Let's walk through a real project type: a 3,500 sq ft office tenant improvement in a mid-rise commercial building in Mississauga. Vacant space, full fit-out from shell, 7-week timeline. Here's how it goes when it goes well.
Week 0: Site Visit and Scope
Before a single number goes in a quote, we walk the space. We're looking at the base building condition: what's actually there versus what the drawings say, where the MEP penetrations are, what the existing slab looks like, and whether there are any coordination items with building management we need to flag upfront.
The quote comes back within five business days: itemized by trade, with a clear scope of work, exclusions listed explicitly, and a proposed start-to-finish timeline. No allowances buried in line items.
Week 1: Plan and Schedule
Once the contract is signed, we build the project schedule: a trade-by-trade sequence with dates, durations, and dependencies called out. Every subcontractor sees the schedule before they mobilize.
Week 1 is also when we place all long-lead orders. Millwork (a custom reception desk and two offices with built-in credenzas) goes to the shop on day three. Hardware, specialty lighting, and flooring (anything with more than a two-week lead time) gets ordered before demo begins.
Permits are applied for on day one.
Week 2: Demolition
Hoarding goes up on Monday. By Tuesday, we're stripping the existing ceiling grid, non-structural partitions, and flooring. All debris is in a bin by end of day Wednesday. Thursday and Friday: rough cleaning and prep for framing.
Demo on a 3,500 sq ft open office floor takes three days when it's properly resourced.
Weeks 3-4: Framing and MEP Rough-in
New partition layout goes up per approved drawings. Our framing crew is in-house. Backing goes in at every location specified for wall-mounted items, and at standard heights for monitors and shelving even when not explicitly drawn.
MEP rough-in runs in parallel where possible. Plumbing rough runs first. HVAC duct and electrical conduit follow. The three trades are sequenced to avoid cavity conflicts.
By end of week 4: framing complete, MEP rough-in complete, rough-in inspection booked.
Week 5: Drywall and Ceilings
Drywall hang, tape, and three-coat finish runs through week 5. Level 4 finish throughout, as this is a corporate office and the paint will show any imperfection. Ceiling grid goes up in the last two days of the week.
The millwork shop is doing final finishing this week. They're delivering at the start of week 7; that lead time calculation was set in week 1.
Week 6: Flooring, Paint, MEP Trim
Flooring on Monday and Tuesday. Paint starts Wednesday: prime and two coats, with accent walls called out in the finish schedule. MEP trim happens in parallel with paint: devices, light fixtures, diffusers, plumbing trim.
By end of week 6: every surface is painted, every floor is down, every light is working.
Week 7: Millwork, Punch List, Handover
Millwork delivery and installation Monday through Wednesday. Reception desk, office built-ins, break room cabinetry.
Thursday: full site clean and punch list walkthrough with the PM. We walk every room, every surface, every fixture. Typically 15-30 items on a project this size. By end of Thursday, 80% are closed. Friday: punch list complete.
Friday afternoon: keys.
What Goes Wrong and How We Handle It
On this fictional project, week 3 threw a curve: the permit came back with a comment requiring updated drawings for one washroom layout. Two-day delay to the framing start in that area. We resequenced: framed the open office first, kept the trades moving, picked up the washroom once the revised drawing was approved. The overall timeline didn't move.
That's the job. The plan is the starting point, not the guarantee. What matters is what you do when the plan meets reality.
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Tell us what you're building. We'll come back with a clear scope, honest timeline, and a number you can trust.