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Cafe Tenant Improvement — Etobicoke

By Buildup Contracting

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Project type

Cafe tenant improvement converting a former retail unit into an espresso bar with light food service.

Location

Etobicoke, west Toronto.

Approximate scope

Compact cafe footprint, roughly 800 to 1,200 square feet, with espresso bar, casual seating, stand-up bar, and a limited prep area for sandwiches and pastries.

Buildup's role

General contractor on a fast tenant improvement. Pre-construction site walk with the operator and the architect, trade coordination across plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, and millwork, equipment delivery sequencing, and final inspection coordination with the local building department and Toronto Public Health. The architect issued the permit drawings; Buildup ran the construction and inspection sequence.

Challenge

The previous use was retail, so plumbing capacity for the espresso machine, hand sink, and three-compartment sink had to be added from scratch and tied into the landlord's existing rough-ins. The operator wanted a stand-up coffee-bar layout, which meant the millwork, refrigeration, and POS line all had to be laid out around guest flow rather than a traditional counter.

Timeline

Five-week construction window, sequenced to land the espresso machine and refrigeration in the final two weeks ahead of the operator's planned soft launch.

Outcome

Delivered substantial completion in five weeks. Plumbing, refrigeration, and millwork were installed, the espresso bar was commissioned, and the unit passed Public Health and final building inspections in time for the planned opening.

Note: The scope described above is representative of typical commercial renovation work and does not reference a specific client project. Details are generalized to illustrate Buildup Contracting's capabilities.

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