Commercial construction from the dirt up.

What a ground-up commercial build includes

A new building starts as a lot. Before any wall goes up there is clearing and grading, then the underground: water and sewer service, storm drain pipe and the electrical conduit that feeds the building. Then the foundation, the structure, the roof and the storefront, and only then the work most people picture, the walls, ceilings, lights, restrooms and finishes inside.

Outside, the parking lot, drive approaches, sidewalks and curbs are part of the same job, and so is the dumpster enclosure and the landscaping the city asks for on the site plan. One general contractor runs all of it on one schedule, so the plumber is not waiting on the concrete crew and the inspector is not called out to a site that isn’t ready.

Approvals come before the first shovel

Most cities in Dallas-Fort Worth want a commercial site approved before they look at the building. In Prosper, for example, the town asks for an approved site plan, façade plan and address plan from its Planning Division before construction plans can be submitted (Town of Prosper inspection guidelines). Civil drawings for paving, drainage and utilities go to the city’s engineers, and the fire department reviews hydrants, fire lanes and sprinklers.

Texas adds one step most owners don’t expect: a commercial project with a construction cost of $50,000 or more has to be registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and its plans are reviewed and the finished building inspected for accessibility under the Texas Accessibility Standards.

None of that is glamorous, but it is where schedules are won or lost. We look at what the city will ask for before the estimate, so the plan you sign reflects the approvals the site really needs.

Building on North Texas clay

Much of the ground across Collin, Dallas and Denton counties is expansive clay: it swells when it soaks up water and shrinks when it dries out. A slab poured on it without a plan moves with it, and doors that stick, cracked tile and separated storefront joints follow.

The answer comes from the geotechnical report on your lot. The engineer sets the pier depth, the slab thickness and reinforcing, and how the pad is prepared, and the city inspects the piers and the slab steel before concrete is placed. We build the foundation exactly to that design and keep the inspection reports with the job file.

The order a commercial building goes up in

Site work. Clearing, grading, and the building pad brought to the engineer’s spec.

Underground. Sewer, water, storm pipe and electrical conduit, inspected before they are buried.

Foundation. Piers, forms, vapor barrier, rebar, plumbing stubs, then the pour.

Structure. Concrete block, steel, metal studs or wood framing, roof framing and decking.

Dry-in. Roof, sheathing, storefront glass and doors, so the inside can be built.

Rough-ins and finishes. Electrical, plumbing and air conditioning, then insulation, drywall, ceilings, flooring and fixtures.

Final. Building, fire and accessibility inspections, then the certificate of occupancy.