current labor market and material costs.

Soft costs include design and management fees, permitting costs and any other project needs not directly associated with the physical construction. Soft costs are sometimes calculated as a percentage of the project or are flat fees. 

Vendor costs are also important to factor into your overall office buildout project. It can be somewhat of a catch-all category and will include expenses related to furniture and equipment, technology, signage and moving costs. 

Planning an office buildout in Miami requires extensive planning, including making thoughtful budget considerations. For a straight answer on commercial construction costs in South Florida, give us a call at Seacoast Construction.