Tenant improvements in occupied buildings: 5 rules our supers live by
TI work in a live building is a different sport than ground-up. These are the field rules our superintendents follow on every occupied build.
Rule one: noise has a calendar. Walk every tenant on every floor above and below you, write down their loud-day windows, and post the schedule in the elevator. We've never had a noise complaint escalate when the building knew in advance.
Rule two: dust containment is non-negotiable. Negative-air machines run from day one, even before demolition. Plastic alone is not a containment system.
Rule three: deliveries happen before 7 AM or after 6 PM. Loading-dock conflicts kill schedules faster than weather.
Rule four: protect everything in the path. Building corridors get hardboard, elevators get pads, and the freight elevator gets a logged inspection before and after the job.
Rule five: closeout starts at week one. Punch list items are tracked in Procore from the moment a wall goes up — not at the end.
