HOW MUCH DOES A MEZZANINE FLOOR COST?
This article will provide you with information on how much a mezzanine floor will cost and what can influence the price.
HOW MUCH DOES A MEZZANINE FLOOR COST?
If you are looking to install a mezzanine floor in your warehouse, this article will provide you with an indication of the works and costs associated with a mezzanine floor project. This article is particularly applicable to the costs associated with a mezzanine floor designed for storage use.
Typically, the cost of a mezzanine floor will range from £75 per square metre to £150 per square metre. We will explain the factors that will influence the final price of your project further down in this article.
But briefly, an example of the costs associated with a 10,000mm x 5000mm mezzanine floor that requires one staircase and fire protection are as follows (the fire protection may not be required depending on use):
- Mezzanine floor structure (main beams, purlins, decking) £7,500.00 + vat
- Ancillaries (Staircase, handrail and pallet gate) £3,500.00 + vat
- Fire protection (Suspended ceiling, column cases, fascia) £3,000.00 + vat
- Electrics (LED lights & Smoke detection to the underside) £1,800.00 + vat
- Plant (Scissor lift, FLT & Skip) £1,500.00 + vat
- Building control application £800.00 + vat
***These costs are for budgeting purposes only and are subject to site survey and re-validation***
HOW BUILDING CONTROL CAN INFLUENCE THE COST OF A MEZZANINE FLOOR
Whenever a mezzanine floor is installed within a warehouse, the design of the floor must conform with UK building regulations to ensure that the structure and scheme meets the minimum requirements required. The requirements by building control will have an impact on the cost of your mezzanine floor project. The main considerations are:
1. THE NUMBER OF STAIRCASES REQUIRED
The size of your mezzanine floor and its proximity to fire escapes will determine how many staircases your floor requires, which will directly affect the cost. The more staircases required, the higher the cost. The calculation on how many staircases is required boils down to travel distances to the fire escapes. Building control want to ensure that in the event of a fire you can safely reach a fire escape in a suitable time.
2. WILL FIRE PROTECTION BE REQUIRED?
If the floor exceeds 50% of the building, exceeds 20 metres in length or will have people working permanently below or above the floor, building control will request that the structure of the floor is fire protected to one hour. This is achieved by the installation of a suspended ceiling, column cases and fascia. These products combined, ‘clad’ the structure and provide the one-hour resistance required. Fire protection generally costs 50% of the cost of the mezzanine floor itself.
3. ELECTRICAL WORKS
As a minimum the mezzanine floor will require lighting, emergency lighting and smoke detection to the underside of the structure. Staircases will also require illumination, running man legends and call points. What is happening under the floor will determine how many light fittings are required. Storage areas only require 200 lux levels, whereas if you are planning on having packing benches, a lux of 500 will be required. If you have shelving under the mezzanine floor you may require LED fittings and a smoke detector for each aisle. All these elements contribute towards the final cost of your mezzanine floor project.
SITE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS THAT CAN INFLUENCE THE COST OF A MEZZANINE FLOOR PROJECT
1. THE STRENGTH OF THE WAREHOUSE SLAB
Your warehouse slab will be capable of accommodating a maximum load down a mezzanine column. To design the mezzanine floor, and to determine a column grid that is compatible with your slab, we need to understand the construction of the slab. Specifically, we need to determine the ground bearing pressure and the slab thickness. This information is important and influences the price as it allows us to design the column grid effectively. The more columns required, the more expensive the floor is. Providing this information allows us to minimise the number of columns and maximise the slabs potential.
2. THE SIZE OF THE FLOOR
The larger the floor the more expensive it will be, however larger floors do benefit from an economy of scale. Once a mezzanine floor extends past the initial bay, the columns and main beams are shared as the floor grows. This means that the square metre cost of a large mezzanine floor can be much lower than the cost of a small mezzanine floor.
3. THE CONDITION OF THE WAREHOUSE SLAB
It’s easier (and quicker) to install a mezzanine floor onto a nice new smooth warehouse slab. If your slab is old, uneven, and potentially sloping, then this will influence the cost of your projects. It takes longer to install and level a mezzanine floor on a poor slab so expect an increase in your project cost.
4. THE LOADINGS REQUIRED ON THE FLOOR
Standard mezzanine floors accommodate 500kg’s per square metre. However, if you require a stronger floor, they can accommodate up to one tonne per square metre. The larger weight requirements will however mean heavier beams, columns and secondary steels are needed, which increase the cost. If the floor is to be used for shelving, it’s important the shelving design is incorporated into the initial design. The weight of the shelving units may require additional steels to be incorporated into the design to accommodate the shelving layout and associated weights.
5. SITE CONSTRICTIONS
A mezzanine floor is quicker is to install in a clear empty area than in a busy crowded warehouse. If the floor is to be implemented into a busy warehouse this often increases the cost of the floor by increasing labour and plant costs. If weekend works are required, this also increases the cost.
6. PLANT REQUIREMENTS
Typically, mezzanine floor installations require a fork truck, scissor lift, scaffold tower and a skip. If the site is occupied and segregation is required between your employees and our installation team, fencing can also be required. If you can exclusively provide any of the equipment, then this can reduce the overall project costs.
7. WELFARE FACILITIES
Most sites have welfare facilities that our operatives can use. We require a WC and canteen facility. Occasionally when installing in new warehouses, these are not available and need to be provided either by yourselves or factored into the cost of the project.
8. OBSTACLES
Wherever a mezzanine floor adjoins to an existing wall, whatever is currently installed on the wall could require relocation. Examples are CCTV cameras, electrical trunking, air conditioning and gas pipes.
9. ANCILLARY REQUIREMENTS
Typically, mezzanine floors are installed with handrail, staircases, and pallet gates. Building control and your own individual requirements will also influence the price of your project. Other ancillaries include goods lifts and conveyors which will often have a significant impact on the cost of your project.
10. CDM REGULATIONS
Every construction project that involves more than one contractor is subject to the CDM regulations and each project will require a principal designer and principal contractor. Here at Nexus, we have vast experience working as both to make the process smoother for our clients. By law, these roles are often required to be fulfilled, which will increase the cost of your project too. It’s often unavoidable, but rest assured if you choose us, you will receive value for money. More information about these roles and ensuring the project conforms to Health and Safety requirements will be explained on the initial project consultation with your designer.
SO HOW MUCH WILL MY PROJECT COST?
As you can see there are varying factors that will influence the cost of your mezzanine floor project and ultimately without a site survey and consultation it’s not possible to apply a blanket approach to your project.
Our intention is to provide you as quickly as possible with a rough budget price so you can determine if you wish to pursue the project further. This can often be achieved after an initial survey and discussion. Once a budget is established, we can then refine the design and provide a formal quotation. Be wary of companies providing prices over the phone without knowledge of the site specifics. Often prices can be way off budget and waste a lot of your time. If you would like to book a free consultation, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
