Buildouts · Tenant improvements
Tenant improvements in Sarasota and Bradenton
The work letter in your lease, priced line by line and built as written: allowance draws documented, landlord coordination handled, opening date protected.
- 4,900 SFBradenton TI delivered
- $3MInsurance certificate
- 3-YearWorkmanship warranty
- WrittenScope and price
Construction that starts in the lease
Tenant improvement work is decided twice: once in the lease's work letter, and once on the job site. Most of the expensive surprises are signed, not built, which is why we read the work letter with you before pricing anything: what condition the landlord actually delivers, what sits on your side of the line, how the allowance pays out and on what deadlines. Then we price the scope line by line so the lease negotiation your broker runs is grounded in construction reality. Our 8th Street West project in Bradenton ran exactly this way: tenant improvement work coordinated with the property manager, 4,900 square feet from white box to move-in ready while the building stayed open.
What we handle on a TI project
- Work-letter review and line-item pricing against the delivery condition
- Full interior buildout: walls, ceilings, MEP distribution, finishes, millwork
- Allowance draw packages: invoices, lien waivers, proof of completion
- Landlord and property manager coordination, building rules respected
- Permits, sealed drawings coordination and inspections to closeout
- Closeout documents your landlord and lender will ask for
What TI allowances look like right now
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average office TI allowance, 12 major markets, about 3,900 leases | $94.69 per sq ft (H1 2024), down from $97.55 in 2023; first decline in four years | CBRE, August 2024 |
| Average free rent alongside it | 9.0 months (H1 2024) | CBRE, August 2024 |
| Broader national office series | About $75 per sq ft (2024) | JLL, via Northspyre |
| Typical retail allowance (broadly reported, not survey-backed) | $15 to $60 per sq ft | GrowthFactor, 2026 |
Where these numbers come from. We publish benchmarks from named sources instead of hiding pricing behind a form. CBRE's panel skews toward Class A leases in gateway markets, which is why its average runs higher than JLL's broader series; Suncoast deals are negotiated locally and vary with the landlord, the term and the condition of the space. Your lease, not a national average, is the number that matters, and we price your scope so you can negotiate it with open eyes.
Three deal structures, one job
Allowances arrive in three shapes. In a turnkey deal the landlord builds to an agreed spec and carries the risk, priced into rent. With a stated allowance, you hire the contractor, control the spec, and draw reimbursement against documentation: this is the structure where we work directly for you. With rent abatement, you self-fund and the landlord compensates in free rent. The full mechanics, including what typically counts as allowance-eligible work, are in our TI allowance guide, and the delivery-condition side, grey shell versus warm shell versus vanilla box, is in the shell conditions guide.
Why the draw paperwork matters
Under a stated allowance, your money comes back through draw packages: invoices, lien waivers and completion evidence, submitted the way the lease demands. Sloppy paperwork holds refunds hostage even when the construction is flawless, so we produce draw documentation as part of the job, not as a favor. The same discipline runs through permits and inspections, handled through the offices in our permits and plan review guide, because a certificate of occupancy that arrives on schedule is what actually ends a TI project.
Tenant improvement questions
What is a tenant improvement allowance?
A negotiated amount, usually stated per square foot, that the landlord contributes toward building out your space. CBRE's survey of about 3,900 office leases across 12 major markets put the average office allowance at $94.69 per square foot in the first half of 2024, the first decline in four years, while JLL's broader national series ran near $75 per square foot. Retail allowances are far smaller. The allowance is lease negotiation; our job is giving that negotiation real construction numbers.
What is the difference between turnkey and a stated allowance?
In a turnkey deal the landlord designs, manages and delivers the space to an agreed specification and carries the overrun risk, usually priced into higher rent. With a stated allowance, you hire the general contractor, control the specification, and draw reimbursement against invoices and lien waivers up to the agreed amount, carrying overage risk yourself. The stated-allowance structure is where a contractor like us works directly for you.
What is a work letter?
The lease exhibit that defines the construction deal: what condition the landlord delivers, what the tenant builds, who pays for what, how the allowance is drawn and what deadlines apply. It is the most important construction document you will sign before the permit set exists, and we price scopes against it line by line so you know what the allowance actually covers.
How do allowance draws actually work?
Under a stated allowance you typically pay the contractor, then submit draw packages to the landlord: invoices, lien waivers and proof of completion. We produce clean draw paperwork on schedule, because a late lien waiver can hold your money hostage even when the construction is perfect.
Does unused allowance come back to the tenant?
Only if the lease says so. Some leases let unused allowance offset rent, many let it expire. That is a lease term to negotiate with your broker and attorney before signing; we help by pricing the scope accurately enough that you are not guessing how much allowance you will actually use.
Have you delivered landlord-coordinated TI work?
Yes. Our 8th Street West buildout in Bradenton was tenant improvement work coordinated with the property manager and tenant, delivered while the building stayed operational: 4,900 square feet from white box to move-in ready.
Free on-site estimates
Ready to price your work letter?
Tell us about the space and the lease. The licensed contractor walks it with you, measures, and gives you a written scope and price. No obligation.
- Written pricing
- Permits handled
- 3-Year warranty