Commercial paint / flooring refresh
$65/SF
$12,500 minimum
Paint, flooring, minor repairs baseline.
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
$115/SF
shell to lease-ready
Light office
$95/SF
basic partitions
Standard office
$135/SF
full finish-out
Refresh
$65/SF
paint + flooring
5.0 Google$1M GL + $1M Umbrella1-Year Workmanship WarrantyAll Trades Under One ContractCustom, Limited-Volume Builder
White Box & Shell
Published standards, before you book a walk.
Light office TI
$95/SF
$25,000 minimum
Light partitions, paint, flooring, electrical allowance.
Standard office TI
$135/SF
$45,000 minimum
Typical office buildout baseline.
Vanilla box / white box conversion
$115/SF
$35,000 minimum
Basic shell improvement baseline.
All i30 Builders full-project prices include normal mobilization, ordinary protection of adjacent areas, labor, standard materials listed in the scope, 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
Frequently asked
What does a white box finish-out cost in DFW?
Vanilla box or white box conversion: $115/SF ($35,000 min). If you are continuing straight into a tenant finish, light office TI runs $95/SF ($25,000 min) and standard office TI $135/SF ($45,000 min). A paint-and-flooring refresh, where the shell is already sound, is $65/SF ($12,500 min). All-in, including permits and inspections.
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 routinely $40 to $80 per square foot, 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, project coordination, normal cleanup, and a one-year workmanship warranty on the listed scope.
Recent Work
A look at what we build.
Get a written quote
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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