Construction & Project Management

We manage construction on our own buildings and on client properties across the Twin Cities: tenant build-outs, common area renovations, envelope and systems work, and the larger repositioning projects that turn a tired building into a leasable one.

Scope, schedule, budget

Most construction problems on commercial property are coordination problems rather than building problems. We keep a single point of contact between the owner, the tenant, the architect and the trades, and we report against the schedule and the budget rather than around them. When something slips, you hear it from us first.

What we handle

• Tenant improvement design and build-out coordination
• Contractor selection, competitive bidding and contract negotiation
• Permitting and municipal coordination
• Capital improvement planning and phasing
• On-site progress oversight and punch list management
• Close-out, warranty tracking and as-built documentation

Working around tenants

Occupied buildings do not empty out for a renovation. Sequencing work so a retailer keeps their door open and an office tenant keeps working is most of the job, and it is the part that is easiest to get wrong. We plan for it at the start rather than negotiating it in week three.

Older buildings

Much of our portfolio predates 1930. Working in older stock means surprises behind the wall are the base case, not the exception, so we budget contingency accordingly and tell owners early what we have found.

What a tenant improvement allowance actually covers

A tenant improvement allowance is the money a landlord contributes toward making a space usable for a specific tenant. What it covers is negotiable and frequently misunderstood. Demising walls, HVAC distribution, electrical and lighting, flooring and finishes usually qualify. Furniture, equipment and signage usually do not. The allowance is also rarely paid up front — most are reimbursed against invoices after completion, which means the tenant carries the cost in the meantime. Knowing that before signing changes what you negotiate for.

Managing an office build out

An office build out goes wrong in the handoffs: between design and permit, between permit and mobilisation, between substantial completion and the certificate of occupancy. Each is a place where two weeks disappear and nobody is accountable. We manage the handoffs, hold the schedule, and say early when a date is going to move — because a tenant build out that slips past a lease commencement date costs somebody rent.

Working with commercial contractors in Minneapolis

We do not self-perform. We hire commercial contractors in Minneapolis who have done the building type before, competitively bid the work, and hold them to the scope they bid. Because we bring repeat work across a portfolio rather than a single project, the trades that do well by us keep getting called. That is the only leverage that reliably produces honest pricing and schedules that hold.

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