The suite looks promising. The location works, the rent fits, and there is enough room for your business. Then someone asks where the new restrooms will connect, whether the electrical service can handle the equipment, or who pays to replace the rooftop air conditioner.
Those answers can change the cost of moving in.
A contractor's walkthrough before you commit to a space can help separate straightforward improvements from work that needs engineering, utility coordination, or landlord approval. Start with these six checks.
1. Confirm that the space can accommodate your business
A former retail store is not automatically ready to become a restaurant or medical office. Give the city's planning and building staff a clear description of the proposed use, a preliminary layout, and any unusual equipment or operations.
Ask what approvals and construction documents the change will require. Have your design team review exits, restrooms, accessibility, and other requirements that could affect the layout.
The paperwork matters even when a space was occupied recently. For example, Frisco distinguishes a certificate-of-occupancy application from projects involving building changes, which require a commercial building permit that concludes with a certificate of occupancy. Confirm the process with the city where your project is located.[1]
2. Check the power against an equipment list
An electrical panel's rating does not tell you how much capacity remains for your business. Empty breaker positions do not settle that question either.
Prepare a list of the equipment you intend to install, including model numbers when available. An electrician or electrical engineer can compare its requirements with the existing service, voltage, phase, and connected loads.
This is especially useful before purchasing kitchen equipment, electric water heaters, or large HVAC units. Ask whether the proposed work can use the existing service and, if an upgrade is needed, what must be confirmed with the utility before the schedule is reliable.
3. Evaluate the HVAC for the new layout
A unit that turns on during a showing has passed a very limited test.
Request equipment information and maintenance records. Have the HVAC contractor assess condition and review whether the system can serve the proposed rooms and operating needs. New partitions, more occupants, and heat-producing equipment can change the demand. Outdoor-air and exhaust needs also deserve a separate review.
The ductwork matters along with the equipment. A suitable unit still needs an air distribution system that serves the finished layout. Federal guidance for light commercial systems identifies sizing, refrigerant charge, and duct leakage as factors that affect comfort and performance.[2]
4. Find the actual plumbing connection points
Mark the proposed sinks, restrooms, and equipment drains on a rough plan. Then ask the plumbing contractor to verify where those fixtures can connect.
A visible pipe does not establish that it is suitable for the new use. Location, depth, condition, and capacity can all affect the work. Moving a restroom across a suite may involve concrete cutting, excavation, new piping, inspections, and floor restoration.
Compare layouts before selecting finishes. Keeping a wet area near a usable connection may avoid work; field verification determines whether that option is practical.
5. Identify work outside your leased walls
Your business may need rooftop equipment, an exhaust discharge, exterior condensers, or utility work in a shared area. Confirm where those items could go and how the landlord handles approval and access.
Ask who reviews roof loading, who makes penetrations, who restores the roofing, and whether a designated roofer must perform that work. For restaurants, check the possible exhaust route before building the kitchen layout around it.
A solution drawn entirely inside the suite may still depend on permission to use another part of the property.
6. Put the landlord's construction scope in writing
Words such as “ready for build-out” leave room for assumptions. Request a specific list of what will be delivered, its condition, and when it will be available.
For each major item, identify who supplies it, installs it, connects it, and completes startup or testing. A landlord furnishing an HVAC unit, for example, does not by itself answer who provides ductwork, controls, electrical connections, or roof work.
Have your contractor compare that list with the construction budget. Ask your lease adviser to address the corresponding lease language.
Leave the walkthrough with a decision list
Ask for a short written record of confirmed conditions, open questions, required investigations, and who will answer each one. Include potential effects on cost and timing. Label unresolved items as unresolved instead of treating them as included work.
That record gives you a more useful basis for comparing spaces than rent and square footage alone.
Planning a commercial build-out? Share the address, proposed use, preliminary layout, and equipment list with Trinity Core Construction to discuss the scope before finalizing your budget.
Sources and further reading
These references support the permitting, accessibility, and HVAC points. The walkthrough questions and examples are original practical guidance, not quotations or reports of specific client projects.
- City of Frisco — Certificate of Occupancy Application Information. Frisco-specific example; requirements must be checked in the project's jurisdiction.
- U.S. Department of Energy — Purchasing Energy-Efficient Light Commercial Heating and Cooling Equipment, quality-installation guidance. Federal purchasing rules are not presented here as requirements for private projects.
- U.S. Department of Justice — ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Background for including accessibility in the design review; individual requirements depend on the project.
Sources reviewed September 25, 2026.