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Commercial · Franchise Build-OutsFranchise Build-Out HVAC
Franchise build-out HVAC is installed to two documents that rarely agree: the franchisor's prototype mechanical drawings and equipment schedule, and the landlord's work letter stating what the base building delivers. The job is to find every gap between them (tons of cooling, gas capacity, roof openings, exhaust route) and settle who pays for each before the lease is firm. Do that first, because once the permit is in, equipment lead time, not labour, sets your opening date.
The prototype package is drawn for an ideal store. It lists rooftop units by tonnage and often by model, airflow at every diffuser, the thermostat or control system head office wants, and for food concepts the hood, exhaust fan and make-up air unit. The work letter, usually a schedule to the lease headed landlord's work and tenant's work, describes the real building: one existing rooftop unit delivered as is, a gas line of a stated size, an electrical service, and roof openings made only by the landlord's roofer.
The gap analysis is a line-by-line comparison of those two documents against what is physically on site. Typical findings are an existing rooftop unit with less capacity than the brand schedule calls for, a gas meter too small for a cook line plus make-up air, no route for a grease duct through the floor above, or an electrical service short of an all-electric spec. Each line gets a price and an owner: landlord's work, tenant allowance or franchisee's cost. If the landlord's unit is staying, have it tested first through a lease HVAC inspection.
Prototype drawings are not permit drawings. Many are produced for another province or country and have to be adapted to the Ontario Building Code for ventilation and energy efficiency, to CSA B149.1 for gas piping, and to equipment certified for use in Canada. A local designer of record does that adaptation, and the franchisor's design team reviews anything that departs from the prototype. Where no local designer is engaged yet, that step runs through commercial HVAC design-build.
Two things set the opening date: permit review at the municipal building department and equipment lead time. Rooftop units, make-up air units and hoods should be released the day the brand approves the submittals, not when framing starts. A bigger gas meter is a separate request to Enbridge Gas with its own queue. Rough-in, inspections, start-up and the air balance report the brand's opening checklist asks for follow in that order.
The second and third stores go faster than the first. The layout repeats, the submittals are already approved, the equipment schedule is known, and you deal with one contact who has read the brand manual. Only the permit desk changes: City of Burlington, Town of Oakville, City of Hamilton, City of Mississauga and City of Brampton each run their own intake. Independent, non-franchise spaces are covered under tenant fit-out HVAC; for a franchise location, send both documents to the shop.
Equipment we install and service
New units matched to the prototype's tonnage, airflow and options, or the landlord's existing unit where it has the capacity and enough life left. Curbs, adapter curbs and roof openings are coordinated with the landlord's roofer so the roof warranty survives.
For food concepts: the hood the brand specifies, its upblast fan, and a gas-fired make-up air unit interlocked so both run together. Exhaust and supply are balanced and the readings recorded, which most franchisors want before sign-off.
A connected-load calculation for every gas appliance, new piping sized for the total, pressure test and tagging by a TSSA-licensed technician, and the load information Enbridge needs if the meter has to be upsized.
The thermostat or energy management system named in the brand standard, installed and set up as the manual directs. Some franchisors monitor store temperatures centrally, and a store that opens with a substitute thermostat tends to get a correction notice.
What goes wrong in these buildings
- The franchisor's drawings call for more tonnage than the unit the landlord is giving me.
- My opening date is fixed with head office and the rooftop unit has a lead time nobody mentioned.
- The landlord says roof openings are my cost and must be cut by his roofer.
- The gas meter on the unit will not carry the fryers and the make-up air unit together.
- The brand rejected the substitute equipment my contractor ordered and now it is sitting in a warehouse.
- I am opening three locations this year and do not want to explain the spec to three contractors.
How it works
We go through the prototype mechanical drawings and the work letter, then inspect the space: existing unit nameplate and condition, gas meter and line size, electrical capacity, roof structure and the route any exhaust would take.
You get a written gap list with a price on each line, in time to use during lease negotiation, followed by a fixed price for the full mechanical scope to the brand specification with inclusions and exclusions stated.
Equipment is ordered on approved submittals, installed around the other trades, started up and balanced. The close-out package follows the franchisor's list: start-up sheets, balance report, warranty registrations, manuals and photos.
Common questions
Can I reuse the landlord's existing rooftop unit?
If it meets the capacity and airflow on the brand's equipment schedule and tests well, often yes, with the franchisor's approval. Be cautious with age: a unit over about 15 years old, or one that runs on R-22, is likely to need replacing during your term. In that case negotiate a new unit as landlord's work before the lease is signed.
Can you substitute equipment for what the prototype specifies?
Only with the franchisor's written approval. When the specified model is unavailable in Canada or has a long lead time, we submit an alternative of equal capacity and efficiency with data sheets and wait for the answer. Nothing is ordered on an assumption. Substitutions made without approval are the most common reason a finished store fails its brand inspection.
Who pulls the permit on a franchise build-out?
Usually the general contractor or the designer of record applies for the building permit, and the mechanical drawings form part of that application. Gas work is done by TSSA-licensed technicians and electrical connections by a licensed electrical contractor who files with ESA. We give the applicant the mechanical drawings, equipment data and load information the building department asks for.
What should I order first to protect my opening date?
The items built to order: rooftop units, the make-up air unit, the hood and its fan. Release them as soon as the lease is firm and the brand has approved the submittals. Ductwork, gas pipe, diffusers and thermostats are stock items and do not drive the schedule. Ask about a larger gas meter at the same time.
Related
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