Tallow Creek Construction

What we build, and how a project runs.

Four kinds of fit-out work, the trades that sit inside each one, and the three phases every project goes through. Written out so you can check it against your own scope before you call.

Fit-out types

Scope varies with the space and the work letter. These are the trades we normally carry.

  • Retail store fit-outs

    A leased shell, or the space a previous tenant left, turned into a store that opens on the date in the lease. Brand standards govern the finishes; the landlord criteria govern the storefront and the signage.

    • Demolition and removal of previous tenant improvements
    • Metal stud framing, drywall, taping and paint
    • Suspended ceilings, lighting and emergency lighting
    • Flooring: tile, resilient, polished concrete, carpet
    • Storefront glazing, entry doors and closers
    • Fixture setting and millwork installation
    • Mechanical, electrical and plumbing coordinated with tenant equipment
    • Signage installation to the landlord criteria
    • Code and accessibility compliance for the occupancy

  • Office suite fit-outs

    A suite in a multi-tenant building, usually built while the floors around it stay occupied. The sequencing matters as much as the scope: noise, deliveries and elevator time are all somebody else's working day.

    • Partition layout and framing, including demountable systems
    • Interior glazing, doors and hardware
    • Ceiling grid, acoustic tile and lighting layout
    • Power, data and AV rough-in set to the furniture plan
    • HVAC distribution, diffusers and controls balancing
    • Paint, wallcovering, flooring and finish carpentry
    • Work sequenced and noise managed around occupied floors
    • After-hours and weekend work where the building requires it

  • Build-outs from shell

    First-generation space with nothing in it yet. The work letter decides who builds what, so we settle that split in writing before anyone mobilizes rather than arguing it at rough-in.

    • Work letter reviewed and the division of scope confirmed
    • Slab work, floor leveling and penetrations
    • Restroom construction to code and accessibility requirements
    • Mechanical, electrical and plumbing from the point of connection
    • Fire sprinkler modification and fire alarm tie-in
    • Roof penetrations and curbs coordinated with the base-building warranty
    • Utility service coordination and meter sets

  • Multi-location rollouts

    The same build in several markets. The value is not in building each one differently, it is in building each one the same: one detail set, one process, one person to call, whatever the city.

    • One prototype detail set carried across locations
    • A single point of contact across every market
    • Local subcontractors pre-qualified before award in each jurisdiction
    • Permitting handled per jurisdiction
    • The same submittal, RFI and change-order process at every site
    • One schedule view and one reporting format across open locations
    • What an early location teaches carried into the next one

How a project runs

Three phases. The handover between them is where projects usually slip, so each one ends on a document, not a conversation.

  • 01Bid

    Pricing a fit-out properly means reading the work letter as carefully as the drawings. Most cost surprises on a tenant project come from scope that nobody owned at bid time.

    • Drawings, specifications and landlord work letter reviewed
    • Site visit and existing-conditions check before a number is given
    • Scope written out, with exclusions and assumptions stated plainly
    • Pricing collected from pre-qualified subcontractors
    • Schedule drafted backwards from the lease or opening date
    • Lump sum, or cost plus a fee with a guaranteed maximum
    • Long-lead items flagged while the bid is still open

  • 02Build

    On site, the job is sequencing trades and keeping the tenant informed enough that nothing is a surprise. You should not have to ask where the project stands.

    • Permits and landlord approvals obtained before mobilization
    • Building rules of conduct, insurance and access requirements met
    • Submittals and shop drawings tracked to a log
    • Trades sequenced and supervised on site
    • Schedule and cost updated weekly
    • Changes priced and approved in writing before the work is done
    • Photographs and progress notes for anyone not on site

  • 03Hand-over

    Hand-over is a document set as much as a finished space. A store cannot open on a passed inspection alone, and a facilities team cannot run a suite without the manuals.

    • Punch list walked with the tenant and the architect
    • Inspections scheduled and passed
    • Certificate of occupancy obtained
    • Systems demonstrated and balanced
    • Manuals, warranties and as-built drawings handed over
    • Final cleaning, and the space released for fixturing or move-in
    • Warranty callbacks handled after opening

What we need to bid

Partial information is fine. Tell us what stage you are at and we will say what is missing.

  • The drawings and specifications, at whatever stage they are
  • The lease exhibit or landlord work letter
  • The address, and the building rules for contractors
  • Your target opening or move-in date
  • Any equipment, fixtures or millwork you are supplying
  • The form of contract you intend to use
  • For a rollout: how many locations, and over what period

Send us a project