From empty shell spaces to fully operational offices, retail stores, restaurants and medical facilities. 250+ commercial build-outs completed across the Houston metro. Licensed general contractor with the highest-level Texas contractor license.
An interior build-out (also called a tenant improvement or commercial fit-out) is the construction work performed inside a leased or newly built commercial shell to transform the empty space into a fully functional environment ready for business operations. This includes framing walls, installing electrical and plumbing systems, HVAC distribution, ceilings, flooring, painting, and the finish trades that turn raw square footage into an office, retail floor, restaurant, dental practice, urgent care, or warehouse mezzanine. For Houston commercial tenants, the build-out is where lease incentives, landlord allowances and city permitting intersect with the architect's design intent. Tell Projects manages every dollar of the build-out budget so you open on time, on spec, and on budget — without surprise change orders.
Tell Projects holds a top-tier Texas general contractor license that qualifies us for the most demanding commercial interior projects in Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria and Montgomery counties. Many "build-out" companies are really subcontractor outfits operating without proper licensure — we are not.
Our project managers coordinate framers, electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs, ceiling installers, flooring crews and painters under one schedule. You get a single point of accountability and zero finger-pointing between trades when something needs to move.
We submit and shepherd permits through Houston Public Works, the City of Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, and unincorporated Harris/Fort Bend County. We know each AHJ's quirks, plan-review timelines and inspector preferences. Permits land on the first or second submission — not the fifth.
Most commercial build-outs are time-bound by a lease commencement clause. We build the construction schedule backward from your rent-start date so you take occupancy with the certificate of occupancy in hand.
Every line item, every change order, every PCO is logged in real-time. You see exactly where your tenant improvement (TI) allowance is going and what the gap to landlord reimbursement looks like at any moment.
A repeatable, transparent process that takes your project from first conversation to final inspection without surprises.
We meet you and the architect (if engaged) at the space. We document existing MEP stubs, slab conditions, demising walls, ceiling heights, and any landlord work letter obligations. This walk drives the cost-feasibility estimate.
Within 5-7 business days, we deliver a detailed cost estimate broken down by trade, plus a schedule with critical-path milestones. If you need to value-engineer to fit a TI allowance, this is where we propose alternates.
We finalize permit documents, submit to the City of Houston (or the appropriate AHJ), respond to plan-review comments, and post the permit at the jobsite. Most interior build-outs in Houston take 2-6 weeks to permit.
We demo any existing partitions, frame new walls, run rough plumbing, electrical conduit and HVAC ductwork. This phase ends with the rough-in inspections (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, framing) all signed off by the city.
After inspections pass, we close walls, install acoustical ceilings, hang doors and frames, install flooring, paint, and install trim. Specialty millwork, glazing and reception finishes get installed in this phase.
Electricians install fixtures and devices. Plumbers set fixtures. HVAC techs commission and balance the system. We walk the city inspector through final inspections, address any punch items the same day, and hand you a clean Certificate of Occupancy.
Common situations where Houston-area property owners call Tell Projects for interior build-outs.
Open-plan workstations, private offices, conference rooms, break rooms, server closets, reception finishes. ADA-compliant restrooms and demising walls.
Storefronts, point-of-sale infrastructure, fitting rooms, stockrooms, exterior signage tie-ins, and brand-standard finish packages for franchise concepts.
Hood and grease-duct installation, walk-in refrigeration, three-compartment sinks, FRP wall finishes, dining room layouts, and full health-department coordination.
Lead-lined imaging rooms, dedicated medical-gas runs, HIPAA-compliant acoustical separation, hand-wash stations, sterilization areas, and ADA-compliant exam rooms.
Office sections inside warehouse shells, mezzanine framing, dock-office build-outs, and code-compliant separation between warehouse and office uses.
Tell Projects serves commercial, multifamily and high-end residential clients across the Houston metro area, including these primary service zones:
Most Houston interior build-outs run 8-16 weeks from permit issuance to certificate of occupancy. A simple office refresh (paint, flooring, light demo) can finish in 3-4 weeks. A medical or restaurant build-out with specialty MEP usually takes 12-20 weeks including permit time. We give you a milestone-driven schedule before you sign a contract and update it weekly.
Absolutely. We routinely build to landlord work letters from Brookfield, Hines, JLL, Stream Realty, Transwestern, and most major Houston commercial owners. We coordinate with the building engineer for any base-building tie-ins, submit our scope for landlord approval, and invoice in landlord-acceptable formats so your tenant improvement allowance reimburses on schedule.
Both options are available. We have architect partners we work with regularly and can coordinate the full design-build package. If you already have architectural drawings from your own designer, we can value-engineer the documents and take them through permit. Either way, Tell Projects pulls the permit and is the AHJ's single point of contact through final inspections.
They're three names for the same thing. "Build-out" is most common in Houston commercial real estate. "Tenant improvement" (TI) is more common in lease documents and landlord work letters. "Fit-out" is used internationally and in some retail and hospitality circles. All three refer to the construction work that takes a commercial space from shell condition (or prior-tenant condition) to ready for your specific use.
Yes. For occupied retail, restaurants, dental offices and medical clinics where shutting down isn't an option, we phase work after hours and on weekends. We've completed full restaurant remodels in 14-day overnight blitzes and dental office expansions during weekend-only windows. Tell us your operational constraints during the site walk and we'll build the schedule around them.
Yes. Tell Projects holds the highest-level Texas general contractor license, carries general liability insurance, workers' compensation, builder's risk and umbrella coverage. We provide certificates of insurance naming your landlord and lender as additional insureds before mobilization. Every subcontractor we engage is independently licensed and insured.
Houston interior build-out costs in 2025 typically run $45-$85/SF for office, $80-$150/SF for retail, $150-$300/SF for restaurant, and $200-$400/SF for medical/dental — heavily dependent on existing conditions and finish level. We provide a detailed line-item budget after the site walk so there are no per-SF guessing games.
We offer both. Many clients come to us with architectural drawings ready to permit; others come with a lease, a vision board, and no plans yet. For design-build engagements we bring in an architect, run space planning iterations with you, and consolidate design + permit + construction under one contract. This usually shaves 4-8 weeks off the total project timeline versus a design-bid-build approach.
Tell us about your project. Tell Projects' licensed Texas general contractor team will respond within 24 hours with a detailed quote and schedule.
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