TI Allowance vs Reality: Vanilla Shell Speedrun

Client: “Turnkey TI, 8-week delivery.” Me: “Allowance: $40/SF.” GC: “Cost: $140/SF—also it’s a vanilla shell.” Lender: “Need a fixed-price GMP.” Contractor: “Here’s a TBD with 12 alternates.” City: “Permit in 2 weeks*” *six weeks later* “punchlist?” Me: “Still waiting on as-builts” 🤡