Tenant Improvements

Permitted. Coordinated. Built Around Your Lease Date.

Paragon builds tenant improvements for office, medical, retail, and flex spaces across the South Bay — the demolition, framing, drywall, ceilings, doors, finishes, and flooring that turn a shell or second-generation suite into a space you can occupy. A TI project runs on more than construction: permits and plan check, landlord work-letter requirements, accessibility upgrades under California's CBC Chapter 11B, and a lease commencement date that doesn't move. We coordinate with your architect, your property manager, and licensed electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler trades, schedule disruptive work after hours in occupied buildings, and hand over the closeout documentation landlords and lenders ask for.

What Actually Drives a South Bay TI Project

Our Tenant Improvement Process

1. 01Lease and space review — we walk the suite, read the work letter and building standards, and document existing conditions in restrooms, ceilings, electrical, and HVAC that affect scope.
2. 02Design coordination and budget — we price the layout early with your architect or designer and flag accessibility, fire, and energy code items before the drawings are finalized.
3. 03Permits and landlord approval — drawings go through city plan check and landlord review; we track comments, respond with the design team, and pull permits once approved.
4. 04Pre-construction — schedule, work hours, insurance certificates, and building rules are confirmed with property management, and long-lead doors, hardware, and flooring are ordered.
5. 05Demolition and rough-in — selective demo and framing, followed by coordinated electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler rough-in and the required rough inspections.
6. 06Close-in and finishes — insulation, drywall, acoustical ceilings, doors and hardware, paint, and flooring, with after-hours phasing wherever the building requires it.
7. 07Final inspection and closeout — final inspections, punch list walked with tenant and landlord, and a closeout package with permit sign-offs, product data, and lien releases.

Tenant Improvement Scope

• Office, medical, dental, retail, and flex space buildouts
• Second-generation suite refreshes and re-demising
• Selective interior demolition
• Metal stud framing and demising walls
• Commercial drywall to Level 4 and Level 5
• Acoustical ceiling grid and tile
• Doors, frames, relites, and commercial hardware
• CBC Chapter 11B accessibility upgrades, including restrooms
• Coordination of licensed electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler trades
• Commercial LVP, carpet tile, and resilient flooring
• Low-VOC commercial painting and finishes
• Break rooms and coffee bars (not commercial kitchens)
• Landlord work-letter and building-standard compliance
• After-hours and phased construction in occupied buildings
• Permit, inspection, and closeout documentation

Why Tenants and Property Managers Choose Paragon

• Scope planned around permits, plan check, and the lease date — not just the construction schedule.
• Accessibility, fire, and energy code items raised during design instead of at plan check.
• Clear communication and closeout documentation for landlords and property managers.
• Licensed, insured general contractor based in Torrance, with 18+ years of experience.

Tenant Improvements — Frequently Asked Questions

How much do tenant improvements cost per square foot in the South Bay?

Typical ranges here run about $15–$45 per square foot for a light refresh of paint, flooring, and minor repairs, and roughly $60–$150 per square foot for a moderate buildout with new walls, ceilings, lighting, and doors. Heavier work — new restrooms, significant mechanical and electrical changes, or medical-specific infrastructure — commonly runs $150–$300 or more per square foot. Existing conditions, accessibility upgrades, building-standard finish requirements, after-hours restrictions, and architectural and permit fees all move the number. Paragon quotes a fixed price after a site visit and a review of the drawings.

How long does a tenant improvement take?

Construction on a small office or retail TI often runs 4–10 weeks, while larger suites and medical buildouts can take several months. The larger variable usually sits ahead of construction: design, landlord approval, and city plan check can add weeks to months depending on the city, the complexity, and how many rounds of comments the drawings draw. Long-lead items such as doors and hardware, HVAC equipment, and storefront also drive the schedule. If you're working toward a lease commencement date, bring a contractor in during design so the timeline is realistic.

Do tenant improvements require a permit?

Most do. Adding or moving walls, altering restrooms, changing electrical or lighting, modifying HVAC or fire sprinklers, and changing the use of a space generally require a building permit with plan check, sometimes with separate fire department review. Purely cosmetic work like painting or replacing flooring in kind often doesn't, though requirements vary by city and landlords frequently require their own approval either way. Skipping permits can delay occupancy, create lease problems, and force expensive corrections later. We confirm what your specific scope requires with the city before work begins.

What ADA upgrades are required for a commercial remodel in California?

California applies accessibility requirements through CBC Chapter 11B, which is often stricter than the federal ADA standards. The area you remodel has to comply, and the path of travel serving it — entrance, restrooms, drinking fountains, parking, and signage — may need upgrades as well. When the adjusted construction cost is at or below a valuation threshold that's adjusted annually, required path-of-travel spending is generally limited to 20 percent of that cost; above the threshold, full compliance is generally expected. The plan checker makes the final determination, so we identify likely items during design.

Can construction happen while neighboring tenants stay open?

Yes, and in most multi-tenant South Bay buildings it has to. We schedule the loud and dusty work — demolition, core drilling, powder-actuated fastening, and drywall sanding — for after hours or whatever windows the building allows, seal the work area to contain dust, and protect corridors, elevators, and common area finishes. Deliveries and debris removal run through the property manager's loading rules. Being clean and quiet during business hours keeps the landlord and your future neighbors on your side, which matters when you're the new tenant in the building.

What types of commercial spaces do you build out?

Paragon builds tenant improvements for professional offices, medical and dental suites, retail storefronts, showrooms, and industrial flex space in Torrance, El Segundo, Carson, Gardena, the beach cities, and the surrounding South Bay. Typical scopes include demolition, framing, drywall, acoustical ceilings, doors and hardware, flooring, paint, and accessibility upgrades, with licensed electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire sprinkler trades coordinated as part of the project. Commercial kitchens, including restaurant cook lines and grease exhaust systems, are outside our scope. A site visit will tell you quickly whether your project fits.

Related Commercial Services

More Within Commercial Division