Services
Tenant Improvements & Build-Outs
Commercial tenant improvements — office, retail, restaurant, and medical build-outs. Demo, framing, MEP rough-in, ceilings, flooring, and finish-out coordinated with your architect and landlord. Permitted, inspected, and turned over ready for furniture and Certificate of Occupancy.
Pricing varies by site. Final scope, materials, and access influence the all-in number — we'll quote your specific project after a quick conversation.
About our tenant improvements & build-outs work
Commercial tenant improvements — office, retail, restaurant, and medical build-outs in San Antonio and the surrounding metro. Vanilla-shell to turnkey, white-box to full TI. We coordinate directly with your architect, MEP engineer, landlord, and property manager so the project lands on schedule, on budget, and ready for furniture and Certificate of Occupancy. Scope typically includes selective demolition, metal-stud framing, drywall and finishes, ACT or hard-lid ceilings, flooring, doors and hardware, casework and millwork, and MEP rough-in and trim coordinated with licensed sub-trades. Restaurant work adds grease ducts, hood and Ansul integration, FRP, quarry tile, walk-in slabs, and Health Department plan review. Medical adds lead-lined walls where imaging requires it, vacuum and medical-gas rough-in coordination, ADA TAS compliance, and barrier-free fixtures. Permitting runs through COSA Development Services with IBC and IFC code compliance, energy code, and accessibility review built into the submittal. We work within active centers without disrupting adjacent tenants — after-hours demo, dust walls, negative-air containment, and proper egress maintained throughout.
What's included
- Architect and landlord coordination through design and approval
- Selective demolition with dust walls and negative-air containment
- Metal-stud framing, drywall, ACT or hard-lid ceilings
- MEP rough-in coordinated with licensed electrical, plumbing, HVAC
- Flooring, paint, doors, hardware, casework, and finish carpentry
- Permitting through COSA Development Services and inspections
- ADA TAS accessibility review and barrier-free fixture install
- Final cleaning, punch list, and Certificate of Occupancy turnover
Materials & techniques
Framing is 25-gauge or 20-gauge metal stud sized to height and load — heavier gauge at door openings and casework. Drywall is 5/8-inch Type X at corridors, demising walls, and shaft walls, with sound-attenuation insulation in conference rooms and demising walls. ACT is typically Armstrong 2x2 fine-fissured on a heavy-duty 15/16 grid; hard-lids get 5/8 drywall on hat channel. MEP rough-in is in-wall blocking-coordinated — backing for grab bars, TVs, monitor mounts, and millwork is set before drywall. Fire-rated assemblies, joint treatments, and penetrations are tagged and listed for inspection.
How the project runs
- 1
Pre-construction and pricing
Drawings reviewed, scope clarified with the architect and tenant, subs bid line by line, and a fixed-price or GMP proposal issued. Landlord work-letter and tenant allowance reconciled before contract.
- 2
Permitting and submittal
Plans submitted to COSA Development Services. Health Department, fire marshal, and accessibility reviews run in parallel where applicable. Comments addressed and revised drawings resubmitted until permit issues.
- 3
Demo and rough-in
Selective demo executed with dust containment. Framing rough laid out, MEP rough-in scheduled and inspected, in-wall blocking placed for casework, TVs, grab bars, and equipment before drywall closes the walls.
- 4
Finish-out and trim
Drywall, taping, paint, ACT, flooring, doors, hardware, casework, fixtures, plumbing trim, electrical devices and lighting, and HVAC trim installed in sequence. Daily punch maintained as trades exit.
- 5
Inspections and turnover
Final building, MEP, fire, and Health inspections coordinated. Punch list closed out, as-builts and O&M manuals delivered, and Certificate of Occupancy issued and handed to the tenant.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a typical tenant build-out take?
From signed contract to Certificate of Occupancy: a 2,000 to 4,000 SF office runs 10 to 14 weeks, retail 8 to 12 weeks, full-service restaurant 16 to 24 weeks, and medical 14 to 20 weeks. Permitting is 4 to 8 weeks of that on its own, depending on review backlog at COSA.
Do you work with the tenant's architect or provide one?
Both. If you already have an architect under contract, we coordinate directly with their drawings. If you don't, we bring in one of several local commercial architects we work with regularly — faster than starting cold, and they know the COSA review process.
How is the landlord's tenant improvement allowance handled?
Tenant improvement allowance (TI) is paid by the landlord against approved draws — typically monthly, against AIA G702/G703 pay applications. We document everything to the landlord's requirements and reconcile against the work letter so the allowance flows without delay.
Can you work inside an occupied center without shutting it down?
Yes. Dust walls, negative-air containment, and after-hours demo and delivery keep adjacent tenants operating. Loud or odorous work — concrete saw cutting, lacquer finishing — is scheduled outside business hours, and shared egress and fire alarm zones are maintained throughout.
Why hire us for tenant improvements & build-outs
In-house crew
Design, build, irrigation, and maintenance all run under one roof — no subbing out, no juggling vendors. You get one project manager from sketch through final walk-through.
San Antonio specialists
Built for South-Central Texas — heavy clay, caliche, long dry summers, and flash rain. Our designs and installs are tuned to what survives and looks good locally.
Clear pricing
No surprise line items. We size the work after a quick conversation or site visit and issue a written quote with materials and labor broken out so you can compare apples to apples.
