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Commercial · Fraser Valley
Commercial work,
on time. On budget.
Tenant improvements, franchise renovations, retail build-outs, and ongoing maintenance for Chilliwack and Fraser Valley commercial clients. Same in-house Red Seal trades as our residential work, adapted for commercial timelines and after-hours scheduling.
Trusted on commercial work for Centex Petroleum
Quick Answer
Huntley Construction handles commercial tenant improvements, retail build-outs, franchise renovations, gas station work, and ongoing maintenance for clients across Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley. Tenant improvements run $40K to $200K, franchise renovations $80K to $300K, larger commercial $200K to $750K and up. Same in-house Red Seal electricians, plumbers, and framers as our residential work, with after-hours scheduling where projects require it. BC Licensed Electrical Contractor, fixed-scope quotes, 12-month workmanship commitment.
How we work
The contractor commercial clients can actually plan around.
Most commercial projects run late and over budget. The reasons are usually the same. Subcontracted trades that cannot make a Tuesday rough-in. Vague allowances that grow into change orders. Project managers who do not call back until something is already on fire. We built Huntley to remove those failure points by keeping the trades that drive the schedule on our own payroll.
Our framers, Red Seal electricians, and Red Seal plumbers are Huntley employees on the same payroll as our renovation work. Trade permits go through our own BC licenses. After-hours work is one internal conversation, not three vendor calls. Our quote is line-item, fixed-scope, and the number you sign is the number you pay unless you approve a written change. We are the contractor you can plan around because we plan our own work the same way.
“Huntley handled framing, drywall, ceiling, window installation, and electrical for our Go Market location. One project manager, one schedule, one accountable team. They closed on the date they committed to.”
Centex Petroleum · Go Market · Chilliwack tenant improvement
Why commercial clients hire us
Four operating principles
that show up on every project.
01
Transparent from quote to close
You always know the budget and the timeline. No hidden line items. No surprises on Friday afternoon.
02
We own our mistakes
If we miss something in scope, we wear it. We do not invoice it, and we do not repeat it on the next phase.
03
You hear from us first
You should not have to chase status updates. We call you before something becomes a problem, not after.
04
Trades on our payroll
Our electricians and plumbers are Huntley employees, not subcontractors. After-hours work is one internal conversation, not three vendor calls.
Honest numbers
What commercial work
typically costs.
Most commercial contractors will not publish numbers. We will, because clients who understand budgets make better decisions. These are typical Chilliwack and Fraser Valley ranges. Your final quote is line-itemed after the site walk.
Tenant Improvement
$40K – $200K
Square footage, finish level, mechanical scope. Smaller TIs at the low end, full fit-outs at the high end.
Franchise Renovation
$80K – $300K
Brand-standard requirements drive cost. Approved-vendor lists, signage and finish specs, sign-off process.
Larger Retail Build-Out
$200K – $750K+
New retail spaces, restaurants, gas stations and forecourts. Full mechanical, structural, and finish scope.
Maintenance Partnership
$5K – $50K
Per project for property managers and strata councils. Smaller scopes, faster response, ongoing relationship.
Typical project ranges, not quotes. Actual pricing depends on scope, site conditions, materials, mechanical scope, and after-hours requirements. We give you a real line-item number after the site walk.
Who we serve
Built for the demands
of commercial construction.
We work with franchise operators, maintenance managers, and project managers across the Fraser Valley who need a contractor that treats their standards as non-negotiable.
Gas stations & forecourt
Renovations and maintenance for fuel retail operators who cannot afford downtime. We work around your operating hours, not the other way around.
Quick service restaurants
Franchise renovations where brand standards are non-negotiable and the opening date is fixed. The same in-house trades and project management we use on every Huntley project.
Commercial retail & storefronts
Tenant improvements and storefront renovations run by a dedicated project manager, with line-item pricing and after-hours scheduling where the project requires it.
Ongoing maintenance
Reliable maintenance partnerships for property managers and strata councils who need a contractor they can call without a second thought.
How we work
A four-step
commercial process.
02
We inspect
We walk the site, identify scope, ask the questions other contractors skip, and flag what would otherwise become change orders mid-project.
03
Aligned scope and quote
A clear, fixed-scope quote with line-item pricing. Budget and scope locked before a single tool comes out.
04
We build
On schedule. Communicated without being chased. Closed on time. After-hours scheduling where the project requires it.
Where we work
Commercial work across the Fraser Valley.
Tenant improvements, retail build-outs, franchise renovations, and ongoing maintenance for commercial clients across Chilliwack and surrounding Fraser Valley communities.
How we compare
Huntley vs a typical commercial contractor.
The structural differences that show up at quote stage, mid-build, and on the closeout invoice.
Typical Chilliwack commercial contractor
Huntley Construction
Trade coordination
Typical
Subcontractors juggling multiple GCs
Huntley
In-house Red Seal trades on the same payroll
After-hours work
Typical
Three vendor calls, often refused
Huntley
One internal conversation, scheduled
Quote format
Typical
Round numbers with vague allowances
Huntley
Line-item, fixed-scope, the number you sign
Change orders
Typical
Surprise additions on closeout invoice
Huntley
Documented and approved in writing before work begins
Permits
Typical
Sub-trade scheduling delays at permit stage
Huntley
Trade permits pulled directly through BC licenses
Workmanship warranty
Typical
Sub-trade dependent, often fragmented
Huntley
12-month commitment covering every trade
Our promise
The Huntley Workmanship Commitment.
Every commercial project is backed by our 12-month workmanship commitment. If anything we built or installed is not right, we come back and make it right. No cost, no argument, no runaround. The same team that delivered the project is who comes back to address it.
What can go wrong
Where commercial projects come off the rails.
Commercial work has different failure modes than residential. The numbers are bigger, the schedules are tighter, and the consequences land on a tenant lease, a franchise opening date, or an inspector who is more strict than a residential pathway. Here are the four most common ways commercial tenant improvements come apart in our market.
Underestimating the commercial permit pathway
Commercial space falls under BC Building Code Part 3 instead of Part 9 (residential). Accessibility, fire and life safety, occupancy classification, exiting, and structural review are all stricter and require a registered professional involved at design. The shortcut is to apply a residential mindset to a commercial permit and discover at first review that the city needs a sealed architectural and structural set, an occupant load calculation, and an accessibility plan that was not in scope. Two months of delay and several thousand dollars in unplanned design fees. We engage the building department early and quote with the registered professional in the loop, not as an afterthought.
Lease deadline missed
A tenant signs a lease starting on a specific date. Build-out has to be ready to open by then. The contractor over-promises the schedule, gets behind on permits or sub-trade availability, and the tenant is paying $8K to $20K a month in rent on an empty space while construction continues. We give realistic schedules with float built in for the unknowns, identify the long-lead items at quote stage, and only commit to the open-by date if the schedule supports it without heroics. Saying we cannot hit a date is not the answer landlords love, but it beats charging rent on an empty space later.
After-hours work refused or not coordinated
Commercial work in occupied buildings, retail centres, and active strata complexes often requires evening and weekend work to avoid disrupting neighbouring tenants or business hours. Subcontracted trades typically refuse those slots, prefer day work, and the schedule slips because the only path forward needs hours nobody on the team will work. With in-house electrical and plumbing, we have actually run nights and weekends when the project required it. Not always pleasant, but the kind of flexibility that gets the project to opening day.
The build-out that opens but cannot stay open
A tenant improvement that hits the deadline but is mechanically fragile is a different kind of failure. The HVAC was sized for paper occupancy, not real foot traffic. The electrical panel was loaded to capacity at handover with no margin for the espresso machine the tenant added in month two. The plumbing handles the original layout but not the second sink the franchise rolled out across all locations. Six to twelve months in, the tenant is calling for repairs the original GC did not schedule for. We design with margin and offer a maintenance partnership for clients who want the same crew handling year-two issues.
Commercial FAQs
Before the contract gets signed.
The questions commercial clients ask us at the site walk, answered here so you can skip a call.
- Tenant improvements, retail build-outs, franchise renovations, gas station and forecourt work, restaurant and quick-service-restaurant renovations, ongoing maintenance partnerships, and small commercial new construction. We are a Chilliwack-scale commercial contractor: we are not chasing condo towers. The work we do well is local commercial, and we do it on the same in-house Red Seal trades as our residential renovation work.
- Most of our commercial clients cannot close during a renovation. We schedule rough-in, mechanical, and disruptive work for off-hours (overnight, early morning, or weekends) where the project requires it, and visible finish work during operating hours where that makes sense. After-hours scheduling is one internal conversation for us because our trades are on our payroll, not three vendor calls.
- Tenant improvements typically run $40K to $200K depending on scope and finish level. Franchise renovations and brand-standard refreshes run $80K to $300K. Larger retail build-outs and full commercial renovations run $200K to $750K and up. Gas station and forecourt work varies widely based on whether the canopy and tanks are involved. We quote line-item against firm scope after a site walk.
- Yes, where the project requires it. Building permits, trade permits (electrical, plumbing, gas), occupancy permits, signage permits. We coordinate with City of Chilliwack Building Services on most projects, and run permits through other Fraser Valley municipalities when the work is outside Chilliwack. Trade permits are pulled directly through our BC Licensed Electrical Contractor and registered plumbing licenses.
- Yes. Franchise work is one of the things commercial clients hire us for. Brand standards documents, approved-vendor lists, signage and material requirements, finish specifications. We follow them as written and document compliance at every milestone so corporate sign-off goes smoothly.
- Both. We work with property managers and strata councils on ongoing maintenance partnerships for things like minor electrical and plumbing service, gutter and exterior work, and tenant turnover renovations. We also take one-time larger projects. The intake is the same: book a Design Consultation and we come out.
- Documented in writing before any work happens. You approve the change and the price before it is executed. Discoveries (rotted subfloor, bad wiring, code-required upgrades that surfaced at demolition) are documented with photos and quoted separately. The number you sign at contract is the number you pay unless you approve a written change.
- The 12-month Huntley Workmanship Commitment covers every trade that worked on the project. If something we built or installed is not right, we come back and make it right. Manufacturer warranties on fixtures and equipment layer on top of that. The commitment starts at project handover.
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