What we estimate
Light Commercial Estimating
Light commercial estimating prices retail, office, restaurant, and small mixed-use projects, including tenant improvements. The cost drivers are the systems (HVAC, electrical, fire protection) and the base-building conditions you inherit. K2E prices those explicitly and flags what the lease and landlord work leave to you.
Light commercial and tenant-improvement work turns on two questions the drawings do not always answer: what condition the space is in now, and where the landlord's scope stops and yours begins. Both drive real money.
What the estimate includes
- Demolition and existing-conditions allowances
- HVAC, electrical, and fire-protection systems
- Storefront, partitions, ceilings, and finishes
- Tenant-improvement scope vs. base-building scope
- Code-upgrade triggers flagged for review
| Description | Qty | Unit | Material | Labor | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site prep and excavation | 1 | LS | - | 3,850 | 3,850 |
| Concrete slab on grade | 576 | SF | 4,320 | 3,168 | 7,488 |
| Framing, walls and trusses | 576 | SF | 7,200 | 5,760 | 12,960 |
| Roofing, architectural shingle | 14 | SQ | 2,380 | 2,940 | 5,320 |
| Siding, fiber cement | 1,120 | SF | 4,928 | 5,264 | 10,192 |
| Overhead door and opener | 2 | EA | 3,180 | 940 | 4,120 |
| Electrical, rough and finish | 1 | LS | 1,240 | 2,760 | 4,000 |
| Subtotal, 7 of 34 line items | 47,930 | ||||
Base building vs. your scope
On a tenant improvement, the fastest way to lose money is to price scope the landlord was supposed to deliver, or to assume the landlord covers something they do not. The demising walls, the HVAC stub, the electrical capacity: who provides what is a real line item.
We estimate to the drawings and flag the base-building assumptions, so the number reflects your actual scope and the split with the landlord is visible, not buried.
FAQ
Common questions
Do you estimate tenant improvements and fit-outs?
Yes. Tenant improvements and retail or office fit-outs are core light-commercial work. We scope the existing conditions and the base-building split explicitly, which is where these jobs usually go sideways.
Can you flag code-upgrade triggers?
We flag likely triggers (accessibility, egress, sprinkler thresholds) as items to verify with the authority having jurisdiction. The final call is the AHJ's, but the cost risk is on the estimate.
Other project types
See the work before you commit
A real, itemized, bid-ready K2E estimate for a detached garage build. The same document a paying contractor received.