Transforming an Unloved, 3-Level Office Building

We acquired this property for our client at a mortgagee’s auction. It comprised: 10 spatially-exciting, 3-level office Suites cleverly designed above the car spaces in a Mews style, around a central courtyard.

However, the drab exterior, and patchy internal finishes, left a lot to be desired. The outside was painted a battle-ship grey. On walking inside, you were met by a mish-mash of colours, with some walls not even being painted. The stairs all had varnished, turned-wood balustrades presenting an image more akin to an outer-suburban residence, than smart inner-city offices. There was no air-conditioning provided to any of the Suites

Although having been completed for over 12 months, only six of these Suites had ever been tenanted which, by auction day, had fallen to four Suites, two of those were occupied by the owner/builder himself.

The trick here was to help our client resurrect this disaster, by doing something quick, dramatic and at not too much cost.

The Refurb Begins …

Having snared the property for him at a very reasonable figure, we then set about the task of transforming it with some simple but clever treatment both inside and out.

Externally, the walls were rendered with a brick, sandy-textured finish to give the building a warm but striking appearance. However, the interior needed considerably more thought!

The inside walls were given several coats of White Birch; and the turned-wood balustrades were replaced with sleek, handrails fixed directly onto the wall which opened up the stairs and made the Suites themselves look so much larger.

The stair treads were also finished with a smart metal capping, to bring them into this decade. And split-system air-conditioning was installed to both office levels in every Suite.

All in all, the total cost worked out to be less than 15% of the purchase price to transform the 10 Suites. The whole property was fully-leased several months after the completion of the refurbishment. And, as a result, the property increased in value by over 140%.

Finding simple ways to add value, is what we do best for you, as our client.