Kentec Commercial Refurbishment Kent

The team at JBH Refurbishments completed the commercial refurbishment in Tonbridge, Kent for two properties occupied by Kentec Tool Hire and Training in just 8 weeks!

Kentec contacted the team at JBH Refurbishments as they prepared to move their entire tool hire operation across the road to make way for an all-new contemporary office space, equipped with a virtual studio, meeting rooms and an open plan office.

This was a commercial refurbishment that:

• Spanned across two sites
• Required temporary office space
• Had a tight time frame of just eight weeks!

Kentec is a multi-discipline company offering plant, tool and equipment hire, training and safety products.

Based in Tonbridge, the company’s location offers direct train links to London and the wider Kent region. With such great access routes, their training facility and tool hire has proven an attractive solution to a large client base across the construction, industrial and domestic sectors for more than 30 years.

Up until now, Kentec’s tool hire was located across the street to their training facility. Having two separate locations for customers was not ideal. So, when the opportunity arose to occupy the ground floor below the training centre, Kentec was quick to acquire the space.

This all happened at time that Kentec was undergoing a period of expansion. Therefore, the management team chose to keep the lease on the outgoing tool hire facility, with the vision of creating a state-of-the-art office space with a virtual studio, open plan office, conference room and unisex washrooms.

Kentec selected JBH Refurbishments as their fit-out contractor to complete the work on both properties. They needed both sites to be open and operational in just 8 weeks!

Here is the site before we started.

Ahead of work commencing on site, we worked with Kentec to create a design scheme and layout for their all new open plan office. As well as drawing up 2D designs, we provided 3D visual to help the client really understand the end result. Using the visuals, they could make adjustments to the office design scheme, furnishings and fittings.

Ensuring that Kentec could stay open and full operational was critical. Every phase of the Kentec commercial refurbishment had to be carefully orchestrated.

To ensure the project met its tight eight-week lead-time, Kentec relocated their office and admin staff to the training centre. This meant that our team and various trades could quickly change sites at various phases in the fit out.

The first phase of this commercial refurbishment focussed on the new tool hire.

With the majority of Kentec’s workforce overhead in the training centre on the first floor, our team had to be courteous of noise and disruption throughout the tool hire fit out. We worked with Kentec to ensure that noise was kept to minimum during particularly busy periods.

We used temporary hoarding to provide a walkway for the office staff to access upstairs.

Once the new tool hire was complete, it was time for phase two of the Kentec commercial refurbishment.

Phase two was to transform the old tool hire facility to a state-of-the-art workspace for their managerial and admin staff.

We began with a full strip out of the space, removing all fixtures and fittings. We then adapted the layout to accommodate the following zones:

• Open plan office
• Conference room with a seating capacity of 8
• Partitioned department for finance
• 1 management office
• Tea point
• Staff unisex toilet x 2
• Reception
• Virtual training room was next door to the conference room

Once the layout had been mapped out, we began the fit out.

As per the original brief, the JBH team installed:

• Glazed office partitions to create the management offices and virtual training room.
• Low level partitions in the open plan office to define zones, but maintain the sense of space.
• New unisex washrooms were fitted with slick grey boxed panelling and white sanitary-ware.
• Bespoke reception desk, complete with a backlit sign.
• Tea point in the main office with charcoal grey gloss units

Through regular communications with the Kentec team, the brief for the office fit out evolved as the client witnessed the development first hand. This meant, that we were able to make some valuable design and function alterations to improve on the look and functionality of the space, such as:

The HVAC system was not part of the original brief. However, it became apparent during the process, that the existing system was archaic. Although, the decision to replace the HVAC involved added expense and a slight time delay, it would offer a sustainable and economical solution in the long term.

For Kentec’s office fit out, we recommended a Daikin VAM-J8 heat reclaim ventilation system, which was coupled with inline battery heaters. This system would provide both heating and cooling solutions.

Originally, the client had specified a plain grey carpet throughout the office interior. However, having seen the voluminous area, we suggested using a block pattern using different shades of grey. This would add a design feature to this large space. It’s a real wow factor that did not cost any more than the original request and only took a fraction of extra time to lay.

To ensure Kentec’s management team were happy with our suggestion, we mocked up some 3D designs beforehand. They were prompt to approve the idea and delighted with the results.

To further distinguish the reception and provide a framed-effect, it was decided that we would install a bulkhead over the reception desk. We installed spotlights above the reception counter and an access door, which helped to define the space for visitors.

This was an office fit out that spanned two large premises, occupied a sizable workforce, involved some major modifications to the original brief and had a tight lead time. While the project posed some challenges, the JBH team managed to deliver a sleek and ergonomic commercial refurbishment on time. Kentec’s team were thrilled with the result and we are please to add another successful multi-site commercial refurbishment to our portfolio.

Kentec Group Managing Director, Steve Booker said, “The team at JBH Refurbishments recently completed two projects for the Kentec Group, with the creation of new administration offices for its Training Division and the relocation of their Tool Hire Division to a new 5500sq/ft premises. These projects involved the creation of new purpose made offices, meeting rooms, virtual studio, trade counter and reception areas.

“Working across the two sites in Tonbridge, we were impressed by the excellent communication and approach from the onsite team. James, our designated site manager was especially good at keeping us up to date with the progress of the project to ensure they stayed on track and the end result was finished to a high standard.

“While the work on the training administration offices was underway, Kentec’s office staff temporarily moved to the upstairs of our building. Throughout this time, the JBH team were very courteous when it came to noise during busy periods, which was much appreciated by our staff.

“We honestly could not fault any of the team onsite. From the floor layers and decorators to the electricians and ceiling fixers, they were professional and personable throughout the project.

“Both sites are now open and fully operational, and we are very proud of our new trade counter, open plan office, meeting spaces, and virtual training studio. The finished projects look professional and welcoming to our customers, visitors, and staff. As a result, we would not hesitate to recommend JBH Refurbishments.”