Commercial General Contractor in Houston, TX
Silverheels Construction acts as commercial general contractor across the Houston area — tenant improvements and build-outs for retail, office, restaurant, medical, and warehouse space, and commercial renovations. We coordinate the project to a landlord's work letter and the permit and inspection schedule, and we self-perform the construction trades. Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are performed by the appropriately licensed trades under their own licenses. Free estimates.
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A commercial build-out or tenant improvement runs on coordination: the space has to be permitted, built to the landlord's requirements, inspected, and turned over on a deadline, with several kinds of work happening in the right order. We act as the general contractor on commercial projects across the Houston area — retail, office, restaurant, medical, and warehouse build-outs and renovations — running the schedule end to end and self-performing the construction trades, while the systems that require licensed trades are handled by those trades under their own licenses.
Tenant improvements and build-outs
A tenant improvement or build-out takes a bare shell, or a previous tenant's space, and builds it to a new tenant's plan: demising and interior partitions, ceilings, flooring, storefront and interior finishes, doors, and millwork. Retail, office, restaurant, medical, and warehouse spaces each come with their own requirements, and we build the space out to the approved plans.
Whether it's a first-generation shell that needs everything or a second-generation space being reworked for a new use, the build-out is the core of commercial work — and running it as one coordinated project, rather than a pile of separate contractors, is what keeps it on schedule and on plan.
Working to a landlord's work letter
Most commercial leases come with a work letter — the document that defines what the landlord delivers versus what the tenant builds, the building standards to meet, and any allowance. Building to it correctly is specific to commercial work and often where inexperienced contractors stumble.
We build to the work letter and the lease's requirements, coordinate with building management for access, freight elevators, and after-hours rules, and deliver the space to the standard the letter specifies. Getting this right protects the tenant's allowance and keeps the landlord's approval on track, which matters when the lease clock is already running.
Permit and inspection sequencing
Commercial permitting is more involved than residential — plan review, permits, and a series of staged inspections that can include framing, above-ceiling (before the grid closes up), and final, plus health or fire inspections for restaurant and medical spaces.
We manage the permit and inspection sequence so the trades aren't stalled waiting on a sign-off and the certificate of occupancy isn't held up at the end. Sequencing inspections in the right order — and having the work ready when the inspector arrives — is one of the biggest levers on whether a commercial project opens on time.
What we self-perform, and how the trades fit
As the general contractor, we self-perform the construction trades: framing and partitions, drywall, ceilings (both grid and drywall), flooring, paint, doors, hardware, and trim and millwork. That's the bulk of the built space, and doing it in-house keeps the schedule and the quality under one roof.
The systems that require licensed trades — plumbing, electrical, and HVAC — are performed by the appropriately licensed trades under their own licenses, coordinated into our schedule and inspected under their own permits. Texas licenses those trades individually and has no separate 'general contractor' license, so our role is coordinating the whole project and self-performing the building trades. We don't claim to perform licensed-trade work; we run the project around it.
Working around an operating business
A lot of commercial work happens in or beside a business that's still running — an occupied office suite, a shopping center with open neighbors, a warehouse still shipping. The build can't shut the operation down.
We phase and schedule around operations: after-hours or weekend work where it's needed, dust and noise containment, keeping exits, entrances, and access clear, and staging materials so they're not in the way. On a commercial renovation or remodel of an occupied space, that coordination — with the tenant and with building management — is as much of the job as the construction itself.
Turnover deadlines
Commercial timelines are money in a way residential ones usually aren't: a delayed opening is lost revenue for the tenant and rent on space that isn't earning. So a build-out is run to the turnover or opening date.
We manage the critical path to that date — a defined scope up front, trades and inspections sequenced so nothing waits unnecessarily, and long-lead items ordered early. A restaurant build-out with a planned opening, a medical office with a move-in date, a retail space timed to a season — the schedule is the deliverable as much as the space is. For ongoing upkeep once you're open, see our commercial facility maintenance page. What drives cost is square footage, the condition of the starting shell, finish level, the scope of the systems, and the schedule — drivers, not a price.
Frequently asked questions
Can you act as our general contractor in Texas?
Yes. Texas doesn't issue a general-contractor license, so our role is coordinating the whole project and self-performing the construction trades, while the systems that require licensed trades are handled by those trades under their own licenses. We coordinate the project end to end.
What do you self-perform versus coordinate?
We self-perform framing, drywall, ceilings, flooring, paint, doors, hardware, and trim. Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are performed by the appropriately licensed trades under their own licenses and permits, coordinated into our schedule.
Do you build to a landlord's work letter?
Yes. We build to the work letter and the lease's building standards, coordinate with building management for access and after-hours rules, and deliver the space to the standard it specifies — which protects the tenant allowance and keeps landlord approval on track.
Can you work around our operating business?
Yes. We phase and schedule around operations — after-hours or weekend work, dust and noise containment, and keeping exits and access clear — so an occupied office, an open shopping center, or a working warehouse keeps running during the build.
Do you handle the permits and inspections?
Yes. We manage the permit process and sequence the staged inspections — framing, above-ceiling, final, and any health or fire inspections — so trades aren't stalled and the certificate of occupancy isn't held up.
What kinds of commercial spaces do you build out?
Retail, office, restaurant, medical, and warehouse — tenant improvements, first- and second-generation build-outs, and commercial renovations, each built to its plans and requirements.
Service areas
- Downtown
- Midtown
- Galleria
- Energy Corridor
- Westchase
- Sugar Land
- The Woodlands
- Katy