Commercial Tenant Buildouts in Lakeland, FL
Signed a lease on a new space? DBR Construction builds out retail, office, medical and restaurant suites across Polk County to your plans, your landlord's requirements and the building code.
What Does a Tenant Buildout Include?
A tenant buildout, also called a tenant improvement or TI, is the construction that turns a leased space into one built for a specific business. Depending on the condition of the suite, the work can start from a bare shell with no walls or ceiling, from a white box with basic finishes already in place, or from a second-generation space left behind by a previous tenant.
Most leases spell out what the landlord provides and what the tenant builds, often with a tenant improvement allowance. We review that work letter with you, price the scope clearly so you know what the allowance covers, and coordinate with the property manager on access, insurance certificates and building rules. Then we handle permit drawings, plan review and inspections through the certificate of occupancy.
DBR Construction is a Lakeland-based Florida Certified General Contractor (CGC #1531838) building out commercial suites in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Auburndale, Bartow and across Polk County and Hillsborough County, including Plant City, Brandon and Tampa. Call 1 (863) 602-4200 before you sign your lease and we will help you understand what the space needs.
Tenant Buildout Services
Retail, office, medical and restaurant suites.
Retail Buildouts
Sales floors, fitting rooms, stockrooms and checkout areas laid out for how your customers shop.
Office Buildouts
Private offices, conference rooms, open work areas and break rooms, with power and data where you need them.
Medical & Professional Suites
Exam rooms, sinks, reception areas and accessibility details for medical and professional tenants.
Restaurant & Food Service
Kitchen layouts, hood systems, grease traps and health department requirements coordinated with your design team.
Shell & White Box Work
Landlord white box packages and shell improvements that get vacant suites ready to lease.
Permits, Plans & CO
Drawings coordinated, permits pulled and inspections scheduled through your certificate of occupancy.
Common Tenant Buildout Questions
A tenant improvement allowance is money the landlord agrees to put toward building out your space, usually stated per square foot in the lease. Anything beyond the allowance is typically paid by the tenant, which is why it helps to have a contractor price the work before you sign.
A shell space is close to bare: concrete floor, exterior walls and a roof, often with no ceiling, interior walls or finished systems. A white box usually adds basic drywall, a ceiling grid, lighting, HVAC and a restroom, leaving the tenant to finish it for their use.
The general contractor pulls the building permit using the approved drawings. As a Florida Certified General Contractor, DBR pulls the permit under our license and coordinates the trade permits and inspections.
It depends on the size of the suite, its starting condition and plan review time. A simple office or retail suite can often be finished within a few months including permitting, while restaurants and medical spaces usually take longer.
Yes, and we recommend it. We can walk the space with you, point out what it will need and give you a budget range so you can negotiate your lease and allowance with confidence.
Yes. We coordinate with landlords and property managers on access, insurance requirements, building rules and approvals, and we also take on landlord-side white box and suite turnover work.
The best time to call a contractor is before the lease is final. We walk the space with you, flag what the building needs, such as HVAC capacity, restrooms, electrical service or accessibility upgrades, and give you a realistic budget so you can negotiate your allowance with real numbers.
Schedule a walkthrough of the space you are considering.
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Locations we proudly Serve
DBR Construction proudly serves homeowners and businesses across Polk County and surrounding areas.
