Tenant Improvement Glass Checklist: Storefronts, Entrances, Partitions & Interior Glass

A tenant improvement glass checklist makes sure nothing in the glazing scope is missed before a build-out starts. Storefronts, entrances, partitions, and interior glass each have their own scope, safety, and lead-time items to confirm.

Run this list with your designer and commercial glass services contractor during design, not after the permit.

The Tenant Improvement Glass Checklist

Confirm each of these items in the drawings and the bid:

• Storefront: elevations, framing system and finish, glass make-up, thermal performance, water and air targets
• Entrances: door type, quantity, automatic operators, ADA clearances, hardware and access control
• Interior office fronts: system type, glass type, door style, quantity of offices and rooms
• Conference glazing: acoustic glass, sealed perimeter details, privacy film or switchable glass
• Demountable partitions: panel type, reconfigurability, and coordination with ceiling and floor
• Safety glazing: every location in and near doors, low walls, and large panes identified
• Lead times: storefront and curtain wall released at buyout, six to ten weeks out
• Coordination: in-wall blocking, power and low-voltage, and install after drywall

Safety and Code Items

Mark all safety-glazing locations per IBC Chapter 24 glazing requirements, confirm fire-rated openings where required, verify guard and railing infill, and check that entrance doors meet accessibility. Your contractor books the safety-glazing inspection.

Budget and Allowance Items

Reconcile the glazing line against the landlord allowance, standardize glass and framing to control cost, and price switchable glass and custom frit only where they are needed. See our glass cost guide for ranges.

Schedule Items

Put the storefront and curtain wall order date on the master schedule at buyout. Confirm the install window is after drywall and before final finishes, and reserve dock and after-hours access for large-pane work.

Field Verification Before Fabrication

A key line on any tenant improvement glass checklist is field verification: confirm rough-opening dimensions, plumb and level, and structural backing before the glazing contractor releases fabrication. Ordering glass to the drawings instead of to the field is a common and expensive mistake.

Build a hold point into the schedule so nothing is fabricated until the openings are checked.

Protection and Cleaning Plan

The tenant improvement glass checklist should also cover protection and cleaning. Specify how installed glass is protected from other trades, who removes labels and construction debris, and when the final cleaning happens so the space is handed over spotless.

Bottom Line for Commercial Property Owners

A well-managed tenant improvement glass checklist decision protects three things at once: your construction schedule, your build-out budget, and the long-term performance of the space. Getting it right early, with a contractor who has done it many times, is far cheaper than correcting it later.

Every commercial building reaches these decision points. The owners and tenants who plan for them, document the scope, and work with an experienced team consistently open on time, stay on budget, and end up with space that leases and performs better for years.

Key Takeaways

• Confirm scope for storefront, entrances, office fronts, conference glazing, and partitions
• Identify every safety-glazing location during design
• Release storefront and curtain wall at buyout, six to ten weeks ahead
• Coordinate blocking, power, and an install window after drywall
• Reconcile the glazing line against the landlord allowance

Frequently Asked Questions

When should the glass checklist be completed?

During design development, so the scope is bid rather than change-ordered after the permit issues.

Who keeps the glazing schedule?

The general contractor, on the master schedule, with the order date set at buyout.

Talk to a Commercial Glazing and Tenant Improvement Team

Want us to review your glazing scope against this checklist? contact our team or explore tenant improvement glass and commercial glass services.