Tenant finish-out from empty shell to open doors.

What a finish-out includes

A new shell space usually comes with four walls, a slab, a roof and a storefront. Everything else is the finish-out: the demising and interior walls, the ceiling, the lighting and power, the restrooms and their plumbing, the air conditioning and ductwork, the flooring, paint, counters and doors.

A second-generation space, one another tenant used before, starts with demolition of what is there, then the same list. Reusing what still works, a restroom in the right place or a ceiling grid in good shape, is one of the easiest ways to bring the cost down, and we point those out on the first walk.

Landlord work and tenant work

Most leases split the build-out into landlord’s work and tenant’s work, and many include an allowance the landlord pays toward the tenant’s part. Reading that section of the lease before pricing matters: if the landlord is delivering the restrooms or the electrical service, it should not be in your estimate twice, and if the landlord is not, it needs to be in it once.

We price to the split your lease spells out and can work with the landlord’s team on the timing of their part.

Permits for a finish-out

Cities treat a finish-out as its own permit. Prosper, for one, lists tenant finish-outs alongside new buildings and remodels as a separate kind of commercial permit. Dallas asks for an energy compliance form signed by a registered third-party provider with the application for a first-time finish-out. Food tenants also need the health department to approve the plans.

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.

Opening on time

Most tenants have a lease start date and a grand opening planned before the first wall goes up. The finish-out schedule works backward from that date: the long-lead items, like storefront doors, cooler boxes, light fixtures and the electrical gear, are ordered first, and inspections are booked as soon as each stage is ready instead of all at the end.