Ground-up construction
From raw dirt to certificate of occupancy, Trusted builds pad sites, shell buildings, and complete facilities for owners, developers, and operators, with one accountable team from first budget through warranty.
What is ground-up construction?
Ground-up construction means building a new structure on an empty or cleared site, as opposed to renovating or finishing out an existing building. The work starts with the land itself: site evaluation, clearing and grading, drainage, utilities, and foundations. It ends with a finished, inspected building you can occupy.
As a San Antonio commercial general contractor, Trusted manages the whole sequence: preconstruction, design coordination, permitting guidance, site work, vertical construction, and closeout. Owners, brokers, and architects deal directly with the people accountable for the job, not a queue.
Owner-occupied buildings, investor-owned properties, and build-to-suit projects all follow the same path. What changes is the size, the structure, and the schedule. Learn how preconstruction sets up a ground-up project before the contract is signed.
What we build
Every building type has its own structure, systems, and schedule pressures. Here is where owners most often put us to work.
Professional office buildings and clinical space, planned around tenant layouts, mechanical loads, and finish quality.
Single-store builds and multi-location rollouts for regional and national operators, built around opening dates.
Steel-framed warehouses and flex space built around loading, racking, and the daily rhythm of operations.
Courts, gyms, and wellness buildings where structure, flooring, and finishes all have to land together.
We also build schools, hospitals, hotels, and retail plazas. Larger and more complex projects are part of our work, with the same accountable team and the same standard as every other job.
The ground-up process
The same process whether the job is a small shell building or a full facility. You always know what is next, what it costs, and who is accountable.
Tell us the property, the intended use, and the timeline. We tell you what is realistic in this market, in plain numbers.
First callWe coordinate with your architect and engineers early to improve constructability, budgeting, and execution before drawings are final.
Early coordinationBudgets, value engineering, and a schedule you can hand to a lender, a board, or a tenant.
Before contractClearing, grading, drainage, utilities, and paving done right, with permitting and jurisdiction guidance along the way.
Dirt workFoundations, structure, exterior, roofing, and building systems under one superintendent and one project manager, with weekly reporting and no surprise change orders.
BuildPunch list, commissioning, closeout documents, and a certificate of occupancy, then a warranty number that reaches a real person.
Handover
What is included
A ground-up project is a chain of dependent steps. We manage each link and the handoffs between them.
Need only the base building? We build shell and metal buildings and can finish the interiors later as a tenant build-out.
Access, drainage, utilities, and approvals reviewed before you close on the land.
Clearing, grading, drainage, utilities, and paving prepared for the building and the parking around it.
Footings, slabs, flatwork, and curbs placed and finished to spec.
Steel, masonry, roofing, and storefront systems, dried in on schedule.
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing coordinated with the trades and the inspectors.
Finishes, commissioning, punch list, and the paperwork to occupy the building.
Cost and schedule
Every site and building is different, so we do not quote a price per square foot from a web page. These are the factors that move the number most, and the ones we price first.
Slope, rock, soils, drainage, and access change site work costs more than most owners expect, especially in the Hill Country.
Water, sewer, electric, and gas connections, and the lead time to get each one to the property.
Steel, masonry, and concrete systems price and schedule differently, and so do the uses they house.
Storefront, mechanical systems, and interior finish level drive cost as much as square footage does.
The jurisdiction, review cycles, and inspections set the start date and the pace of the work.
Electrical gear, roofing, and storefront can take months to arrive, so we flag and order early.
Who we build for
If you are evaluating land, financing a project, or six months from breaking ground, this is the right time to talk. Here is who calls us and what they ask first.
Know the real cost of a site before you commit capital to the land.
Typical questionWhat will it cost to build on this site?
Deliver a new building on a lender's schedule and a tenant's timeline.
Typical questionDoes this project pencil out?
Open a new location in this market with a team that answers the phone.
Typical questionCan we open by our target date?
Get a builder's input while the design can still move.
Typical questionCan this be built for the budget?
Our work
Where we build
Trusted is headquartered in Spring Branch and builds for owners throughout Central and South Texas, with experience in DFW, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley. See the full service area map.
TIPS awarded contractor
Trusted holds TIPS awarded contractor status through The Interlocal Purchasing System. For qualifying clients, that means we can be hired directly for ground-up construction, because we have already been publicly vetted.
Qualifying clients can hire us directly, without running a public hard-bid process, which can shorten the path from decision to groundbreaking.
Our contractor status has been publicly vetted through TIPS, so the procurement groundwork is already done.
TIPS changes how you hire us, not how we build. You still get real preconstruction, scheduling, and cost control, with one point of contact.
Common questions
Ground-up construction means building a new structure on an empty or cleared site, rather than renovating or finishing out an existing building. It includes site work, foundations, structure, exterior, building systems, and interior finishes, through to a certificate of occupancy.
A ground-up project creates the building itself, starting with the land. A tenant build-out finishes the interior of space inside an existing building. Many owners do both: a shell building first, then tenant finish-out as leases are signed.
It depends on the building type, size, site conditions, and permitting. A small steel or shell building can move quickly once permits are issued, while larger or more complex facilities take longer. During preconstruction we build a working schedule that includes approvals and long-lead items, so you have a realistic date before you commit.
There is no single price per square foot. Site conditions, utilities, structure, finishes, and building systems all move the number. We provide a preliminary budget during preconstruction, with the assumptions spelled out, and the first conversation costs nothing.
No. Calling early is better. Trusted is a general contractor, not a design firm, so we coordinate with your architect and engineers through design assist to improve constructability and budget before drawings are final. If you do not have a design team yet, call us and we will explain what you need first.
Yes. We build on raw land, cleared lots, and pad sites in commercial developments. Early site evaluation looks at access, drainage, utilities, and approvals so surprises show up before you close, not after.
A shell building is the structure and exterior of a building, delivered without tenant interiors so owners or tenants can finish the space later. Yes, we build shell buildings and can also complete them as tenant build-outs when the lease is ready.
Trusted holds TIPS awarded contractor status through The Interlocal Purchasing System. For qualifying clients, that means we can be hired directly, without running a public hard-bid process, because we have already been publicly vetted.
Yes. We are headquartered in Spring Branch in the Texas Hill Country and build for owners across Bexar County, the Hill Country, the I-35 corridor, and South Texas, with experience in DFW, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley. See where we build.
Start early
Tell us about the site, the intended use, and your target date. We will tell you what is realistic, in plain numbers.
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