A commercial tenant finish-out — also called tenant improvement, or TI — is the interior build-out that turns a leased shell or a vacated space into a finished, occupiable space for a specific tenant. It covers the interior finishes and specialties the tenant’s approved space plan calls for: flooring, wall finishes and paint, ceilings, casework, doors and hardware, toilet accessories and partitions, signage, and window treatments, plus the partitions and MEP modifications the layout requires. For a general contractor, the finish-out is where a TI project is won or lost on cost and schedule, because the finishes are the visible, allowance-bound, long-lead part of the scope. This page covers what that scope includes, how the money works, the codes that govern it, and why building in occupied space changes the schedule.
What the interior finish-out scope covers
The interior finishes scope on a TI sits across four CSI MasterFormat divisions — the same divisions as any commercial interior finishes package, scoped to a single tenant’s plan:
| Division | TI scope |
|---|---|
| Division 06 Wood, Plastics, and Composites | Reception casework, millwork, finish carpentry, countertop substrate |
| Division 09 Finishes | Resilient flooring and carpet tile, ceramic and porcelain tile, acoustic ceilings, wall finishes, paint |
| Division 10 Specialties | Toilet accessories and partitions, signage, fire extinguisher cabinets |
| Division 12 Furnishings | Window treatments and countertops |
Buying this scope as one coordinated interior finishes package instead of a dozen separate trades removes the seams where scope gaps hide — the handoffs between flooring, casework, and specialties that turn into change orders when different subs own them.
How TI allowances work
The financial fact that shapes every TI is the tenant improvement allowance: a fixed dollar figure per square foot the landlord contributes toward the build-out, negotiated into the lease. The mechanics matter to how you scope:
- If the finish-out costs more than the allowance, the tenant pays the overage out of pocket.
- If it costs less, the tenant rarely pockets the difference.
- Because the allowance is a hard ceiling, the finishes have to be priced and value-managed against it before the lease is signed, not discovered over budget after.
That is why an accurate, spec-grounded interior finishes number early is worth more on a TI than on almost any other project type: it directly sets what the tenant can commit to. Reading the finish schedule against named product standards — not brand names — keeps a substitution honest when the allowance forces a value decision.
The codes that govern the finish scope
TI finishes are code-driven, and the code is enforced at inspection regardless of the space plan:
- Interior finish flame spread. IBC Chapter 8 sets flame-spread classes (A, B, C) by occupancy and location, tested to ASTM E84. Corridors and exits carry the strictest class.
- Floor covering flammability. Floor finishes in corridors and exit enclosures carry a critical radiant flux class under ASTM E648.
- Accessibility. The ADA Standards and ICC/ANSI A117.1 govern accessible restrooms, accessory mounting heights, signage, and clearances. A renovation can trigger path-of-travel upgrades — accessible route, restrooms, drinking fountains, and signage — beyond the tenant suite itself.
- Window treatments. Fabric flame resistance follows NFPA 701.
Missing any of these is not a punch item; it is a failed inspection that holds the tenant’s certificate of occupancy.
Why occupied-building work changes the schedule
The finishes on a TI are rarely the schedule driver. Three other things are:
- Permitting — the space plan has to clear plan review before field work starts.
- Long-lead items — glass, casework, specialty flooring, and window treatments carry lead times that have to be procured before mobilization, not after demo.
- Access — building in an occupied property means after-hours work, noise and dust control, and phasing around a tenant who is still operating. The labor hours may not change, but the calendar stretches.
A finish-out sub who treats the work as a standalone install — disconnected from the permit set, the procurement clock, and the building’s operating constraints — is the sub whose deficiencies show up on the turnover walk. What to require before mobilization: a submittal package tied to the approved plan, procurement confirmation on every long-lead item, and a phasing plan that respects the occupied building.
Innergy Interiors bids commercial tenant finish-out interior scope — Divisions 6, 9, 10, and 12 under one subcontract — to general contractors across the western states. To get the interior finishes package priced against your TI allowance, contact us and we respond within one business day.