Size a staff canteen to the largest single break sitting at roughly 1 to 1.2 m² of dining space per person, then add the servery run, hand washing and circulation. Total headcount matters far less than how many people break at once, which is why staggering breaks is the cheapest way to shrink the building. Here is how that maths plays out, what the building includes, and how long it takes.
Working sizes for a dining room with a servery run, based on the largest number of people seated at once. These are planning figures for feasibility, not fixed products: the room schedule is rebuilt around your numbers before anything is priced.
| Largest break sitting | Typical dining + servery area | Typical building shape |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 20 people | 30 to 40 m² | Single module |
| 20 to 40 people | 50 to 65 m² | Single wide module or two linked |
| 40 to 60 people | 75 to 95 m² | Two to three linked modules |
| 60 to 100 people | 110 to 150 m² | Multi-module building |
Add space where the project includes WCs, changing rooms, showers, lockers or a drying room in the same building; those requirements come from the Workplace Regulations and are covered in what UK employers must provide.
The building arrives fitted out: dining space with heating, lighting and ventilation; a servery or kitchenette run with sink, hot water and positions for fridges and microwaves; power and data where you need them; and WCs, basins and an accessible WC where the layout includes them. Everything is plumbed, wired and tested at the factory, so the on-site work is a prepared base, service connections and the crane set. Floors, hygiene-grade wall finishes and non-slip surfaces are specified to the use, which matters most on food processing sites where clean and dirty routes need separating.
Both ranges build the same layouts. The steel cabin ranges (Classic and Plus) are the working-site choice: galvanised anti-vandal shells that take hard daily use, move site if the operation changes, and need next to no maintenance. The timber frame ranges (Standard and Premier) read as a warmer, more permanent building inside and out, with the Premier tier carrying the higher thermal specification; they suit head-office sites and anywhere staff environment is part of the recruitment pitch. We recommend a range with every quote rather than asking you to guess.
A typical programme is 8 to 14 weeks from signed-off drawings, depending on size and specification. The sequence: layout and fixed quote from your headcount, drawings signed off, Building Regulations documentation prepared, manufacture and fit-out off site while groundworks run in parallel, then delivery, crane set, connection and handover, with days of on-site disruption rather than months. Programme dates are confirmed with the quote.
About Cabinworx. Cabinworx designs, supplies and installs steel and timber frame modular buildings across the UK, from welfare and canteen blocks to classrooms, nursery rooms and sanitary buildings. Steel cabins come in our Classic and Plus ranges, timber frame in Standard and Premier, and every building is delivered and installed on a prepared base by our team.
Staff welfare buildings: design, supply & installTell us the largest break sitting, the shift pattern and your postcode. We come back with a layout and a fixed quote, usually within two working days.