Commercial interfaces
Keeping office washrooms during a strip-out
How should retained washrooms be excluded from an office removal scope?
Retain more than the visible fixtures. The washroom enclosure, access route and services that make it functional must be identified by the building team. An instruction to keep washrooms is incomplete if surrounding ceiling, corridor or service removals affect them.
Planning guidance by MetroPoint Demolition. Site conditions and the agreed professional scope determine the final removal.
Compare the boundaries
Washroom enclosure
Mark walls, doors, ceilings and fixtures that remain.
Access to the enclosure
Identify the corridor and entrance conditions the project team requires through each phase.
Services outside the room
Ask the responsible trades to identify retained routes through the wider strip-out area.
Test the exclusion against the removal drawing
Overlay the washroom boundary on the proposed partition, ceiling and flooring removals. Look for places where a retained room relies on construction outside its perimeter. The designer and building management should resolve those interfaces before the work area is released.
If the washrooms will be used during the project, the contractor and building team must confirm a workable occupancy and access arrangement. Do not infer that operational fixtures mean the room can remain open during all tasks. At handover, distinguish retained washrooms from new fit-out work and record any outstanding trade decisions affecting their use.
Questions for the assessment
- Does the retained boundary include its ceiling and entrance?
- Which external service routes remain?
- Who confirms use and access during each phase?
Choose the next step
Read the matching service scope and exclusions, then describe what you want removed and what must remain. Your service choice can be corrected in the form.
Discuss this removal boundary