Complete tenant improvement framing and drywall packages for general contractors and developers across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Colin Hamilton brings 15 years as a licensed GC and TI specialist to every single estimate — understanding your project from both sides of the table. One scope. One crew. One call.
There are framing and drywall contractors across Metro Vancouver. There are very few who have also spent 15 years managing tenant improvement projects from the GC's chair. Colin Hamilton has. Before founding SteelStud.ca, Colin ran full TI scopes as a licensed general contractor — office fit-outs in downtown Vancouver, retail build-outs in Surrey and Burnaby, medical and dental TI across Richmond and Coquitlam, restaurant and hospitality projects throughout the Lower Mainland.
That background is the core differentiator on every TI project SteelStud.ca takes on. When Colin estimates your framing and drywall scope, he's thinking about your whole project — not just the framing. He knows what happens when the framing crew doesn't coordinate with MEP before layout. He knows what a failed drywall inspection costs the GC in schedule and relationship capital. He knows what downstream trades need from a framing scope to do their work efficiently. He knows because he managed those consequences as the GC for 15 years.
SteelStud.ca TI packages combine steel stud framing and drywall into a single-source scope. One estimate, one crew, one point of contact. The coordination gap between your framer and drywaller disappears when they're the same company — and when that company is led by someone who's managed 15 years of TI projects from the top down, the quality of that coordination is at a different level.
Our standard TI package covers the complete framing and drywall envelope of your tenant improvement project. Framing scope includes: partition wall layout from approved drawings, all partition walls and demising walls, soffit and bulkhead systems, shaft wall assemblies, blocking and backing per the blocking schedule, and door frame blocking and headers. Drywall scope includes: board supply and hang, tape and bedding, finish to specified level, corner bead throughout, ceiling-to-wall transitions, and coordination with the painting trade for primer scheduling.
Included as standard in every TI package: ULC assembly documentation for all rated assemblies, permit documentation support, coordination with MEP trades before layout begins, daily progress reporting to the GC, and framing inspection coordination with the local building authority. Colin attends pre-construction meetings as part of every TI package — because the decisions made before the first stud is cut determine whether the project runs smoothly or creates problems.
Office Fit-Outs: Open-plan and private office TI is the most common commercial project type across Metro Vancouver. We've completed framing and drywall for small professional office suites to full-floor Class A office fit-outs in Vancouver's downtown core, Burnaby's Brentwood and Metrotown areas, Richmond's No. 3 Road corridor, and suburban office parks throughout Surrey, Langley, and Coquitlam. Our office TI framing includes partition systems, conference room walls, reception area assemblies, server room enclosures, and all associated soffit and bulkhead work.
Medical & Dental TI: Healthcare TI has specific requirements that our crew understands: moisture-resistant board in wet areas, blocking for heavy equipment mounting, plumbing chase soffits, lead-lined walls where required, and the inspection timeline that healthcare occupancies require in BC. We serve medical clinic, dental office, physiotherapy, chiropractic, and allied health TI projects across the Lower Mainland — from small single-practitioner offices in suburban strip malls to multi-practitioner medical centres in Richmond and Burnaby.
Retail Build-Outs: Retail TI often runs on the tightest schedules in the commercial construction market — occupancy targets tied to lease commencement dates are unforgiving. Our crew understands fast-track retail TI: efficient layout, systematic installation, and coordination with fixture installers who follow the drywall. We serve retail TI across Metro Vancouver's major retail nodes — Park Royal in West Vancouver, Metrotown and Brentwood in Burnaby, Guildford and Surrey City Centre in Surrey, Aberdeen and Richmond Centre in Richmond.
Restaurant & Hospitality: Restaurant TI framing and drywall has specific technical requirements: moisture-resistant board throughout kitchen and food preparation areas, hood chase soffits, bar assemblies, and acoustic partition requirements for dining areas. We serve restaurant TI across Metro Vancouver — from small café fit-outs to full-service restaurant build-outs in Vancouver's dining districts, Richmond's food corridor, and hospitality projects throughout the Lower Mainland.
Industrial & Tech: Light industrial office TI, tech campus fit-outs, and laboratory spaces across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Coordinating with specialized MEP, high-load blocking for technical equipment, server room partition assemblies with specific thermal and acoustic requirements, and the above-standard finish levels that tech companies frequently specify in their facilities.
Colin Hamilton spent 15 years watching framing subcontractors affect GC profitability — both positively and negatively. A framing crew that lays out partitions 2 inches off the drawing forces the millwork contractor to field-modify every piece. A drywall crew that doesn't float the ceiling properly sends the painter back for a second coat. A framing crew that doesn't coordinate with MEP before layout creates conflicts that turn into RFIs, change orders, and schedule delays.
The framing and drywall subcontractor is the trade that sets up every trade that follows. When they get it right, the project runs. When they get it wrong, the GC absorbs the consequences. Colin built SteelStud.ca specifically to be the framing and drywall subcontractor that makes GC projects run — because he's been the GC who suffered when they didn't.
That means accurate estimates from drawings — not padded numbers that protect against unknowns Colin should have identified upfront. It means proactive field communication — calling the GC when a field condition affects the scope, not waiting to see if it becomes a change order. It means inspection-ready work — because failed framing or drywall inspections cost the GC schedule that can't be recovered. It means complete documentation — because permit offices and building inspectors across Metro Vancouver expect specific information and delivering it correctly moves projects forward.
Tenant improvement projects in BC require a building permit for work involving structural elements, fire separations, change of occupancy, or modification of means of egress. Our framing and drywall scope is documented to permit standards — ULC assembly references, structural specifications, and fastener schedules are all included in our package for your permit application. Colin's 15-year GC background includes extensive experience with permit applications for TI projects across every major Lower Mainland municipality: Vancouver DBL, Surrey Building Division, Burnaby Planning and Building, Richmond Building Approvals, and the building departments of Coquitlam, Langley, Delta, North Vancouver, and beyond.
Our permit documentation package reduces review times by providing complete information upfront. Permit offices across BC are understaffed and process high volumes of applications — incomplete submissions that require requests for information add weeks to your approval timeline. SteelStud.ca's documentation is prepared specifically to avoid those requests, moving your TI permit through review faster and getting your framing crew on site sooner.
604-761-1518 reaches Colin directly — not a receptionist, not an account manager. The person who answers estimated hundreds of TI projects as the GC before ever picking up a framing gun. That perspective is on every SteelStud.ca estimate, every pre-construction meeting, and every site visit across the Lower Mainland. Read Colin's full background →
TI projects in Metro Vancouver's commercial real estate market operate in a demanding scheduling environment. Building management protocols in occupied office towers, freight elevator booking windows, noise restrictions during business hours, and the sequential nature of trade scheduling all compress the effective working time available for framing and drywall installation. Our crew understands and manages these constraints across every building type in the Lower Mainland market.
For a typical Metro Vancouver commercial TI in the 2,000 to 8,000 square foot range, framing runs 5 to 12 working days and drywall runs 8 to 18 working days after framing completion, depending on complexity and finish level. Colin provides specific timeline estimates with every quote, which allows GCs to book MEP trades and millwork contractors with confidence. When framing and drywall are with the same contractor, the transition between them is managed internally — no scheduling gap, no coordination phone calls, no waiting for a separate drywaller to become available.