Warehouse to Office Conversion, Leeds
Warehouse to Office Conversion Case Study
Project Brief
A property developer purchased a disused Victorian warehouse in Leeds city centre and planned to convert it into modern open-plan office space with a mezzanine level. They needed a comprehensive estimate to secure development finance and appoint contractors competitively.
The developer approached First4Estimating to produce a detailed estimate that would satisfy their lender’s requirements and provide a robust Bill of Quantities for competitive tendering to contractors.
The Challenge
The existing structure required significant remedial work — the roof needed partial replacement, several structural columns were corroded, and the ground floor slab needed levelling. These unknowns presented a risk to cost certainty that had to be carefully assessed and communicated.
Creating a mezzanine within the existing building envelope required careful structural design and fire compartmentation. The developer needed the estimate to demonstrate project viability to their lender, meaning the cost plan had to be presented in a format suitable for development appraisal.
Key challenge: Producing an estimate that addressed significant structural unknowns, satisfied a development lender’s appraisal requirements, and provided a clear BoQ for competitive contractor tendering — all from a building with limited existing survey data.
What We Delivered
- Full conversion estimate with structural remediation costs, including provisional sums for roof replacement, column repairs and slab levelling
- Mezzanine construction and fire compartmentation pricing, with structural steel, fire-rated partitions and compliant means of escape
- M&E services design for open-plan office layout, covering power distribution, data cabling, HVAC and LED lighting throughout
- Development appraisal cost summary for lender submission, formatted to align with standard development finance requirements
- Bill of Quantities for competitive tender to three contractors, enabling like-for-like bid comparison and transparent procurement
The Outcome
The developer secured funding within two weeks of receiving our estimate and development appraisal summary. The competitive tender produced three bids within 5% of our estimate, validating the accuracy of our cost plan. The conversion was completed in 7 months and the building was fully let within 3 months of practical completion.
Client Testimonial
The development appraisal summary was the key document that convinced our lender. First4Estimating structured the estimate exactly how the bank needed to see it. The BoQ then made the tender process clean and transparent. A thoroughly professional service.