What drives dental office construction cost in Dallas–Fort Worth

The cost of building a dental office in Dallas–Fort Worth depends less on the size of the suite than on what is under the floor and inside the walls, and on the condition of the space or site you start with. Below we cover what drives the cost in a finish-out, a renovation, and a new building, what sets the schedule in each phase, and what a construction price usually leaves out.

We do not list prices per square foot here. Costs move with materials, labor, and the specific space, so S&I gives each project a first budget at no charge and a detailed estimate later from the drawings.

This guide does not give week counts either. How long each phase takes depends on the space or site, the city, and the lead times on equipment and building systems. The table below shows what sets the time in each phase, and S&I works out the calendar for your project alongside the first budget.

Where you start sets the cost

The same practice, with the same number of chairs, costs a different amount in each of these starting conditions.

Second-generation dental space is not automatically the least expensive. It costs less only when the existing plumbing lines up with your layout and the equipment room, electrical service, and air conditioning are in usable condition. Our guide to second-generation space versus shell covers what to inspect.

What drives the cost

Plumbing and slab work

Each operatory needs compressed air, vacuum, water, a drain, power, and data brought to an exact point at the chair. In most layouts those lines run under the slab. In an existing space that means saw-cutting and patching concrete. On an upper floor it means coring the slab and working in the ceiling of the tenant below, usually after hours. The number of operatories and the distance from the equipment room to the farthest chair move this cost more than anything else.

Medical gas

Piped nitrous oxide and oxygen are installed and tested under NFPA 99, the national health care facilities code. A piped system adds a cylinder storage location, zone valves, alarms, and certified installation and testing. Portable units avoid that cost. Decide early, because the piping runs inside walls and above ceilings.

Equipment rough-ins

The equipment supplier's drawings set the utility locations at each chair, the blocking in the walls for X-ray arms and monitors, and the needs of the compressor, vacuum pump, amalgam separator, and sterilizers. Rough-in built from the drawings for the models you are buying is priced once. Rough-in built from a typical layout is often built twice. S&I checks the under-slab plumbing and the equipment rough-ins with the equipment supplier's installer before the slab is poured.

Shielding

Intraoral, panoramic, and cone beam CT units put different demands on the walls around them. The shielding for a room should come from the manufacturer's requirements or a design by a qualified physicist, and its cost depends on the machine and on what is on the other side of each wall.

Heating, cooling, and ventilation

A dental office puts more people and more heat-producing equipment into a suite than a general office of the same size. The equipment room, sterilization, and any lab or milling room need exhaust or added cooling. In a lease space, the question is whether the existing rooftop units and ductwork can be reused, and the answer can change the budget noticeably.

Electrical capacity

Chairs, delivery units, the compressor, vacuum pump, sterilizers, imaging, and any milling equipment draw more power than a general office. A suite with a small electrical service may need a new panel or a larger service from the utility, which adds cost and time while the utility schedules the work. Check the service size before you sign.

Finishes and cabinetry

Operatory and sterilization cabinetry, flooring that stands up to chairs and cleaning, and the rooms patients see are where an owner has the most choice. Finishes move the cost less than plumbing and systems do, but they are the easiest line to adjust once the rest of the budget is set.

Accessibility

Texas projects must meet the Texas Accessibility Standards, administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). In a renovation, bringing restrooms, doors, reception counters, and the route from parking into compliance can be a real part of the cost, and it is easy to miss when comparing spaces.

The tenant improvement allowance

The landlord's allowance reduces what you pay, not what the work costs. Read the work letter with it: it says what the landlord builds before you take the space, such as restrooms, the air conditioning, and the electrical service, and what is left for your contractor. Dental build-outs commonly cost more than a general office allowance covers, so the terms matter: what the allowance may be spent on, when it is paid, and whether the landlord charges a supervision fee against it. See what to ask before signing a lease.

Site work and utilities on a new building

A freestanding dental building adds what a lease space already has: grading, paving and parking, storm drainage and detention, and water, sewer, electric, and gas service brought to the building. These costs follow the site, not the size of the building, so a small building on a difficult lot can cost more than a larger one on a ready pad. City site plan approval and any owner association review also come before the building permit. Our guide to leasing and site obstacles covers what to check before you buy.

Phasing an open practice

Renovating or expanding while you see patients means temporary walls, dust control, utility shutoffs outside clinic hours, and several mobilizations of each trade. Where feasible, we phase the work so the practice stays open. Phasing and after-hours work add cost and time. The trade-off is that you keep producing during construction.

Schedule and permitting

Time costs money on both sides of the contract. Every week of design, permit review, and inspections is a week of rent or loan interest before the first patient, and a longer job carries more supervision and general conditions. Equipment lead times, rooftop units, and electrical gear can set the finish date. From the first concept we often schedule design, permitting, and construction together, and order long-lead items as early as the design allows.

How long it takes

Construction is one part of the calendar. Design and permit review come first, and on a new building the city approvals before the permit can take longer than the construction.

S&I usually submits for the building permit, and we schedule the city, fire, and state accessibility inspections. Dental X-ray machines are registered with the Texas Department of State Health Services. That registration is the practice's to file. For the full sequence, see what a dental office build-out involves in Texas.

What is usually not in the construction price

The construction price is not the cost of opening. Several items are usually bought outside the builder's base contract, and two contractors' numbers only compare if they treat these the same way. Ask each one for a written list of what is in and what is out.

• Equipment. Chairs, delivery units, the compressor and vacuum pump, sterilizers, and imaging are normally bought from and installed by your dental equipment supplier. The construction price covers the plumbing, power, and blocking that equipment connects to. Some suppliers also furnish operatory and sterilization cabinetry, so settle who supplies cabinetry before anyone prices it.
• Phone and data cabling. Not typically in our base contract. We can provide it if you want one contract.
• Security, access control, call systems, and sound. Not typically in the base contract. We can provide them.
• Signage. Building and suite signs are not typically in the base contract. We can provide them. The landlord and the city both usually have sign rules.
• Furniture. Desks, seating, and other loose furniture are bought by the owner. S&I does not provide furniture.
• Design and other owner costs. Architect and engineer fees when you hire the architect directly, the shielding design, computers and practice software, and any landlord review fees. Ask whether permit fees are inside the contractor's number.

Add these to the construction number before you compare the total with your loan or your allowance.

How to get a first budget

You do not need drawings to start. S&I puts together a first budget at no charge. It is an early range, not an estimate, and it is meant to tell you whether a space or a site fits your budget before you commit to it. If you are looking at a lease space, we will walk it with you before you sign.

It helps if you can tell us:

• The space or site you are considering, or the two or three you are comparing
• The number of operatories now, and how many to plumb for later
• Your equipment supplier, if you have one
• Imaging, piped nitrous oxide, and any in-house lab
• When you need to open

A detailed estimate comes later, priced from the drawings as they develop. From the first concept we often schedule design, permitting, and construction together, so the calendar and the budget are worked out side by side. Call 817-329-4241 or send us a note.

See the work

Our dental office construction page covers each of these decisions in more depth. Completed dental offices include Golpa Dental Implant Center in Dallas, Jolley Orthodontics in Trophy Club, and Just for Grins in Keller.

All articles