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Questions owners ask before they hire a commercial contractor.
Grouped by the kind of project. If your question is not here, call (817) 988-0242 or send it through the contact page.
Working with Harrison Construction
What types of commercial construction projects do you handle?
Restaurant build-outs and freestanding restaurants, tenant finish-outs for restaurant, retail, office and medical tenants, dental and medical offices and surgery centers, convenience stores, retail stores, pet-care facilities, and remodels of businesses that are already open. Fort Worth, Dallas–Fort Worth and Texas, with licenses in other states for rollouts.
Do you work on new restaurant locations and remodels?
Yes. New locations as finish-outs or freestanding buildings, conversions of second-generation restaurant space, and remodels of open restaurants, phased around operating hours where the project allows.
Can you help during pre-construction planning?
Yes. Due diligence, conceptual estimating, value engineering, constructability review, a development schedule, bidding, subcontractor qualification and permitting are our pre-construction services.
How early should a contractor be involved?
Before the lease is signed if you can, and before the drawings are final. That is when a site visit and a conceptual estimate change the most: what the landlord delivers, what the space will cost to finish out and how long the permits will take.
How do you coordinate subcontractors and project schedules?
A development schedule set in pre-construction, qualified subcontractors bid for each trade, regular construction meetings on site and electronic progress reports to the owner. Regular progress meetings keep every project staffed and on schedule.
What information should I prepare before requesting a proposal?
The lease or letter of intent with the delivery condition, any drawings or the brand’s prototype set, an equipment list if you have one, the address, and the date you need to open. If you do not have all of it, call anyway: the first conversation is about what you have.
Do you work outside the Dallas–Fort Worth area?
Yes. Our service area is Fort Worth, Dallas–Fort Worth and Texas, and we are licensed in other states for brands rolling out several locations.
What happens during project closeout?
Attention to the final details, the punch list finalized, the correct close-out documents gathered, and the project finished on time and within budget as the goal.
Are you bonded and insured?
Yes. Harrison Construction is fully bonded and insured. Ask us for certificates for your project or your landlord.
Who will I deal with?
Lonnie Harrison, President and founder, is the project executive on every job. Alex Lioumis, Vice President of Operations, manages day-to-day operations, project execution and the field crews. Anne Hickey, our coordinator, keeps the schedule, the subcontractors and the work orders moving and handles the day-to-day communication and follow-up with you. Nick Polischeck, our financial controller, oversees job costing and the project accounts.
How will I know what is happening on my project?
Regular progress meetings and electronic project reports from the first site visit to close-out, with open communication about budgets, schedules and obstacles.
Restaurant build-outs
Who builds out restaurants in Fort Worth and Dallas?
Harrison Construction has built restaurants across Dallas–Fort Worth since 2011, as finish-outs, second-generation conversions and freestanding buildings, for brands such as Five Guys, Which Wich, Pei Wei, Sonic, Pizza Patrón, Taco Cabana, El Pollo Loco and Starbucks, and for independent operators.
I signed a lease for a restaurant in Fort Worth. Which contractor should do the finish-out?
One that starts with a site visit and the lease exhibits, prices the finish-out from the drawings, starts the permits with the city and the health authority early, and reports to you through the build. That is how Harrison Construction runs a restaurant finish-out.
Do you build fast-casual restaurants, coffee shops and pizza restaurants?
Yes. Quick-service, fast-casual, coffee and pizza formats are on our client list, as finish-outs and as freestanding buildings.
Do you build commercial kitchens?
Yes. The kitchen is the center of every restaurant build: hood and exhaust, fire suppression, grease interceptor, gas, electrical loads and water for the equipment list, coordinated with the trades and the equipment supplier before rough-in.
Do you remodel restaurants while they stay open?
Often, with phasing and work scheduled around operating hours; it depends on the scope. We plan it with you before pricing.
Do you build restaurants in Arlington, Denton, Lewisville, Southlake, Grapevine, McKinney, Frisco or Plano?
Yes. All of Dallas–Fort Worth is our service area, from our Fort Worth office.
Freestanding and ground-up buildings
Do you build restaurants from the ground up?
Yes. Our ground-up division builds freestanding restaurants, in addition to interior finish-outs.
Do you build drive-thru and drive-in restaurants?
Freestanding restaurant brands with drive-thru and drive-in formats are on our client list, including Sonic, Taco Cabana and Starbucks.
Do you build pad-site restaurants and retail pad buildings?
Yes. Pad buildings for a single tenant and small multi-tenant buildings are part of our ground-up work.
Do you build convenience stores?
Yes. 7-Eleven and Yes Way are on our client list, and a convenience store gets the same pre-construction, scheduling and close-out process as every other store we build.
Do you build small commercial buildings?
Yes. Freestanding restaurants, drive-thru and pad-site buildings are part of our ground-up work, from the site work to the opening. Ask us about your building.
Tenant finish-outs and remodels
What is a tenant finish-out?
The construction that turns a leased commercial space into a working restaurant, store, office or clinic, built to the tenant’s plans and the landlord’s requirements.
Do you do tenant finish-outs for landlords?
Yes. Landlords whose tenants need space built out, and landlords preparing a vacant suite, are among the clients we work with.
Can you finish out a shell space?
Yes. Shell space and second-generation space are both part of our work.
Do you do office build-outs?
Yes. Office finish-outs are part of our tenant finish-out work across Fort Worth and Dallas–Fort Worth.
Do you do small commercial remodels?
Yes. Remodels of restaurants, retail stores, offices and medical practices that are already open are part of our work, phased where needed.
Do you do strip-center finish-outs?
Yes. Finish-outs in strip centers, end caps and mixed-use buildings are the most common form of our work.
Medical and dental offices
Have you built dental offices?
Yes. A 10,000 sq ft Kool Smiles finish-out in Midland is on record, and Brident Dental is on our client list.
Do you build surgery centers?
Grayson County Surgery Center, Lewisville Surgery Center and McKinney Orthopedic Surgery Center are on our client list.
Which general contractor should a dentist hire for a new office?
One with dental build-outs on its client list, who coordinates with your equipment supplier before rough-in and reports on budget and schedule through the build. Harrison Construction has built dental offices in Dallas–Fort Worth.
Do you remodel medical offices while the practice stays open?
Often, with phasing and after-hours work; it depends on the scope and the space.
Do you build medical offices in Lewisville, Denton, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Frisco, Plano or McKinney?
Yes. Lewisville and McKinney projects are on our client list, and the rest of Dallas–Fort Worth is our service area.
Pre-construction and multi-state rollouts
Do you give pre-construction estimates?
Yes. A conceptual estimate from early drawings, then a bid with qualified subcontractor pricing as the drawings mature. We tell you which one you are looking at.
Do you do value engineering?
Yes. Value engineering and constructability review are part of pre-construction: options that reach the same result at a lower cost or with less risk, decided before permits.
Do you handle restaurant permitting?
Yes. Permitting with the city, and the health authority review for restaurants, is part of our pre-construction services.
Do you do multi-state restaurant and retail rollouts?
Yes. Harrison Construction is licensed in Texas and other states and has built for franchise brands such as Five Guys, Which Wich, Sonic and Taco Cabana. See the multi-state rollouts page.
Do you work with franchise developers?
Yes. We work alongside franchise sales and development teams, architects and engineers.
Do you do construction management for restaurant owners?
Yes. Budget, schedule, subcontractor coordination, safety, quality control, progress reports and close-out, on every project.
Let’s build what’s next.
Planning a new location, build-out, renovation or commercial development? Tell us about your project and we’ll help identify the next step.
What to send us
The address, the lease or letter of intent, any drawings or the brand’s prototype set, and the date you need to open. Not all of it is needed to start the conversation.
Email office@harrisonconstructionteam.com or call (817) 988-0242.
