A Guide to Shop Strip outs and Defits

At the end of a commercial lease, a retail store is required to be stripped out to its base building open plan layout. Generally, when vacating a commercial property, this means bringing the space back to a bare shell. This process of stripping out and demolishing a retail store is referred to as shop defits or strip outs.

Retail spaces like shopping centres have strict guidelines for hours of work, standard of finish and you need to make sure that you take care of the paperwork involved in gaining approval to carry out the job. A professional defit process ensures the safe removal of all items within your property, from furniture to fixings, equipment, technology and more.

The Perfect Strip-out and Demolition team has extensive experience in performing a multitude of strip-out projects in a variety of commercial, industrial as well as residential settings throughout Sydney and Greater NSW. Hence, our comprehensive defit service is designed to suit a wide range of clientele. Perfect’s shop strip out service targets all elements remaining in your shop front, office area or retail space. Alongside a deep clean, this process includes the safe and secure removal of all furniture and fixtures, electrical systems, ceilings, linings and any other items in the area. The strip out assists in returning the property to its original state. Our strip out service is known to guarantee a spotless finish, removing worry and concern, and ultimately facilitating a smooth end of lease transition for your business.

The scope of shop defits and strip outs usually includes:

• Removal and recycling/restoring of store furniture, fixtures and fittings
• Deconstruction of shopfronts and displays
• Removal of glass and glazing
• Demolition and removal of internal partitions and wall finishes
• Removal of complete existing shopfront glazing
• Removal of all electrical fittings
• Removal of signage
• Strip out of all flooring finishes
• Removal of ceilings, lighting, and features

Inspection and project planning

Perfect Stripout’s defit and strip out service begins with the inspection and detailed planning phase, in order to determine the necessary defit action required. At this stage, we will provide you with a free quote.

Disconnection of Utilities

Before the stripout process begins, the electricity, gas and water lines need to be disconnected. It is essential to conduct a safe, industry-trained disconnection of all utilities associated with the particular retail space in order to prevent accidents. The main power line is turned off and power points and cables are checked to ensure there is no electricity running through the space. The water lines are then turned off to prevent flooding or other water related issues. All gas appliances in the premises (if any) are turned off at the valves and gas lines are turned off at the gas metre.

Installing Protection

Stripouts and Demolition involve mess so the surfaces and any assets that you might want to keep for future use such as, furniture and fixtures need to be covered to prevent scratches, dents and other damages during the entire stripout process. So, the Perfect strip-out experts start by installing heavy-duty specialized protection materials.

Removal of display features and signage

Then all the signage and display features need to be removed and disposed off or safely stored for future use.

Removal and recycling/restoring of store furniture, fixtures, and fittings

All furniture and fixtures, i.e., shelves, racks, cash counters, display tables, lighting fixtures etc. are then dismantled and removed from the site to gain easier access to floors, ceilings, and walls. With experience in careful disassembly and assembly, Perfect Strip-out crew is proficient in furniture reconfiguration and removal. We can remove your shop’s furniture and dispose of responsibly as well as reconfigure or relocate them to a new location.

Removal of shopfront glazing and glass

All the shopfront glazing and glass are then safely removed and discarded to reduce the chances of accidents caused by broken glass. All the waste then gets loaded into the tub bins using our smaller excavators like the 0.8t YANMAR and removed from the site by our Tipper Trucks. This makes the removal from site fast and efficient and cuts down on double handling materials.

Removal of partitions and wall finishes

Next comes the demolition of partition walls, such as single gyprock walls that need to be stripped out from slab to slab. All doors and skirting also need to be removed to open up the space in order to gain better access to the floors and ceilings.

Removal of ceilings

Afterwards, all existing ceiling grid, tiles, suspended and plasterboard ceiling are to be dismantled and removed.

Removal of flooring

Finally, all flooring finishes need to be removed including all existing false flooring, such as wooden and vinyl tiles or floorboards, and carpet including underlay that comes out with the carpet. Removal of tiles, carpet and vinyl can often be a tedious task especially if not handled by professionals. Perfect Strip-out has specialized machinery for removing commercial vinyl, carpet and tiles. The use of latest technology enables us to save you time and in turn, your money.

Why Choose Perfect Stripout and Demolition?

Since Perfect’s establishment in 2010, we have carried out hundreds of strip-out projects. Successful completion of hundreds of structurally invasive demolition projects has equipped our team with a detailed understanding of what constitutes a challenge. With an affordable stripout service carried out in accordance with the latest industry standards and protocols, Perfect Strip and Demolition works hard to strip your retail space down to its original state. Our experience in all forms of commercial shop, retail store and tenancy strip out is extensive and our commitment to customers is to thoroughly plan and conduct all required work in the most cost effective and time-efficient and safe manner possible without compromising on achieving a top-notch and fully compliant result. Providing free quotes upfront, Perfect Stripout and Demolition offers you the option for both soft and hard defits, accommodating the individual needs of your business and ultimately, your space. A soft defit involves the removal of loose fixtures, fittings, and furniture while a hard defit works to target the permanent features of the property, including floorboards, carpets, cabinets, heating, cooling and more. With expert advice on hand, we will work closely to determine the most suitable defit for you and your situation.