What the space decides · The Lease
What the Landlord Actually Delivers
The work letter describes what the landlord provides, and that description is where most gym budget surprises originate.
Before you sign. Tell us the programming and we will tell you whether the space can carry it.
Impact
A dropped weight is a load event, not a static one
Structure
Noise travels through the slab, not around it
Pre-lease
We will look at a space before you sign it
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
The allowance does not cover a gym
A tenant improvement allowance calculated on a standard commercial fit-out does not cover a gym's structural isolation, mechanical upgrade, shower waterproofing and drainage. The gap is the tenant's, and it is far larger than most operators expect from a space that looked like a good deal.
What to pin down before signing
- What the allowance actually covers, and what it excludes.
- Existing mechanical and electrical capacity, in figures.
- Whether drainage exists for showers, and where.
- What anchoring into the structure is permitted.
- Noise, nuisance and hours provisions.
How we handle it
- 01Review the work letter with you before signing.
- 02Walk the space and verify what is actually there.
- 03Price the gap between the allowance and a working gym.
- 04Give you that number while it is still negotiable.
Have somebody walk the space and read the work letter at the same time. Verifying what is physically present against what is promised takes an afternoon and it is the highest-return hour in a gym project.
Said plainly
Where we stop
After signing, every gap is the operator's cost. We can price it accurately and we cannot move it, which is why the walk happens first.
FAQ
Common questions
- Does a standard allowance cover a gym?
- Rarely. Isolation, mechanical, drainage and waterproofing are all beyond a standard fit-out.
- What should we verify?
- Mechanical and electrical capacity in figures, and whether shower drainage exists.
- Is anchoring always permitted?
- Not always. Check what the lease allows before designing rigs.
- When should we get advice?
- Before signing. Afterwards every gap is yours.
What we build
Free Weights & Platforms
Platforms, racks and heavy free weights. The zone that determines whether a space can be a gym at all.
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Cardio & Machines
The largest floor area and the least structurally demanding, with its own power and cooling requirements.
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Studios
Group fitness, cycling and yoga studios. Each has a different sound problem and a different floor requirement.
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Functional & Turf
Turf lanes, rigs, sleds and open training space. The zone most constrained by ceiling height.
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Locker Rooms & Recovery
Showers, lockers, saunas and recovery. A small share of the area and a large share of whether members stay.
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Reception & Retail
Entry, front desk, retail and the transition into the floor. Where prospects decide and members arrive.
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More what the space decides
The Structure
Whether the floor is a slab on grade or a suspended structure is the single most important fact about a gym space.
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The Neighbors
Gyms are asked to leave buildings over noise. Who occupies the surrounding space is a pre-lease question, not an operational one.
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Mechanical Capacity
The base building mechanical was almost certainly sized for a different use, and a gym imposes far more load.
Read more →
Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.