Shell and core fit-out in Batumi: commercial premises from the developer

What the developer hands over as shell and core

We most often start a shell and core fit-out in Batumi in an empty unit on the ground floor of a residential complex. The walls, columns and floor slab are there, but there is no screed, there are no partitions and no service runs. What exactly has been handed over we read in the annex to your contract with the developer: every developer has its own list.

Inspecting the empty unit before signing the handover certificate

An empty unit is easier to check before you have signed the handover certificate: afterwards every crack and every leak has to be proved. We measure the level difference of the slab over the whole area and the height under the beams, and look for signs of water on the slab by the glazing and for cracks by the columns.

We look separately for anything that will limit the layout: columns, beams, shared pipes and the building's inspection points, which the management company needs access to. A point like this can't be closed off with sealed boxing, so we allow for an access hatch in the plan. We collect the defects in a table with a photo, a measurement and the clause of the contract, as when accepting an apartment from the developer.

Wiring and power capacity for your business

The capacity the developer has allocated to a commercial unit may be designed for a small shop or office. A coffee shop with an oven or a shop with multideck chillers may find it is not enough. So before the layout we compare the power of the equipment with the figure written in the contract.

Extra capacity is added through the network company, Energo-Pro Georgia. This procedure has its own timeline, so we submit the application together with the design. The electrical installation in an empty unit starts from scratch, from the cable the developer left: a consumer unit for the premises with a main breaker and RCD protection, and circuits grouped for lighting, sockets, air conditioners, equipment and the sign. The supply into the building and the meter remain the responsibility of the network company and the developer. How we assemble a consumer unit and label the breakers is described on the page about consumer unit assembly.

Water, drainage and ventilation from scratch

We place the toilet, the staff kitchen and the sink closer to the risers. We lay 50 mm waste pipes with a fall of 2–3 cm per metre and the 110 mm pipe from the toilet at about 2 cm per metre, so every metre to the riser raises the floor of the wet area. If the layout puts it far away, there are two options: raise the floor by the height of the pipe with its fall, or install a sewage pumping unit. A pump is noisy and needs servicing, so we only fit one when the wet area can't be moved.

A shell and core commercial unit usually has no ventilation, so we design it separately: a supply and extract unit, ductwork above the ceiling, and intake and exhaust grilles. The route along the facade, through a shaft or into the courtyard is agreed with the developer or the management company before installation. How we calculate air exchange and where we put the grilles is shown on the page about supply and extract ventilation. A cafe has stricter extraction requirements, and they are covered in the section on restaurant and cafe fit-out.

Screed, partitions and ceiling over a large area

Over 100–150 m² the slab is rarely level, and we often find a difference of several centimetres between corners. We pour the screed to guide rails and tie its level to the entrance threshold: the floor of the main room has to come out flush with the door, with no step inside. How we choose the thickness and check the moisture before the floor covering goes down is described on the page about floor screed.

We build partitions from plasterboard, using moisture-resistant board by the wet areas. We work out the height of the suspended ceiling not from the slab but from the lowest element beneath it: a beam, a duct or a cable tray. A suspended tile ceiling gives access to each of them without opening anything up.

Fire alarm and escape routes

Building safety requirements in Georgia are set out in the technical regulation “Safety Rules for Buildings and Structures”, approved by Government Resolution No. 41 of 28 January 2016. It has separate chapters on fire protection systems, including fire alarms, on the routes out of a building and on interior finishes. Which of these requirements are mandatory for your premises depends on their use, floor area and the number of people inside, and we clarify this before the design.

Inside the premises we usually install a control panel, smoke detectors and sounders, and run the cables for them together with the rest of the wiring, before the ceiling is closed. The materials by the exit and the direction in which the doors open are taken from the design. If the building's system needs a signal from your panel, we agree the connection with the management company.

Shopfront, entrance and sign under the residential complex's rules

Ground-floor shopfronts are seen as part of the facade of the whole building. So the developer or the owners often set common rules for commercial units: the colour of the profile and the layout of the glazing, the position and size of the sign, the type of illumination, and whether film may be applied to the glass. We request these rules in writing before the shopfront and the sign are ordered.

At the rough stage we run a cable for the sign with its own breaker and a timer. Whether the sign itself needs approval from Batumi City Hall we find out before it is made, not after it has been installed. How to choose a shopfront profile and protect the entrance from driving rain is covered on the page about shop renovation.

Fit out for a tenant or let it as it is

For premises you intend to let, there are three options. You can let the shell as it is: the tenant does the fit-out for their own business, and the terms for the period of their works, such as a rent-free period, you agree in the lease. You can bring the premises up to a base condition: screed, a consumer unit with spare capacity, water and drainage outlets, ventilation, a ceiling and painted walls. The tenant is then left with the furniture, lighting and branding. The third option is a fit-out for a specific tenant to their brief, once the lease with them has been agreed.

We don't promise income or how soon a tenant will be found, but we price each option and show what the tenant would have to redo for themselves anyway. Partitions and lighting designed for someone else's business often don't suit, while power, water and ventilation are useful to anyone.

How much a shell and core fit-out costs in Batumi

A turnkey commercial fit-out from shell and core costs from 990 to 1,320 ₾ per m², including labour and materials. Furniture and equipment are not included in this price. The heaviest lines in the estimate are the services: supply and extract ventilation, with equipment and installation, comes to 205–300 ₾ per m² of floor area, and electrical installation with materials, excluding light fittings, to 130–180 ₾ per m².

Everything else is noticeably cheaper. Floor screed to guide rails costs 40–66 ₾ per m², a plasterboard partition 48–72 ₾ per m², a suspended tile ceiling with materials 69–90 ₾ per m², and a fire alarm with a control panel, detectors and sounders 17–24 ₾ per m² of floor area.

The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed. The price of each stage is written into the contract and doesn't go up unless the scope of work changes.