Paint and flooring refresh
$10 to $25/SF
Cosmetic update where the layout and the systems stay exactly where they are.
Real Standards · 2026
White Box & Shell Finish-Out Cost in DFW
White box is the handoff point between landlord and tenant, and what it includes is negotiable rather than standard. Get it defined in writing before you sign, because the gap between a cold shell and a true white box is the single largest variable in the deal.
Vanilla box
$55 to $85/SF
shell to lease-ready
Light office
$35 to $65/SF
basic partitions
Standard office
$65 to $95/SF
full finish-out
Refresh
$10 to $25/SF
paint + flooring
Rated 5.0 on Google$1M GL + $1M Umbrella1-year workmanship warranty
What does a white box and shell finish-out cost in Dallas-Fort Worth?
White box and shell finish-outs have no published starting price: each one is scoped and priced per project after a site walk, lump sum from a written scope before any deposit, and the ranges on this page are for budgeting. The price includes labor, materials listed in the written scope, permits and standard city inspections, project management, mobilization, protection of adjacent areas, cleanup and one-year workmanship warranty. Scope, the condition of the space and the schedule move the number more than square footage does.
- Pricing
- Per project after a site walk, lump sum. No published starting price
- Permits
- Permits and standard city inspections included
- Warranty
- One-year workmanship warranty, in writing
- Where
- Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas
Updated
White Box & Shell
Published standards, before you book a walk.
Light office TI
$35 to $65/SF
A layout change in a space that already works: some walls move, systems mostly stay.
Standard office TI
$65 to $95/SF
A full office fit-out: private offices, conference rooms, a break area, new finishes throughout.
White box from cold shell
$55 to $85/SF
Bringing a cold dark shell up to a leasable vanilla box for the next tenant.
All i30 Builders full-project prices include normal mobilization, ordinary protection of adjacent areas, labor, standard materials listed in the scope, permits and standard city inspections, project coordination, normal cleanup, and a one-year workmanship warranty on the listed scope.Every job in this category is custom, so these are budgeting standards rather than quotes. Landlord fees, FF&E, equipment, and specialty inspections are separate line items called out explicitly in the written scope.
What Drives the Final Number
Up and down, the honest answer.
Pushes price up
- A cold shell with utilities stubbed at the property line rather than distributed
- Bringing HVAC distribution, not just a unit, into the space
- Building code-compliant restrooms where none exist
- Fire sprinkler drops and alarm devices for the new layout
- Demising walls where the space is being split from a larger bay
- Landlord specifications that exceed the base code requirement
Keeps price down
- A grey shell with restrooms and HVAC distribution already in
- Keeping the existing ceiling grid and lighting where it passes
- A single-tenant bay that needs no demising work
- Standard finishes rather than a landlord-specified package
- Coordinating the finish-out with the landlord's own shell schedule
Common Cost Questions
White box and shell finish-out cost questions
What does a white box finish-out cost in DFW?
Paint and flooring refresh $10 to $25/SF. Light office TI $35 to $65/SF. Standard office TI $65 to $95/SF. Higher-end office TI $95 to $140/SF. White box from cold shell $55 to $85/SF. Retail refresh $15 to $38/SF. Standard retail build-out $65 to $105/SF. Commercial restroom refresh $8,000 to $12,000 each. Single-user ADA restroom, full build $18,000 to $30,000 each. Permits and standard city inspections are in the range; FF&E, design and engineering, and landlord fees are priced separately and named in the written scope.
What is the difference between a cold shell and a white box?
A cold shell is four walls, a slab, and utilities brought to the space but not distributed. A white box adds the things that make it leasable: HVAC distribution, code-compliant restrooms, a ceiling grid with lighting, level flooring, and finished walls ready for paint. The gap between them is what the white box tier prices, $55 to $85/SF, which is why the lease language matters more than the headline rate.
Who pays for the white box, me or the landlord?
It depends entirely on the lease, which is why we read it before quoting. Some landlords deliver a white box and the tenant finishes from there; others deliver a cold shell with a TI allowance and the tenant does both. We price your side of that line explicitly so you can negotiate the allowance against a real number.
Can you deliver a shell so it passes inspection first time?
That is the objective on every shell scope: HVAC, lighting, restrooms, and code-compliant interior framing built to pass on the first walk. We coordinate the inspection sequence ourselves rather than handing you a punch list of city appointments.
Is the quoted price the final price?
Yes, written scope, locked at signing. Change orders happen only if you request a scope change, and they are priced and approved in writing first. Hidden conditions behind walls are excluded by default and surfaced as change orders if found.
What's included in the per-SF price?
All i30 Builders full-project prices include normal mobilization, ordinary protection of adjacent areas, labor, standard materials listed in the scope, permits and standard city inspections, project coordination, normal cleanup, and a one-year workmanship warranty on the listed scope.
Recent Work
A look at what we build.
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- Build-out cost calculator
- Plan backward from your lease commencement date
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Tell us the square footage, whether the space is second-generation or raw, and your target opening date. Free site visit; written scope back within 5 business days.
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