Interior soft-strip that keeps the rest of the building working
SES strips offices, retail, clinical and industrial interiors back to the shell - out of hours, floor by floor, with tenants above and below still trading and asbestos or lead paint dealt with by the same crew.
- Occupied-building specialists
- Night and weekend shifts
- Asbestos licensed in-house
What a soft-strip includes
Structural elements, fire systems and base-build services are protected and left in place unless the scope says otherwise.
Partitions and glazing
Stud and glazed partitions, doors and frames removed and sorted at source.
Ceilings and bulkheads
Suspended ceiling grids, tiles and bulkheads taken down, with services above made safe.
Floor coverings and raised floors
Carpet, vinyl, tiles, adhesives and raised access floors lifted and disposed of.
Redundant services
Mechanical, electrical and data services isolated, safe-tagged and stripped out.
Kitchens, bathrooms and joinery
Fitted joinery, benches, sanitaryware and fixtures removed intact where they can be reused.
Signage and shopfronts
Signage, shopfronts and façade elements removed and the opening made safe.
How we run a strip-out in a live building
- Step 01
Scope walk and refurbishment survey
Agree what stays, what goes and what must be protected; asbestos refurbishment survey where the building is pre-2000.
- Step 02
Fixed quote and building-manager sign-off
Method, hours, lift and loading-dock bookings, noise and dust controls, waste route.
- Step 03
Strip, sort, remove
Hand and mini-plant demolition, material sorted at source into metals, plasterboard, timber and general, removed by goods lift or chute out of hours.
- Step 04
Hand-back to base build
Floor swept and vacuumed, penetrations capped, services safe-tagged, photo record and dockets issued so the fit-out contractor starts on day one.
What a strip-out costs
Priced per square metre by fit-out density and access: a standard open-plan office floor is typically NZD 35-75 per m² including disposal; clinical, retail and heritage interiors sit higher.
After-hours working and asbestos removal are itemised separately. Every quote is fixed.
Why fit-out contractors and landlords use SES
A soft-strip is the first trade on a refurbishment programme, so a stopped job costs everyone behind it. SES runs strip-outs the way a fit-out contractor needs them run: fixed price, agreed hours, one crew for everything that comes out.
- One crew for strip-out and hazardous materials - no stand-down waiting for an asbestos or lead-paint subcontractor.
- Programme certainty - fixed price, agreed hours, and a supervisor on every shift.
- Make-good on the same contract - patching, painting and repairs through SES Property Maintenance if the lease requires it.
Strip-outs across Auckland and the North Island
Auckland-based plant and crews, with regular projects in Hamilton and the Waikato, Whangarei, Napier-Hastings and Wellington.
Soft-strip FAQs
Straight answers to the questions procurement teams, facilities managers and property owners ask us most. If yours is not here, call the office or send us the scope and a division lead will answer it directly.
Can you work while the building is occupied?
Yes - most of our strip-outs run nights and weekends with daytime noise limits agreed with the building manager.
Do I need a consent for an interior strip-out?
Usually not, unless structure, fire separations or the façade are affected. We confirm at quote stage.
What if you find asbestos behind the ceiling?
The same crew holds Class A and B licences. We isolate the area, remove it under controls and carry on - typically a one- or two-day change, not a stopped job.
Who handles the waste?
We do. Materials are separated on site and taken to recyclers or licensed facilities; you receive the dockets and a diversion summary.
Can you strip a single tenancy on a multi-tenant floor?
Yes - we hoard and seal the tenancy, protect common areas and manage lift use so neighbours are not disrupted.
More from SES Demolition
Full building demolition and deconstruction from the same crew, on the same contract.
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SES Demolition
Building demolition
Full structural demolition of houses, commercial and industrial buildings, including foundations and site clearance. Find out more -
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Deconstruction & recycling
Careful dismantling to salvage timber, steel, fixtures and concrete - diverting most of the building from landfill. Find out more
Send us the floor plan and the lease make-good clause
Tell us the floor area, the hours you can work and what must stay - the demolition lead will price the strip-out within one business day.
