What does LA office TI cost?

$80–$180/sqft typical for mid-tier office. Restaurant buildouts $200–$280/sqft.

How long does an LA TI take?

2–6 months. Restaurants on the longer side because of hood + grease trap.

$110–$280/sqft office; $250–$380/sqft restaurant.

Does SF TI trigger seismic upgrades?

On older buildings, often yes — path-of-travel + parapet bracing common.

California Commercial Tenant Improvement.

Commercial TI across LA — office, retail, restaurant, light industrial. We work with tenant architects or recommend our regulars. LADBS commercial permit track, MEP/T-24/ADA scope built in.

Bay Area TI — SF, Oakland, Peninsula office and retail. Code compliance, accessibility, and seismic considerations on every project.

Los Angeles

$80 – $280 / sqft

Cold shell office bottom; full restaurant buildout top.

Timeline — 2–6 months depending on scope.

Los Angeles Commercial Tenant Improvement →

San Francisco Bay Area

$110 – $380 / sqft

SF/Oakland code + accessibility lift cost.

Timeline — 3–9 months including city review.

San Francisco Bay Area Commercial Tenant Improvement →

Scope — what we deliver.

Scope + budget
Architect + engineer coordination
LADBS commercial permit
Demo + MEP + finish
Final inspection + CofO

Permits look different in LA vs the Bay.

Los Angeles — permit notes

LADBS commercial track.
ADA path-of-travel triggered.
Fire sprinkler review on most builds.
T-24 commercial energy compliance.

Bay Area — permit notes

City commercial permit.
ADA path-of-travel.
SF DBI commercial review can be long.
Seismic upgrades on older buildings.

How we think about commercial tenant improvement.

Commercial TI lives or dies on schedule. Every day past handover is rent collected at zero or paid at full. We sequence to the closing date, not the construction-comfort date. That means stocked materials before demo starts, off-hours utility cuts, and weekend inspections where the city allows.

ADA + Title 24 non-residential compliance are where most landlords get blindsided. A $40K painting + flooring scope can trigger $120K of bathroom + parking ADA upgrades under the 20% rule. We pull the disabled-access checklist before signing any TI contract — every time.

The schedule, written out.

Week 0
LOI to lease execution
Test-fit + cost certainty for tenant + landlord negotiation.
Week 1–4
Design + permit set
Architectural, MEP, ADA, structural where needed; building department intake.
Week 4–10
Plan check + procurement
City review, long-lead orders (electrical gear, HVAC RTUs).
Week 10–14
Demo + rough
Demo, framing, MEP rough, fire-sprinkler relocation, ceiling grid.
Week 14–18
Finish + close-out
Drywall, paint, flooring, fixtures, signage, final inspections, CofO.

Materials & assemblies.

Component	Default spec	Why
Ceilings	Acoustic tile (NRC ≥ 0.70) on 15/16" grid, or open-plenum painted black with acoustic clouds	Open plenum saves vertical but doubles paint cost.
Flooring	LVT (10 mil+ wear layer), polished concrete, or carpet tile	LVT is the workhorse — 15-year warranty, swappable.
Lighting	LED 2x4 troffers + dimmable controls + occupancy sensors (T-24)	T-24 controls are no longer optional on commercial.
HVAC	Rooftop unit (RTU) sized per ASHRAE 62.1, demand-controlled ventilation	DCV pays back via reduced makeup air during low occupancy.
Restrooms	ADA-compliant fixtures, grab bars at correct heights, accessible route, signage	Every fixture must hit exact heights — the inspector measures.

Hidden costs we flag up front.

Line item	Range	When it hits
ADA path-of-travel upgrades (20% rule)	$15K–$120K	TI cost triggers proportional accessibility upgrades
Fire-sprinkler reconfiguration	$6K–$40K	new walls cross existing sprinkler heads
Electrical gear lead time	20–40 wk lead	new switchgear or large transformer
Title 24 lighting controls	$3K–$18K	old fluorescent retrofit triggers full controls upgrade

cheaper alternatives

What we'd consider — and what we wouldn't.

As-is leasing (no TI)
Cheaper for landlord but extends vacancy and lowers achievable rent.
Build-to-suit with allowance + overage
Best alignment when tenant credit + lease term support amortization.

pitfalls — takeover-job patterns

Mistakes to avoid.

Signing a TI contract before the ADA path-of-travel cost is known
Ordering electrical gear after permit — 30+ week lead times now standard, kills the schedule
Demoing before fire-sprinkler shop drawings are approved — re-pipe ends up rushed
Assuming the existing CofO covers the new use — change of occupancy almost always triggers new compliance

Commercial Tenant Improvement — Los Angeles.

Commercial Tenant Improvement — Bay Area.

In short.

What does LA office TI cost?: $80–$180/sqft typical for mid-tier office. Restaurant buildouts $200–$280/sqft.
How long does an LA TI take?: 2–6 months. Restaurants on the longer side because of hood + grease trap.
Bay Area TI cost?: $110–$280/sqft office; $250–$380/sqft restaurant.
Does SF TI trigger seismic upgrades?: On older buildings, often yes — path-of-travel + parapet bracing common.

More we build.

Got a commercial tenant improvement project in mind?

Send us the address. We'll pull local zoning, setbacks, and commercial tenant improvement feasibility before you spend on drawings.

Start a project →