Tenant Improvement Budget Calculator

TI buildouts stack — demolition, MEP, finishes, millwork, ceilings. Plus 15-20% soft costs (architect, engineers, permits) and 5-10% contingency. This calculator builds a complete TI budget so tenants can compare it to the landlord's allowance and size out-of-pocket exposure accurately.

Leased SF

Demo / SF

MEP (HVAC, electrical, plumb) / SF

Finishes / SF

Millwork / built-ins / SF

Ceilings / lighting / SF

Soft costs %

Contingency %

Total TI budget

$842,076

Total TI / SF

$70.17

Hard construction cost

$678,000

Soft costs (A&E, permits, PM)

$101,700

Contingency

$62,376

How the math works

Office TI budget stacks: demo + MEP + finishes + millwork + ceilings/lighting. Class A office: $70-$120/SF hard cost. Class B: $50-$90/SF. Medical or food-service: $150-$300/SF. Add 15-20% soft costs and 5-10% contingency.

Landlord allowance covers some but rarely all. The gap between landlord TI allowance and actual build cost is what tenants fund out of pocket or via amortized rent bump.

How to Use

Enter leased SF.
Enter per-SF rates for demo, MEP, finishes, millwork, ceilings.
Enter soft cost and contingency percentages.
Read total TI and per-SF cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Typical TI benchmarks?

Class A office: $80-$130/SF all-in. Class B: $55-$90/SF. Medical: $150-$250/SF. Restaurant: $200-$400/SF. Retail shell: $60-$100/SF. Prices 2023-2024 will trend 10-20% higher than pre-pandemic.

Soft cost breakdown?

Architect: 5-8%. MEP engineers: 2-4%. Permits: 1-3%. Project management: 3-5%. Testing/commissioning: 1-2%. Total: 15-25% of hard cost.

Landlord TI allowance?

Office 5-year lease: $25-$45/SF. 10-year: $50-$80/SF. Higher with longer term and stronger credit tenants. Always verify 'work letter' scope — some allowances include M&E, some don't.