“How fast can you have us open?” is the first question almost every tenant asks. The honest answer is that a commercial build-out has two clocks running: the construction clock and the approvals clock. The build itself is often the shorter of the two.
A typical timeline for a mid-size interior
For a 5,000 to 15,000 square foot office, retail, or clinical space with a straightforward scope, a realistic schedule looks like this:
- Weeks 1–3 — Design and pricing. Test fits are finalized, engineers complete mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings, and the contractor prices the full scope. Long-lead items such as switchgear, rooftop units, and custom glass are identified and ordered now.
- Weeks 3–8 — Permitting. The plan set goes to the building department. Plan-check comments come back, the design team responds, and the permit is issued. In busy jurisdictions this is the single most unpredictable phase.
- Weeks 8–10 — Mobilization and demolition. Protection goes up, selective demo is completed, and any abatement is handled. The space is turned over as a clean shell ready to build.
- Weeks 10–16 — Rough-in. Framing, then the overhead trades: duct, plumbing, electrical, fire sprinkler, and low-voltage. This phase ends with a framing and rough inspection.
- Weeks 16–20 — Finishes. Drywall, paint, flooring, ceilings, casework, doors, and hardware. Fixtures and equipment are set, and mechanical systems are balanced.
- Weeks 20–22 — Inspections and punch. Final trade inspections, the building final, the fire-marshal sign-off, and the certificate of occupancy. The punch list is walked and closed.
That is roughly five to five and a half months from a signed lease to a set of keys. Compress the design and permit phases and you can reach three to four months. Add a complex kitchen, a change of occupancy, or a historic building and it can run past seven.
The three things that move the schedule most
1. How complete the drawings are before pricing
Incomplete drawings do not save time. They move the missing decisions into the construction phase, where a change costs more and stops work while everyone waits for an answer. The fastest projects are the ones where the scope was fully resolved before the contract was signed.
2. Long-lead equipment
Electrical gear, rooftop HVAC units, and custom storefront can carry lead times of eight to twenty weeks. If they are not ordered during design, they become the critical path no matter how fast the crew works. A good contractor places those orders before demolition starts.
3. The permit jurisdiction
Two identical projects in two different cities can have permit phases that differ by a month or more. Over-the-counter review, a single plan-check cycle, and a cooperative fire department are worth real weeks. Your contractor should know the local process and build it into the schedule honestly.
What you can do to protect the date
Sign the design team early, hold one decision meeting a week and actually decide, approve finishes before they are needed rather than after, and ask your contractor for a schedule that names the long-lead items and the permit milestones explicitly. A timeline that hides those two phases is a timeline that will slip.
Planning a move or an expansion? Send us the space and your target date and we will give you a week-by-week schedule you can take to your leadership.