If you’re a business owner looking for new, creative ways to reinvent your space and match the changing needs of your consumers, commercial tenant finishes offer you a variety of options. Whether you’re expanding, downsizing, rebranding, or simply in need of updating your commercial property, a commercial tenant finish can help you incorporate your company’s distinctive features and flair to help you make a memorable first impression.
In this article, we will provide you with everything you need to know about commercial tenant finishes, including what they are, what they consist of, and a few things you should remember before undertaking your own tenant finish.
Building from the ground up isn’t always the best option for businesses. However, a commercial tenant finish could be what you need. At Design Mechanical, we can help you transform your commercial property into the exact space your organization needs to succeed. Contact us today to discover how our team of experts can help you.
What Is a Commercial Tenant Finish?
So, you want to improve your commercial property but aren’t sure where to begin. In most instances, several things need to be changed or upgraded, including the layout, floors, walls, and other property features, which is where a tenant finish can help.
A commercial tenant finish refers to the scope of work done within a commercial property to allow a tenant to run a business more effectively and efficiently. As such, construction must be completed before a new tenant may occupy a space to ensure that it fulfills specific municipal, county, and state laws.
Commercial tenant finishes often include extensive renovations such as wall demolition, electrical upgrades, and redesigns, as well as minor adjustments such as new paint, flooring, and lighting fixtures. Regardless of what aspect of your commercial property requires renovations, working with a qualified contractor who can handle all of these complex responsibilities is vital to the success of your project.
There are a variety of commercial tenant finishing projects, including the following.
Interior Improvements
Your office space is a manifestation of your business’s message. It’s vital that it accurately reflects your image and brand. This frequently necessitates a remodeling project, which may involve design enhancements in certain areas of the building, such as lobbies, restrooms, kitchens, conference rooms, and office spaces.
Both the owner and the tenant of a commercial space can make alterations to the inside. While tenants will need approval from the property owners, interior improvements are often funded by the building owners since they will boost the value of their property.
Landlord Improvements
Landlord improvements refer to conventional changes made prior to the signing of a lease agreement and are designed to meet your lease agreement‘s expectations and criteria. For example, configuring the space for quick turnover to a tenant before the tenant makes their own upgrades is a common type of landlord improvement.
Tenant Improvements
Tenant improvements cater to the tenant’s individual requirements. With unique office designations, lobby requirements, specialist flooring demands, specific safety standards for some industrial buildings, built-in fixtures, or bars for stores and restaurants, tenant improvements tend to be personalized upgrades that cater to a tenant’s specific needs.
Commercial Remodeling
Commercial remodeling projects typically refer to changes that involve electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems and are frequently updated or replaced as part of a more significant renovation. Commercial remodeling projects also entail extensive structural reinforcements, a complete space rearrangement, or a complex exterior makeover.
Steps to Ensuring Your Commercial Tenant Finish Goes Smoothly
If you’re planning on starting a commercial tenant finish project at your facility, there are several things to keep in mind to ensure the renovation goes as smoothly as possible. Here are some of the most critical steps you should take during your commercial tenant finish.
- Request a written agreement from the landlord on how and when the renovation will be completed.
- Know what improvements need to be made and how much the upgrades will cost.
- Know how much of a tenant improvement allowance you will receive from your landlord and what renovations you will be able to do with the budget.
- Determine what type of permits you will need from your local government to complete the renovations. If you are unsure of how to complete this step, a reputable contractor will also be able to assist you.
- Shop around for various construction bids to determine the best return on investment for the improvements.
- When you find a contractor, check to ensure they have experience in commercial tenant finishing projects and specialize in your required services. Additionally, be sure to get all of their contact information and projected start and finish dates for the project.
- Before coming to an agreement with the contractor, make sure the scope of work includes everything you want to be done. If you don’t see something on the contract, be sure to ask the contractor about it. Furthermore, request a complete list of materials, including sizes, colors, brand names, model numbers, and items, that will be used.
- Request a copy of the completed agreement and ensure that you understand the contract’s financial obligations and terms, including total costs, payment terms, cancellation penalties, and construction timelines.
- Lastly, upon completion of the renovations, schedule a walkthrough of the commercial property with the landlord, contractor, and your team to ensure that all of the work has been completed according to the contract.
Trust Design Mechanical with Your Commercial Tenant Finish in Kansas City
If you’re a commercial property owner and looking to work with a team of experts that will help you realize your ideas for your office space, Design Mechanical is here to help.
At Design Mechanical, our team of expert designers and contractors will collaborate with you to ensure that the commercial tenant finish or remodel meets your vision and objectives while staying within budget. We remain dedicated to providing our Kansas City customers with high-quality commercial tenant finishes, and we have extensive experience with retail space, office space, restaurants, warehouses, and a variety of other commercial environments.
For any of your commercial tenant finish or renovation needs, give us a call at (913) 281-7200 to learn more about how we can help!