Electrical Demo and Make-Safe for Tenant Turnover in Denver
De-energizing, disconnecting, and labeling a tenant space so demolition can start safely.
Make-safe is the work that lets every other trade start. Before anything comes down, circuits feeding the space get identified, de-energized, tested for absence of voltage, and locked out, and the ones that only pass through get found and protected. That last part is where turnovers go wrong, because a corridor light, a neighboring tenant's rooftop unit, or the house panel is often fed from inside the space being gutted.
Equipment coming out gets disconnected properly rather than cut: kitchen gear, rooftop units being replaced, signage, and anything the outgoing tenant owns. What stays behind gets terminated, capped, and labeled, abandoned conductors come out of raceways so those pathways are usable again, and panel schedules are corrected to show what is actually live. Temporary lighting and power for the demolition and framing crews is part of the same trip. A space handed over this way lets the next build-out bid from known conditions instead of guesswork.
What does make-safe mean on an electrical demo?
It means leaving the space safe for other trades: circuits traced and de-energized, absence of voltage verified, lockout applied, open conductors terminated or removed, and everything that must stay live clearly identified. Demo crews should never be the ones discovering which conduit is still hot.
What has to stay energized when a tenant space is demolished?
Anything feeding beyond the space. That usually includes circuits passing through to other suites, common area and corridor power, egress and exit lighting required for the building, site or garage lighting, and any landlord equipment fed from that panel. These get identified before demo starts, not after a light goes out next door.
How should a space be left for the next tenant?
With an accurate panel schedule, a known amount of spare capacity, junction boxes accessible and covered, conduit capped and labeled, and abandoned wire removed. A clean turnover shortens the next tenant improvement because the incoming contractor can see what exists rather than opening walls to find out.
Based in Golden and on site across the Denver metro, from Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Arvada to the foothills.