Our Construction Services

We Build offers over twenty specialized construction services across the Charlotte metro area and the Carolinas. Our core services include commercial construction, commercial upfits and tenant improvements, general contracting, construction management, pre-construction planning, roof coating and restoration, drone inspections, restaurant construction, medical facility build-outs, office buildouts, retail construction, industrial and warehouse construction, brewery construction, adaptive reuse, site development, value engineering, ADA compliance, green building, and owner's representative services. We are licensed in NC & SC.

A commercial upfit modifies the interior of an existing space - new walls, flooring, electrical, plumbing, and finishes - while keeping the building shell and structure intact. A full renovation addresses the building envelope, structural systems, and potentially the exterior in addition to interior work. If your building's roof, walls, foundation, and mechanical systems are in good condition but the interior layout does not meet your needs, an upfit is the right choice. If the structure itself needs significant work, a renovation is more appropriate. We Build provides free assessments to help you determine which approach fits your Charlotte project.

Yes. While our headquarters is at 14330 S Lakes Drive in Charlotte, NC, we serve the entire Charlotte metropolitan area including South Charlotte, Lake Norman, Fort Mill SC, Rock Hill SC, Matthews, Huntersville, Mooresville, and surrounding communities in Mecklenburg, Union, Iredell, Cabarrus, and York counties. Our multi-state licensing allows us to take on projects across NC & SC.

It depends what you are trying to do, but a few moves consistently save money on commercial renovations in Charlotte. Phase the work so revenue-generating areas open first while back-of-house finishes catch up. Value-engineer the spec early - swapping a finish or a fixture brand at design stage costs nothing; doing it after order placement costs change-order fees. If the roof is the issue, coating runs $2-$5 per square foot vs. $8-$15 for replacement, so it is roughly half the cost when the deck and insulation are still sound. Reuse existing MEP runs where code allows. And get the GC involved before the architect finalizes plans - we will catch budget-killers like a 600-amp service upgrade you do not actually need.

Call (980) 471-1745 or fill out the contact form. We respond within 2 business days, and the first conversation costs nothing. From there: a 15-minute scoping call, then a site walk if it makes sense, then a written line-item proposal you can compare against other Charlotte contractors. If we are aligned on scope, schedule, and price, we sign and start permitting. Most commercial projects go from first call to construction start in 4-8 weeks, depending mostly on permitting and how fast the architect finalizes plans.

Office, retail, restaurant, medical and dental, urgent care, warehouse, light industrial, brewery and taproom, mixed-use, and educational. Each one has its own code path. Restaurants live and die by the Type I/II hood, MAU, and grease interceptor sizing. Medical offices need lead-lined imaging walls, ANSI/AAMI ST79-rated sterilization plumbing, and HIPAA-grade separation between intake and clinical zones. Warehouses turn on dock height, ESFR sprinkler heads, and slab thickness rated for the rack load. We have built all of these in the Charlotte metro - if your space type is not on this list, call (980) 471-1745 and we will tell you straight whether it is in our wheelhouse.

Yes - we pull every permit, sit through every inspection, and chase down every red-tag ourselves. That covers City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Union County, Cabarrus County, Iredell County, and on the SC side York County and Lancaster County. We submit through Accela in NC and the SC equivalent county portals. Inspections we walk personally: footing, foundation, framing, rough-in MEP, fire-rated assembly, sprinkler hydro, final electrical, final mechanical, final plumbing, and CO inspection. If an inspector flags something, we fix it that week and re-inspect - we do not let projects sit in re-inspection limbo, because every week of vacancy is rent the owner is eating.

Pre-construction is the work that happens before the first sub shows up on site: tightening the scope, validating the budget against current Charlotte material and labor pricing, building out a real schedule, flagging long-lead items (electrical gear, custom millwork, certain HVAC equipment), and pre-coordinating drawings between architect, structural, MEP, and us. The reason it matters is simple math. A design conflict caught on paper costs an hour of someone re-drawing. The same conflict caught after framing is up costs four trades, a week of stand-by time, and usually a change order. Every commercial project we run starts with pre-construction.

Our FAA-certified commercial drone pilot uses aerial thermal imaging to inspect commercial roofs and building exteriors without scaffolding, lifts, or business disruption. The drone captures high-resolution photographs and thermal maps that reveal moisture intrusion, insulation failures, membrane damage, and structural issues invisible to ground-level or even on-roof visual inspections. We compile the data into a detailed report with annotated images and actionable recommendations. The entire process typically takes about one hour for most commercial buildings in the Charlotte area.

As a U.S. Green Building Council member, We Build offers a range of sustainable building options for commercial projects in Charlotte and the Carolinas. These include energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, high-performance building envelopes, low-VOC paints and adhesives, recycled-content and locally sourced materials, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, reflective roof coatings that reduce cooling costs by fifteen to twenty-five percent, and waste diversion strategies that minimize landfill impact during construction. Green building features often qualify for utility rebates and tax incentives while reducing long-term operating costs for building owners.

Yes. We Build provides ADA compliance assessments and renovation services for existing commercial buildings in Charlotte and the surrounding area. We evaluate your facility against current Americans with Disabilities Act standards, identify non-compliant areas - including entrances, restrooms, parking, signage, and interior accessibility - and develop a prioritized remediation plan. ADA compliance is not optional; it is a federal requirement, and non-compliance can result in costly lawsuits and fines. Our team handles the construction work needed to bring your building into full compliance efficiently and with minimal disruption to your operations.

Real Charlotte-metro 2026 numbers, not website fantasy: standard commercial upfit is $50-$175/sf depending on finish level and how much MEP you are touching. Ground-up shell-and-core runs $150-$300+/sf. Restaurant build-outs are $150-$350/sf because the hood, MAU, grease interceptor, and FRP walls are not optional. Medical and dental run $150-$400/sf - imaging suites and surgical sterile zones push the top end. Roof coating is $2-$5/sf installed. These are honest ranges, not bait numbers. The actual figure for your project depends on three things we cannot guess from a webpage: what city/county you are in, what the existing space gives you for free, and what finish level your tenants or customers expect. Call us and we will give you a real estimate inside 5 business days.