Office Fit-Out and Tenant Improvement Project Timeline

The Problem: Office TI Projects Are Squeezed Between Lease Signing and Business Disruption

An office tenant improvement project is constrained from both ends. On the front end, you can't start construction until the lease is signed and the landlord approves construction drawings—which takes weeks. On the back end, the business has a current lease expiration (or a workforce that can't be in limbo indefinitely). The window between lease execution and required occupancy is typically 12-24 weeks, and every week consumed by slow permitting, late design decisions, or uncoordinated trades is a week the business absorbs the cost of holding two spaces or negotiating expensive holdover rent.

Office fit-outs are also technically complex. A 10,000 SF open-plan office with conference rooms, a server room, kitchen, and reception requires electrical at every workstation, data cabling to every desk, HVAC balancing for occupancy loads, AV systems in every conference room, and security access control at every door. Coordinating these systems without a project schedule means AV contractors show up to install screens when electricians are still roughing in power. IT cabling gets installed before conduit is in place. Move-in is scheduled before punch list is complete.

gantt-chart.io lets corporate real estate teams and project managers build a TI timeline that keeps design, permitting, construction, and technology installation coordinated against a fixed move-in date.

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Prerequisites

Before building your office fit-out timeline:

• Lease execution date and commencement date: These bound your schedule
• TI allowance: Per-SF amount and landlord disbursement requirements
• Space size: Square footage and number of floors
• Current space expiration: Hard deadline driving move-in date
• Design intent: Open plan vs. private offices, benching vs. assigned desks, hoteling
• Headcount: Current and projected 3-5 year headcount drives programming and design scope
• Technology requirements: AV specs for conference rooms, server room requirements, security access control
• Move management vendor: Company handling physical move of furniture and equipment
• Landlord approval requirements: Some landlords require separate TI contractor approval

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up the TI Project Timeline

1. Open gantt-chart.io
2. Title it "[Company Name] — [Address] — [SF] SF — Move-In [Date]"
3. For a typical office TI, set the view to cover 16-36 weeks from lease signing to move-in
4. Use Week view—TI projects move fast and week-level precision matters
5. Add Move-In / Occupancy as the hard red milestone. Add Permit Issued, Substantial Completion, and Technology Cutover as orange milestones.

Step 2: Programming and Design

1. Create a task group: Programming & Design
2. Add:

• Space programming — 1-2 weeks; block plans, headcount allocation, room counts
• Schematic design — 2-4 weeks; initial floor plan options
• Design development — 2-4 weeks; selected plan with furniture layout
• Construction documents — 3-5 weeks; permit-ready drawings
• Furniture plan finalized — milestone; needed before FF&E procurement begins
• AV / IT design — 2-4 weeks; runs concurrent with CD phase
• Landlord drawing approval — 1-3 weeks after CD submittal
• Building permit submittal — milestone
• Permit issued — milestone

Step 3: FF&E Procurement

1. Create a task group: Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment
2. Add:

• Furniture specification — 2-3 weeks; finalize vendor and product
• Furniture order placed — milestone; custom / semi-custom takes 10-16 weeks
• Furniture delivery to site — milestone; plan delivery for Week 2 after substantial completion
• Furniture installation — 1-2 weeks
• Task lighting and accessories installation — 2-3 days

Step 4: Construction

1. Create a task group: Construction
2. Add:

• Demolition (if previously built-out space) — 1-2 weeks
• Rough framing (walls, doors, glass partitions) — 1-3 weeks
• Plumbing rough-in (kitchen, restrooms if modifying) — 1-2 weeks
• Electrical rough-in — 2-4 weeks; includes outlets, circuits, dedicated server room power
• Data / low-voltage rough-in — 2-3 weeks; conduit, J-hooks, boxes
• HVAC modifications — 2-4 weeks; ductwork, VAV boxes, thermostats
• Rough-in inspections — milestone
• Drywall — 1-3 weeks
• Paint — 1-2 weeks
• Ceiling tile and grid — 1-2 weeks
• Flooring (carpet, LVT, polished concrete) — 1-2 weeks
• Millwork (kitchen, reception desk, built-ins) — 1-3 weeks
• Lighting fixture installation — 1 week
• Substantial completion — milestone

Step 5: Technology Installation

1. Create a task group: Technology & AV
2. Add:

• Data cabling pull — 1-2 weeks; after conduit rough-in
• Network equipment installation (IDF, switches) — 1 week
• AV equipment installation (displays, conferencing) — 1-2 weeks; after ceiling and walls complete
• Security / access control installation — 1 week
• IT system testing and cutover — 1 week
• AV system testing and commissioning — 1 week
• Technology punch list — 3-5 days

Step 6: Move Coordination

1. Create a task group: Move Management
2. Add:

• Move plan developed — 4 weeks before move; floor-by-floor, department-by-department
• Move vendor engaged — 8-12 weeks before move
• Employee communications about move — begin 8 weeks before move
• IT equipment decommission at old space — 1-2 weeks before move
• Physical move — after hours / weekend — 1-3 weekends
• IT equipment recommission at new space — 1-2 days after move
• Old space surrender and condition review — within 30 days of move

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Key Milestones

| Milestone | Typical Timing |

|-----------|----------------|

| Lease executed | Week 0 |

| Programming complete | Week 2-4 |

| Construction documents complete | Week 8-12 |

| Permit submitted | Week 10-14 |

| Furniture ordered | Week 8-12 |

| Permit issued | Week 14-20 |

| Construction start | Week 15-21 |

| Rough-in inspections passed | Week 20-28 |

| Substantial completion | Week 26-36 |

| Furniture installed | Week 28-38 |

| Technology cutover | Week 28-38 |

| Move-in / occupancy | Week 30-42 |

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Common Mistakes

• Starting design before space programming is finalized: If the headcount changes or the floor plan pivots after CDs are drawn, the redesign cost and schedule impact are significant. Lock programming before design begins.
• Not ordering furniture concurrent with permitting: Furniture lead times are 10-16 weeks. If you wait for the permit to be issued to order, furniture arrives weeks after move-in.
• Underestimating AV and IT coordination: Conference room AV systems require coordination between the AV designer, GC (for mounting and power), low-voltage contractor (cabling), and AV installer (equipment). Failing to coordinate these four parties is the most common cause of TI punch list issues.
• Scheduling move-in before punch list is complete: Occupying a space with an open punch list means employees work in a construction zone while contractors finish. Complete punch list before any employees occupy.
• Not coordinating furniture delivery with elevator reservations: High-rise office buildings require advance reservations for freight elevator use. Missing the reservation adds 1-3 days to furniture installation.

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Template

gantt-chart.io includes an office fit-out and tenant improvement template with design, construction, technology, and move management tracks pre-loaded. Open it, enter your lease dates and target move-in, and share with your project manager, GC, and technology team.