Commercial tenants in Jacksonville sign leases without understanding what their space will look like on move-in day. "Shell delivery" and "vanilla box" are not standardized legal terms — their meaning varies by landlord, by building, and by how carefully the lease was negotiated. Getting clear on what each delivery condition includes — and what the GC builds in each case — determines how much of your own money you spend before you open.

This article defines shell, vanilla box, and full fit-out for commercial office space, identifies what the general contractor (GC) constructs in each scenario, maps each to the TI allowance discussion, and gives you cost benchmarks for Jacksonville in 2025.

Empty commercial shell with exposed ceiling services and capped floor utilities
Editorial illustrationA first-generation shell provides structure and basic services while leaving the tenant interior unfinished.

Shell Delivery: The Bare Building

A shell is the building before any interior work. What you receive:

Shell spaces are common in:

Building from shell to finished office requires the full construction sequence: framing, MEP rough-in, drywall, ceiling, lighting, flooring, restrooms, millwork, and paint. This is the most expensive TI scenario because the tenant is funding everything above the raw structure.

Vanilla Box: The Landlord's Head Start

A vanilla box is a shell with a standardized set of tenant-neutral improvements completed by the landlord. What you typically receive:

What you do not receive in a vanilla box:

Vanilla box is the most common delivery for multi-tenant office buildings in Jacksonville. It reduces the tenant's construction scope to tenant-specific improvements — the items that reflect their operation rather than the building's baseline.

Full Fit-Out: Move-In Ready to the Tenant's Standard

A full fit-out delivers a space that is functionally ready for the tenant's operation from day one. What the GC builds:

A full fit-out from vanilla box is the standard scenario for commercial office tenants with a design specification. From shell, a full fit-out includes everything in the vanilla box plus everything above.

Opened commercial suite with retained ceiling grid, ductwork, partitions, and utility stubs
Editorial illustrationRetained systems and opened partitions clarify the boundary between landlord delivery and tenant construction.

What the GC's Contract Includes in Each Case

Understanding what the GC builds — and therefore what they are responsible for — prevents scope disputes:

Shell-Only Building: GC Contract = Everything

When the landlord delivers a shell and the tenant builds everything, the GC's contract is comprehensive. Every line item from partition framing through final inspections is in the GC's scope. This is also where TI allowance conversations are most consequential — the tenant is funding essentially the entire interior.

Vanilla Box: GC Contract = Tenant Improvements Only

When the landlord delivers a vanilla box, the GC's contract covers only the items the vanilla box does not include. The GC does not touch the ceiling grid (unless the design requires modifications), the restrooms (unless upgrades are required), or the HVAC distribution (unless the floor plan drives duct relocation).

The GC's scope in a vanilla box scenario typically includes: interior partitions, upgraded flooring, millwork, specialty lighting, break room plumbing, and supplemental electrical. This is a smaller contract value but requires careful scope documentation — because the boundary between what the landlord delivered and what the tenant is improving must be explicit to avoid disputes.

Turnkey or Full Fit-Out: GC Coordinates with Landlord's Delivery

In a turnkey scenario, the GC works from the landlord's approved specification. Any deviation from that specification generates either a change order to the tenant or a landlord directive (which the landlord funds). The GC must document the as-delivered condition of the space before construction begins — because any deficiency in the landlord's delivery is a cost the tenant should recover from the landlord, not absorb in their construction contract.

JK Prestige's commercial renovation team documents the as-delivered space condition photographically and in writing before any demolition or construction begins. This protects the client from inheriting pre-existing deficiencies.

Cost Differences: Jacksonville 2025

For a 3,000 sqft office fit-out in Jacksonville from a vanilla box delivery condition:

Total: $60–120/sqft for a full tenant fit-out from vanilla box delivery in Jacksonville, depending on finish level.

From shell delivery (no vanilla box), add:

Shell-to-finished office in Jacksonville currently runs $90–160/sqft for a standard commercial finish level.

These numbers are construction costs only — they do not include furniture, IT, signage, or moving costs.

Finished empty commercial suite with carpet, ceiling grid, lighting, and clear circulation
Editorial illustrationA finished suite represents the work a tenant allowance must fund from the agreed delivery condition.

How TI Allowance Maps to Each Delivery Type

At a $45/sqft TI allowance on a 3,000 sqft space ($135,000 total):

The delivery condition is the variable that matters most in TI allowance negotiations. Getting the landlord to a vanilla box starting point before signing reduces the tenant's out-of-pocket exposure by $60,000–120,000 on a 3,000 sqft space — often more than the incremental rent increase from the landlord's higher build-out cost.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the actual difference between a vanilla box and a shell space when I am touring potential office space?
A shell is the bare building, concrete slab, exterior envelope, and MEP stubbed near the space boundary but nothing distributed, with no interior partitions, ceiling, restrooms, or finishes at all. A vanilla box is a shell with landlord completed tenant neutral improvements already in place, including framed interior and restroom walls, a suspended ceiling grid with basic lighting, ADA compliant restrooms with fixtures installed, distributed HVAC ductwork, and an energized electrical panel. The difference in what you have to build yourself is significant.
How much does a full office fit-out actually cost from a vanilla box versus from a bare shell in Jacksonville?
From a vanilla box, a full tenant fit-out in Jacksonville currently runs 60 to 120 dollars per square foot depending on finish level, covering interior partitions, upgraded flooring, millwork, lighting, and MEP for tenant specific needs. From bare shell, add interior partition framing, a ceiling grid and base lighting, ADA restroom construction, and HVAC distribution, which pushes the total to roughly 90 to 160 dollars per square foot. Getting your landlord to deliver at least a vanilla box before you sign the lease meaningfully reduces your out of pocket construction cost.
If my landlord delivers the space in worse condition than what the lease specified, who pays to fix that?
That cost should be recovered from the landlord, not absorbed into your tenant improvement construction contract. A GC should document the as-delivered condition of the space photographically and in writing before any demolition or construction begins, specifically so any deficiency in the landlord's delivery is clearly separated from the scope you are paying for as the tenant. Do this before work starts, since it becomes much harder to prove after the space has already been altered.