Tenant Improvement

What we do

Most tenant improvements start with a wish list and a set of as-built drawings of varying reliability. The first thing we do is confirm what's actually there. We visit the space, verify structural members against the drawings, and flag discrepancies before design catches fire. When the existing drawings are missing or wrong, we issue a set of structural verification sketches so the architect and MEP team can proceed on solid ground.

From there the scope is usually a mix of small-ticket and high-consequence items: cutting a new opening through an existing bearing wall, dropping a mezzanine into a warehouse, adding rooftop equipment, supporting an exterior storefront with new hardware above. Each of these is a structural problem with a code trigger. We call the triggers early, price them into the structural drawings, and keep the architect's schedule whole.

Older LA commercial buildings bring their own character. Unreinforced masonry walls, cast-in-place concrete frames with light reinforcement, or heavy-timber roofs. We know how to read these buildings and how to tie new work into them. Where new load paths have to pass through existing structure, we design the connection and the temporary shoring — and we write that shoring sequence into the drawings.

Typical scope

• Existing-conditions verification and structural shell review
• New openings in bearing walls and floor systems
• Mezzanines, lofts, and new interior platforms
• Rooftop equipment support and penetration design
• Interior stairs, ramps, and elevator shaft modifications
• Storefront, awning, and exterior element modifications
• Seismic bracing of nonstructural components per ASCE 7
• Shoring and temporary bracing design for phased work

When to engage us

As soon as the architect has a test-fit. Thirty minutes of structural review at that stage can save weeks of rework once the tenant has signed the lease.