Ready-to-Build Checklist

Everything else on this list is scheduled backward from it.

• Opening date named The lease date, the brand deadline, the move-in weekend or the season you cannot miss, written down.
• Landlord and city review time counted Landlord approval, plan review and inspections carried on the calendar as real weeks, not hoped away.

No one can put a firm number on a property or a space they cannot walk.

• Lease, PIP or property in hand A signed lease with the work letter, the brand's PIP, or the deed.
• Building and brand rules known Landlord rules, brand standards and HOA requirements, plus any deed restrictions or easements that limit the work.
• Existing drawings or a measured plan Measured drawings and photos of the space as it stands today, or the last set drawn up for it.

The schedule has to match how the money arrives.

• Funding confirmed Cash, a loan commitment or a partner, and the amount you can actually spend.
• Draw rules known What the lender needs to release each draw, and how long it takes them.

A scope two people would read the same way.

• Scope in one paragraph Building type, size, room or unit count, and what happens in the space when it opens.
• Existing condition documented What is there today, what stays, what goes, for any renovation or PIP.
• Finish and furniture level chosen The brand book, a designer's package, or a clear sense of plain versus premium, including FF&E.

Whatever you have, and who is producing the rest.

• Documents collected PIP, concept sketches, permit sets, floor plans, equipment schedules, photos.
• Design team named Your architect and engineers engaged, or a decision to have us bring them.

A number you can defend to a lender, with room for what the walls hide.

• Budget range written down A floor and a ceiling, not a single hopeful figure.
• Soft costs and FF&E in the number Design fees, permits, testing, insurance, financing, furniture and signage counted alongside construction.
• Reserve set aside A contingency you are prepared to spend on the surprises every building has.

A job moves at the speed of its decisions.

• Decision-maker named One person who can approve a change or a selection without a committee.
• Turnaround agreed How many days a decision takes on your side, so the schedule can plan for it.