Commercial renovations for landlords
and property managers in Vancouver.
QUAY Construction renovates vacant units, delivers landlord's work, upgrades common areas and builds tenant improvements for building owners and property managers in Vancouver. You get fixed-price proposals, one point of contact, and work scheduled after hours and on weekends so your tenants keep operating.
Renovations for landlords and property managers: quick answers
Short answers to the questions building owners ask most.
- What work do you do for landlords?
- Vacant unit refreshes, spec suites, landlord's work, common areas and tenant improvements.
- Can tenants stay open?
- Yes. We work after hours and on weekends and phase the work around tenants.
- How is it priced?
- A detailed fixed-price proposal with scope, inclusions, exclusions and allowances.
- Do you work in strata buildings?
- Yes, including commercial units in strata and mixed-use buildings.
Commercial renovation services for
landlords and property managers
One contractor for the units, common areas and building upgrades across your portfolio.
Vacant units and spec suites
Refresh or rebuild empty units so they show well and lease faster, from new finishes to move-in-ready office suites.
Landlord's work
The base building scope a lease commits you to deliver: services to the unit, demising walls, washrooms and code items.
Common areas
Lobbies, corridors, elevator vestibules and shared washrooms renovated while tenants keep using the building.
Tenant improvements
Fit-outs built for incoming tenants on your behalf, so the allowance is spent on a defined, fixed-price scope.
Building owners and property managers need a contractor who understands how a commercial building runs: tenants who must keep operating, building rules for noise and access, insurance and documentation requirements, and lease dates that cannot move. QUAY handles renovation work across offices, retail units, restaurants, clinics and mixed-use buildings, from a single vacant suite to repeat work across a portfolio. Related services include commercial washrooms, accessibility upgrades and commercial flooring.
Vacant unit and spec suite
renovations
Every month a unit sits empty costs rent. A well-prepared space shortens that time.
When a tenant moves out, the unit often needs more than paint. Damaged walls and ceilings, worn flooring, tired washrooms and leftover tenant fixtures make a space harder to show and harder to lease. QUAY can restore a unit to a clean, neutral condition, or build it out as a spec suite with a ready-to-use layout, lighting, finishes and kitchenette, so prospective tenants can picture themselves in it and move in sooner.
Before work starts, we walk the unit with you, agree what condition it needs to reach for leasing, and price the scope as a detailed fixed-price proposal. We schedule work around showings where needed and can keep a consistent standard of finishes across multiple units, which makes future turnovers faster and easier to budget.
For office suites, a light refresh typically falls in the $90 to $150 per square foot range and a full build-out $150 to $250 per square foot for construction, as set out in our commercial renovation cost guide.
Landlord's work and
base building upgrades
Deliver the unit in the condition the lease promises, on the date it promises.
Most commercial leases set out the landlord's work in a schedule: the condition the unit must be in at handover, such as base building services brought to the unit, demising walls, a working washroom, or code and accessibility items. That work often has a firm delivery date tied to the tenant's possession and fixturing period, so it needs to be priced and scheduled with no surprises.
QUAY reviews the landlord's work schedule with you, confirms what each item involves on site, and delivers it as a defined scope. Where a tenant improvement allowance is also on offer, we can price the tenant's work at the same time, so you know the full cost of preparing the space before the lease is signed. If the tenant's own contractor builds the fit-out, we coordinate the handover so the base building work is complete and documented. Learn more about landlord's work vs tenant's work and tenant improvement allowances.
Common area renovations
in occupied buildings
Lobbies, corridors and shared washrooms upgraded while tenants keep working.
Common areas are the first thing tenants and visitors see, and they are in use every day. QUAY renovates lobbies, corridors, elevator vestibules, shared washrooms and amenity spaces while the building stays open. We schedule noisy and dusty work after hours and on weekends, phase the work so entrances, routes and washrooms stay available, and set up each phase with separation, protection and clear signage so tenants and visitors can move through the building safely.
Before construction, we agree the phases, working hours and access arrangements with you, and help prepare the notices and schedules you share with tenants. During construction, one project manager is your point of contact and coordinates elevator bookings, deliveries and any tenant questions that come up, so your team isn't managing the trades.
Commercial renovations in strata
and mixed-use buildings
Commercial units with residents above and a strata council or property manager to answer to.
Many Vancouver commercial units sit at the base of residential towers or inside strata buildings. Work there has an extra layer of rules: strata bylaws and approvals, limited hours for noisy work, loading and elevator restrictions, and neighbours living directly above. QUAY works in these buildings regularly on both residential and commercial projects, and plans each job around the strata or property manager's requirements before construction starts.
We help prepare the documents strata councils and property managers usually ask for, such as insurance certificates, work schedules and scope descriptions, and we keep the building informed about noisy work and deliveries. Whether you manage the commercial units, own one, or represent the strata, you get one point of contact, a detailed fixed-price proposal and our 365-day workmanship warranty.
Why property managers choose QUAY
as their commercial contractor
Predictable pricing and a contractor who respects how your building runs.
Fixed-price proposals
Scope, inclusions, exclusions and allowances agreed before construction begins, so budgets and approvals are straightforward.
One point of contact
A single project manager for each job, coordinating trades, tenants and building management.
Tenants keep operating
After-hours and weekend work, phased zones and a site set up around the people using the building.
365-day warranty
Our workmanship warranty covers applicable work for a full year after completion.
For a property manager, a good contractor is one you don't have to chase. QUAY confirms the permit path early, provides the paperwork your building needs, keeps tenants informed, and closes out each job with the documentation you need for your records. Learn more about our process and why clients choose QUAY, or see our commercial permits page.
Serving landlords and property managers
across Vancouver and the North Shore
Office towers, retail strips, mixed-use buildings and strata commercial units.
QUAY works for building owners and property managers across the City of Vancouver, from Downtown and Yaletown to the Broadway corridor and neighbourhood high streets, and across the North Shore and Metro Vancouver. Every building has its own rules for working hours, elevator bookings, deliveries and approved trades, and we plan around them before construction starts.
Whether you need one vacant unit refreshed, landlord's work delivered on a lease date, or a contractor for ongoing work across several properties, the process is the same: a site visit, a clear scope, a fixed-price proposal and one project manager from start to finish.
Questions from landlords
and property managers.
Learn more about commercial build-outs, leasehold improvements, permits, landlords, timelines and construction planning.
01 What renovation work does QUAY do for landlords and property managers? ↓
QUAY renovates vacant units and builds spec suites, delivers landlord's work set out in leases, renovates common areas such as lobbies, corridors and shared washrooms, and builds tenant improvements on a landlord's behalf, across offices, retail, restaurants, clinics and mixed-use buildings.
02 Can you renovate common areas while tenants keep operating? ↓
Yes. QUAY regularly builds while businesses stay open. We schedule noisy work after hours and on weekends, phase the work so entrances, routes and washrooms stay available, and set up the site so tenants and visitors can move through the building safely.
03 What is landlord's work? ↓
Landlord's work is the construction a lease commits the landlord to complete before handover, such as bringing base building services to the unit, demising walls, washrooms or code items. It is set out in a schedule to the lease and usually tied to the tenant's possession date. Learn more about landlord's work vs tenant's work.
04 How much does it cost to renovate a vacant office suite? ↓
As a 2026 planning guide, an office refresh typically costs about $90 to $150 per square foot for construction and a full build-out about $150 to $250 per square foot. These ranges exclude design fees, permits, furniture, IT, signage and GST. See our commercial renovation cost guide.
05 Do you work in strata and mixed-use buildings? ↓
Yes. QUAY plans work in strata and mixed-use buildings around strata bylaws, approvals, working hours, loading and elevator rules, and helps prepare the documents councils and property managers ask for, such as insurance certificates and work schedules.
06 Can you build tenant improvements on the landlord's behalf? ↓
Yes. QUAY can build a tenant's fit-out for the landlord so the tenant improvement allowance is spent on a defined, fixed-price scope, or coordinate the handover if the tenant uses its own contractor. Learn more about tenant improvements.
07 How is landlord and property manager work priced? ↓
Every job is priced from a site visit as a detailed fixed-price proposal listing the scope, inclusions, exclusions and allowances, with one project manager as your point of contact and a 365-day workmanship warranty.
Let's talk about
your building.
Tell us about the property, the units or common areas involved, any lease dates you are working to, and how the building operates. We will walk the site and give you a detailed fixed-price proposal.