TENANT BUILDOUT
INTERIOR FIT-OUTS
Commercial Tenant Build-Outs
Space planning, heavy metal stud framing, drywall, acoustic ceiling grids, and designer commercial flooring.
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COMMERCIAL GENERAL CONTRACTOR • DIV 01 / 02
FL CGC1517295 • CCC1329271
Restaurant Build-Out in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Opening a restaurant is hard enough without a contractor problem. We handle restaurant build-outs in Fort Lauderdale with the kitchen, code, and timeline experience these projects need.
FBC & ADA Standards
Zero Violations
Direct Qualifier CGC
CGC1517295 • CCC1329271
100% In-House Supervision
Zero Subcontracting Gaps
FL STATE LICENSED
CGC1517295 • CCC1329271
100%
In-House Crews • Zero Brokers
COMMERCIAL GENERAL CONTRACTOR • SOUTH FLORIDA
Restaurant Build-Outs From Empty Shell to Opening Night
Restaurant build-out in Fort Lauderdale is among the most technically demanding commercial construction projects available — combining commercial kitchen code requirements, health department compliance, fire suppression systems, bar and dining room finishes, outdoor dining extensions, and the theatrical design elements that define a successful dining experience. Fort Lauderdale's food and beverage scene is one of South Florida's most competitive and dynamic markets, and a restaurant that doesn't open on schedule loses momentum and revenue it can never recover. At Planet Construction FL, we build restaurants from raw commercial shell to opening-day ready — managing every trade and every inspection that stands between a signed lease and a first reservation.
Permit Expediting & Engineering
Direct coordination with municipal building officials, registered structural engineers, and life safety reviewers for accelerated approvals.
ADA & Life Safety Compliance
Full ADA Title III accessibility upgrades, fire barrier ratings, egress calculations, and zero-liability inspection sign-offs.
Dual State Licensing
Certified General Contractor (CGC1517295) and Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC1329271) under unified commercial accountability.
Commercial Risk Reality • Liability Exposure
Most Restaurant Build-Outs Run Late — and Late Kills Restaurants
Restaurant build-outs are some of the most complex commercial projects out there. Hood systems, grease traps, plumbing, electrical loads, health code, fire marshal sign-offs, custom millwork, finishes — every trade has to coordinate, and every inspection has to pass. Most restaurant openings get delayed because the contractor underestimated the complexity. Every week of delay burns cash a new restaurant doesn't have.
Mandatory Building Department Benchmark • FBC Standards
Engineered Protocol • Quality Assurance
Restaurant Build-Outs Run by People Who've Done Them Before
We deliver restaurant build-outs in Fort Lauderdale with the experience this work demands — kitchen layouts, equipment coordination, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, finishes, and every inspection along the way. We work with your designer, your equipment vendor, and your operator from day one, so nothing slips through the cracks. The result is a restaurant ready to open on time.
Fully documented for municipal building inspection file
COMMERCIAL • MULTI-TENANT • INDUSTRIAL
Restaurant Construction Services
Planet Construction FL delivers complete restaurant build-out services covering every component of a food and beverage operation. Commercial kitchen construction — including grease exhaust hoods and makeup air systems, commercial equipment rough-in, stainless steel wall panels, FRP (fiberglass reinforced panel) finishes, floor drains and floor sinks, quarry tile or epoxy flooring, and walk-in cooler and freezer installation coordination. Dining room and bar construction — framing and drywall, decorative ceiling systems, specialty lighting, bar millwork and back bar construction, booth seating platforms, floor finishes, and acoustical treatments. Restroom construction to ADA and health department standards. Outdoor dining areas — covered terraces, screen enclosures, and hard-surface dining platforms where zoning permits. And all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire suppression systems coordinated with licensed trade subcontractors and submitted for all required inspections.
TENANT BUILDOUT
ADA COMPLIANCE
ACCESSIBILITY
ADA Title III Renovations
Exterior concrete access ramps, handrails, door clearances, and turnkey ADA commercial restroom remodels.
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STRUCTURAL & MEP
TRADE COORDINATION
Commercial Framing & MEP
Turnkey management of commercial electrical panels, HVAC duct distribution, and plumbing rough-ins under single GC oversight.
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IMPACT STOREFRONTS
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Storefronts & Impact Glass
Heavy-gauge aluminum storefront framing, hurricane impact security glazing, panic push-bars, and ADA automatic doors.
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PERMIT REMEDIATION
MUNICIPAL RESOLUTION
Code Violation Remediation
Legalizing unpermitted work, clearing building department stop-work orders, and resolving expired permits with city officials.
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ARCHITECTURAL COATINGS
FACADE RESTORATION
Commercial Painting & Facades
High-build elastomeric waterproofing, airless spray coatings, and architectural stucco modernization for commercial buildings.
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Regulatory Code Standards • FBC & ADA Compliance
Commercial Kitchen Construction
The commercial kitchen is the heart of a restaurant — and the most technically complex and code-intensive space in the building. Fort Lauderdale commercial kitchens must meet the Broward County Health Department's food service establishment requirements, the Florida Fire Prevention Code's requirements for commercial cooking operations, and Florida Building Code requirements for the ventilation, plumbing, electrical, and structural systems that support the kitchen equipment. The grease exhaust hood — sized for the cooking equipment below it and connected to a dedicated exhaust fan — is the centerpiece of the kitchen ventilation system and drives significant structural, mechanical, and fire suppression decisions throughout the build-out. Planet Construction FL coordinates the kitchen design, equipment layout, hood engineering, fire suppression design, and all associated building systems from the beginning of the project — not sequentially after each trade makes independent decisions that create conflicts.
Licensed CGC1517295 • CCC1329271 Execution
Direct Municipal Building Department Inspections
Code Assurance Criteria
ENGINEERING PROTOCOL
Sealed Commercial Blueprints
Signed & sealed architectural, MEP, and structural engineering drawings for permit approval.
ADA TITLE III CRITERIA
FBC Chapter 11 Accessibility
1:12 ramp slope tolerances, 32-inch clear door swings, and compliant restroom grab-bar configurations.
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY
NFPA 101 Life Safety Standards
Fire-rated drywall partitions, panic exit hardware, and illuminated egress lighting paths.
THE DUAL-LICENSE DIFFERENCE
Why Hiring a Single-Source General Contractor Saves Projects
Commercial renovations intersect with electrical, mechanical, drywall, and municipal inspections. Dividing trades across brokers causes delays, finger-pointing, and inspection failures.
THE TRADITIONAL MODEL
Disjointed Subcontracting
Hiring separate framing crews, electricians, and finish painters leaves no single party accountable for schedule, safety, or final city inspection sign-offs.
Critical Risk: Multiple markups, inspection stop-work orders, and finger-pointing over punch-list defects.
★ SINGLE-SOURCE GC CONTROL
THE PLANET CONSTRUCTION STANDARD
Unified General Contractor Control
John Kraja directly manages every commercial project phase under dual state licenses (CGC1517295 & CCC1329271). In-house supervision, fast municipal turnaround, and complete trade accountability.
Guaranteed Result: One contract, dedicated site superintendents, zero middleman broker fees, and full warranty protection.
MUNICIPAL RAPIDITY
Accelerated Permit Milestones
We pull commercial master permits directly across Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Hollywood, Boca Raton, and Miami-Dade. Daily inspection scheduling ensures rapid Certificate of Occupancy.
Turnkey Efficiency: Faster tenant occupancy, reduced business downtime, and full Florida Building Code certification.
Commercial Asset Managers • Property Directors
Outdoor Dining in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale's climate is ideal for outdoor dining, and the city's zoning and development regulations provide opportunities for outdoor dining extensions on public sidewalks, private plazas, and restaurant-adjacent outdoor areas. Outdoor dining construction in Fort Lauderdale involves coordination with the city's sidewalk cafe permitting process for public-right-of-way dining, and standard commercial permitting for on-site covered dining areas and screen enclosures. Planet Construction FL constructs outdoor dining structures — shade structures, screen enclosures, decorative paving, outdoor bar infrastructure, and exterior lighting — as part of the complete restaurant build-out scope, producing an indoor-outdoor dining concept that takes full advantage of South Florida's year-round outdoor living culture.
Multi-Tenant Commercial Facility Support
Phased construction logistics, off-hours night shifts, tenant coordination, and rapid permit closeouts.
Detailed Commercial Bids with Trade-Itemized Material & Labor Cost Breakdown
Zero-Disruption Execution Schedules for High-Traffic Retail & Medical Facilities
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Direct Qualifier CGC1517295 • On-Site Consultations
RECENT REGIONAL PERFORMANCE • VERIFIED SITES
Documented Commercial Projects • South Florida Portfolio
Engineering-compliant tenant build-outs, ADA accessibility upgrades, and commercial facade modernizations across Broward and Palm Beach counties.
WESTON • RETAIL SHOWROOM
Weston Retail Showroom Build-Out
Custom display wall partitions, polished concrete flooring, exposed ceiling MEP painting, and architectural track lighting.
FORT LAUDERDALE • CORPORATE
Commercial ADA Restroom Modernization
Full Title III accessibility upgrade: structural grab bars, porcelain wall tiles, touchless commercial fixtures, and widened doorway.
POMPANO BEACH • COMMERCIAL PLAZA
Commercial Plaza Facade Restoration
Stucco remediation, expansion joint caulking, boom-lift airless elastomeric coating, and high-visibility tenant parapet refresh.
COMMERCIAL EXPERTISE • CLARITY FOR TENANTS & OWNERS
Frequently Asked Questions • Commercial Construction
Direct answers regarding project schedules, building permits, off-hours execution, and Florida Building Code standards.
How long does a restaurant build-out take in Fort Lauderdale?
A full-service restaurant build-out from cold dark shell — including commercial kitchen, dining room, bar, and restrooms — typically takes 12–20 weeks of construction after permit approval. Fast-casual concepts with simpler kitchen equipment packages take 8–14 weeks. Health department plan review adds 3–6 weeks to the pre-construction timeline, and health department pre-opening inspection must be completed and approved before the restaurant can open. Total timeline from lease execution to opening for most Fort Lauderdale restaurant build-outs is 5–8 months.
What permits are required to open a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale?
Restaurant opening in Fort Lauderdale requires: commercial building permit from the city or county building department; electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits; fire suppression system permit; Broward County health department food service establishment permit; and potentially a liquor license if the concept includes alcohol service. Planet Construction FL manages the construction permit package; health department permit applications and coordination; and fire suppression permit coordination. Liquor licensing is a separate administrative process that the restaurant operator manages with their attorney.
Can you work with our restaurant designer or architect?
Yes — most of our restaurant build-out projects involve working alongside a restaurant designer or architect engaged by the operator. We integrate with the design team from the earliest stages, providing constructability review, trade coordination input, and budget feedback during the design phase. Working alongside design professionals from the start — rather than being handed completed drawings at bid — produces better-coordinated projects and avoids the rework that late-stage design changes cause in restaurant construction.
What is the most common cause of restaurant construction delays in Fort Lauderdale?
The two most common causes of restaurant construction delays in Fort Lauderdale are health department plan review and commercial kitchen equipment delivery. Health department plan review can take 4–8 weeks and requires complete, properly formatted submissions — incomplete or incorrect submissions restart the review clock. Equipment — particularly custom hood systems, walk-in coolers, and specialty kitchen equipment — can have lead times of 12–20 weeks that must be ordered early in the design process. Planet Construction FL's preconstruction process identifies long-lead equipment items at the project outset and advises on ordering timelines that prevent equipment delivery from becoming the critical path to opening.
DIRECT GENERAL CONTRACTOR ACCESS
Schedule a Commercial Consultation & Site Assessment
Discuss your commercial project directly with Qualifying General Contractor John Kraja. We provide site inspections, blueprint reviews, and detailed commercial cost estimates across Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties.