- 5/5 Stars rating on Google
Design, consents & fit-out
Laundromat
Suburban New Zealand
The result
saved on the base-build cost versus competing quotes, on a fully consented, purpose-built laundromat fit-out.
Design, building consent (change of use and fire engineering included), contractor procurement and construction to a Code Compliance Certificate, with no rent paid while it was built, delivered through Covid closures.
A self-service laundromat operator
Laundromat (consumer services)
Suburban New Zealand
Design, Consent, Fitout
Turn a raw space into a working, consented, self-service laundromat, on time and on budget.
The situation
With the site secured, the operator needed the space turned into a working self-service laundromat. From the street it’s washers and dryers. Behind the walls it’s plumbing, gas, electrical and ducting, all of it needing to work from day one.
A fitout like this carries real building work. The plumbing load alone means building consent, and the change of use plus fire engineering pull in council and specialist sign-offs. The operator engaged Proactive Property Group to design, consent and build it.
What was at stake
The fit-out is where a lease turns real, and where it can quietly cost you. Lease commencement is often tied to fit-out completion, and building consent timelines don’t care about your lease dates. Auckland consents in particular can run long.
Start paying rent before the doors can open, and you’re funding an empty shell.
For a laundromat the exposure is bigger than most: a change of use, fire engineering, and heavy plumbing and gas all have to clear consent before a single machine runs.
Get the sequence wrong, and it shows up as cost overruns, delays, and rent with no revenue.
What we did
Proactive Property Group took the lead across the whole fit-out, from the first design drawings to the Code Compliance Certificate, keeping the build aligned with the lease the whole way.
Developed the fit-out design and prepared the building consent documentation, factoring in the change of use and fire engineering from the start.
Submitted the building consent and worked through the council’s questions, keeping the approval moving rather than waiting on it.
Selected contractors for the base-build upgrades and the equipment installation, pricing the work competitively rather than taking the first quote.
Ran the construction programme end to end and saw it through to the Code Compliance Certificate, so the laundromat opened cleared and compliant.
The result
The result was a modern, purpose-built self-service laundromat in a refurbished space, delivered despite Covid-19 closures. The fit-out wins:
Against competitive quotes, through the way the work was procured.
A 4-month rent-free fit-out period, so the build didn’t run on paid rent.
Building consent obtained, including the change of use and fire engineering.
The laundromat opened cleared and compliant.
Delivered despite pandemic closures and disruption.
Design, consent, procurement and construction run by one team.
The value in a fit-out like this is in the sequence. Design, consent and build ran as one programme, tied to the lease, so council delays didn’t turn into rent with no revenue, and the base-build cost came in 40% under competing quotes. The operator has since engaged Proactive Property Group for their next laundromat build.
If you’re planning a fit-out
A fit-out is where your lease stops being paperwork and starts costing money. Run the design, the consent and the build on one programme, tied to your lease dates, and council time stays the council’s problem. Leave them disconnected, and you can end up paying rent on a space you can’t legally open yet.
About the adviser
Marcus has spent 20 years acting for tenants across New Zealand and the East Coast of Australia — finding premises, negotiating leases, and managing design, consenting and fit-out across the full lease lifecycle. He runs the build against the lease, so tenants open on time and on budget rather than paying rent on a space they can’t yet use.
More proof
A bigger office with more parking, a capped personal guarantee and real exit flexibility, on a lease that beat the firm’s existing landlord’s renewal offer.
Lower entry costs, rent-free and fit-out-free startup periods, and personal guarantees cut or removed, so every franchisee opened on solid footing.
A bigger landlord fit-out contribution, an exclusivity clause, limited personal liability and relocation risk removed, all inside two months.
The fit-out is where lease terms and council timelines collide, and where the money leaks. Let me run your design, consent and build as one programme, tied to your lease, so you open on time and on budget. Tell me about the space.
