in Chicago
metal stud
scopes welcome
Commercial framing contractors in Chicago
Metal stud and wood framing for build-outs, demising walls, multi-unit buildings and mezzanines. We frame our own commercial projects and take framing-only scopes for owners and general contractors — bid from drawings, built on schedule, ready for the inspector.
The framing package decides whether your schedule holds
In commercial work, framing is the first trade in after demo — and every trade after it inherits its accuracy and its delays. A framing crew that shows up late or leaves walls out of plumb taxes the drywallers, the electricians, the inspector and, eventually, your opening date.
Bofran Builders has framed Chicago commercial spaces since 1999: metal stud partitions and demising walls, ceilings and soffits, blocking and backing, mezzanines, and the structural corrections that older buildings spring on a project mid-demo. We run the framing package inside our own commercial construction projects, and we contract it as a standalone trade — same crew, either way.
- Metal stud partitions, furring, ceilings & soffits
- Fire-rated demising walls built to the listed assembly
- Apartment and multi-unit framing — wood, steel or both
- Mezzanines, platforms and structural corrections
- Blocking and backing coordinated with every trade's drawings
- Framing-only scopes for GCs, owners and developers
What we frame on commercial jobs
Tap through the scopes — how each one prices, how fast it moves, and what separates a clean package from a problem.
Metal stud partitions
The interior walls of every office, clinic, salon and restaurant — laid out from the drawings, framed in light-gauge steel with slip track where the structure above deflects, and left dead straight for the drywall crew. Layout accuracy here is what keeps casework, glass fronts and equipment installs from becoming field problems later.
- Layout from architectural drawings, field-verified
- Deflection (slip) track under live structure
- Door and window openings framed to hardware specs
Fire-rated demising walls
The walls between tenants — and between your space and the corridor — usually carry a fire-resistance rating, and a rating is not a suggestion: it's a specific listed assembly, framed and detailed exactly as tested. We build demising walls to the listed assembly, deck to deck, with the head-of-wall detail that inspectors actually climb ladders to check.
- 1-hour and 2-hour listed assemblies, deck to deck
- Head-of-wall, penetration and STC detailing
- Documentation ready for the inspector's file
Apartment & multi-unit framing
Unit separations, corridor walls, gut renovations and new layouts in 2–6 unit buildings and small mixed-use properties — often wood and steel in the same building, which suits us fine because our crew runs both. If you own several buildings, you want one framing contractor whose work you already trust on speed dial.
- Unit turns and full-building reframes
- Wood structure + metal stud interiors, one crew
- Porches, stairs and decks per Chicago porch code
Ceilings, soffits & backing
Hard-lid ceilings, bulkheads, light coves, and the unglamorous hero of every build-out: backing. TV mounts, grab bars, casework, signage, medical equipment — everything heavy needs framing behind the drywall exactly where the drawings say. We coordinate backing against every trade's cut sheets so nothing gets anchored to hope.
- Hard-lid ceilings, bulkheads & feature soffits
- Backing mapped from millwork & equipment cut sheets
- Furring and shaft covers around existing structure
Mezzanines & platforms
High ceilings are unused rent. Storage mezzanines, office platforms and equipment decks add real square footage inside the volume you already lease — engineered for the load, framed in steel or wood, with code-compliant stairs and guards. We coordinate the engineering and build to the stamped drawings.
- Storage and office mezzanines, engineered per use
- Stairs, guards and handrails to code
- Steel, wood or hybrid structures
Structural corrections
Older commercial buildings keep secrets: cut columns, rotted joist ends, sagging headers over storefronts, floors that slope an inch to the corner. When demo opens the walls, we diagnose the load path, bring in the structural engineer where stamps are needed, and install the steel or LVL that makes the building honest again — without blowing up the schedule.
- Steel beams, columns & header replacements
- Floor leveling and joist-end repairs
- Engineer-coordinated, permit-inspected
Hiring a framing subcontractor? Read this first
Half our commercial framing is performed for other general contractors, developers and owners running their own projects. Here's the working arrangement, stated plainly.
What you get from us
- A complete, itemized bid from your drawings — no allowance games, no bid-day surprises buried in exclusions
- Current COI, W-9 and lien waivers without chasing — our paperwork shows up before our crew does
- A crew that mobilizes on the scheduled day and calls two days ahead, not the morning of
- Walls plumb and on layout, openings to hardware specs, backing per the cut sheets
- One phone number that answers: the owner walks the job and picks up when you call
Why it matters: on a commercial schedule, the framing sub sets the pace for every trade behind it. Reliability here is worth more than the cheapest number.
What we ask from you
- Real drawings — we bid what's drawn, and flag what's missing before it becomes a change order
- A decided schedule window — we hold dates we commit to, so we only commit to real ones
- Site access and staging worked out up front
- Prompt answers on RFIs — a framing question left open for a week costs the schedule a week
If that reads like basic professionalism, good — that's the point. Framing subs earned a reputation; we've spent 27 years being the exception to it.
Commercial framing cost calculator
Price a wall package the way estimators actually think about it: by wall type and linear footage. Pick the assembly, set the length and height — the range updates live.
Ranges are 2025–2026 Chicago planning figures for framing only — drywall, insulation and finishes price separately. Full build-out framing packages typically land around $6–$15 per square foot of floor area. For a real number, send the drawings — we bid from plans, not from guesses.
Commercial framing costs in Chicago
How commercial framing prices in Chicago — by the wall, and by what the wall has to do.
Cost by wall & scope type
| Scope | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Standard metal stud partition | $18–$28 /lin ft |
| Insulated / sound-rated partition | $22–$35 /lin ft |
| 1-hour demising wall | $30–$45 /lin ft |
| 2-hour rated / shaft wall | $45–$60 /lin ft |
| Wood partitions (multi-unit) | $15–$30 /lin ft |
| Full build-out framing package | $6–$15 /sq ft |
| Multi-unit gut reframe | $12–$25 /sq ft |
What moves the number
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Fire & sound ratings | Add 30–80% |
| Ceiling height over 10 ft | Add 25–50% |
| Occupied / off-hours work | Add 10–20% |
| Deck-to-deck vs. to-ceiling | Add 15–30% |
| Downtown logistics & freight | Add 5–15% |
Typical production pace
| Scope | Pace |
|---|---|
| Standard partitions | 300–600 lf/wk |
| Rated demising walls | 150–300 lf/wk |
| Build-out package (2,500 sf) | 1–2 weeks |
| Mezzanine | 2–4 weeks |
Budgeting a whole build-out, not just framing? Our commercial construction page has a full build-out calculator, cost guide and lease-term glossary.
Want a number for your own project? Try our Chicago framing cost calculator — choose your scope and size and it returns a planning range in about thirty seconds.
The commercial framing glossary
Eight terms that decide what your walls cost and whether they pass inspection. Tap any term — two minutes here makes every framing conversation easier.
The wall separating your space from the neighboring tenant or the common corridor. Usually fire-rated, usually required to run deck to deck (not just to the ceiling), and usually the wall your lease and the city both have opinions about. Priced differently from ordinary partitions for exactly those reasons.
A fire-rated wall isn't "drywall, but thicker" — it's a specific tested recipe (a UL listing) naming the stud, spacing, board type, layers and fasteners. Substitute one ingredient and the rating is void even if the wall looks identical. We frame rated walls to the listed assembly and keep the listing documentation in the job file.
The structure above a partition moves — floors deflect under load. Deflection track lets the wall stay put while the deck above flexes, so drywall doesn't crack and rated joints stay sealed. Its absence is one of the most common shortcuts we find in walls other crews framed.
The measure of how much sound a wall stops. A basic partition runs around STC 35–40; offices and medical suites often spec 45–55, which changes the framing: insulation, resilient channel, staggered or double studs. If privacy matters — therapy offices, exam rooms, conference rooms — say so at framing time, not after move-in.
Framing hidden behind the drywall exactly where TVs, casework, grab bars, signage and equipment will anchor. It costs almost nothing during framing and a fortune after — retrofitting backing means cutting open finished walls. We map backing from the millwork and equipment cut sheets before the drywall goes up.
The building code sorts buildings into construction types (I through V) by how fire-resistant their structure must be. Many commercial buildings are noncombustible types — meaning interior framing must be steel, not wood. It's usually why your build-out is metal stud by default, and it's the first thing we check against the base building drawings.
Shallow framing applied over existing masonry or concrete to create a straight, finishable surface with a cavity for insulation and wiring. In Chicago's older commercial stock, furring is how a wavy 1920s brick wall becomes a flat wall you can actually put a tenant finish on.
The city inspects framing (and the rough-ins inside it) before anything is covered. Fail it and the schedule eats a re-inspection cycle. Our frames are walked with a straightedge and checked against the listed assemblies before we ever call for inspection — which is why the inspection is a checkpoint, not a gamble.
From drawings to inspection-ready
Commercial framing is a schedule trade. Here's how we keep it that way.
Bid from drawings
Send the plans; we return an itemized framing bid — assemblies, footages, openings, backing — with gaps in the drawings flagged in writing before they become change orders.
Submittals & scheduling
COI, W-9, material submittals and the listed assemblies for rated walls, plus a committed mobilization date coordinated with your demo and MEP trades.
Layout & frame
Laser layout from the drawings, then production framing — partitions, demising walls, ceilings, soffits and backing — at a pace we publish and hit, with daily coordination on site.
Walk & hand off
We straightedge our own walls, verify rated assemblies against their listings, and hand the drywall contractor a frame with zero excuses in it. Rough inspection passes; schedule holds.
More framing from Bofran Builders
Steel framing
Metal stud systems, gauges, fire ratings and structural steel — the deep dive.
Steel framing in ChicagoResidential framing
New homes, additions, second stories and Chicago's old housing stock.
Residential framing in ChicagoCommercial construction
Full build-outs from permits to punch list — framing included, one contractor accountable.
Commercial construction in ChicagoOr go back to the framing services overview.
Commercial framing, backed in writing
- 5-year structural warranty on framing and structural work
- Priority response — your space earns money, so we move fast
- 30-day post-project check-in after turnover
- Assembly documentation kept on file for your records
What our clients say
"The deck and staircase construction on a residential building was completed fast, under budget and with high quality. Even the city inspector was impressed with the workmanship."
"Our architect recommended Bofran Builders and we couldn't be happier. Frank and his team worked with us throughout building our new home, making excellent suggestions. Built on schedule despite permit obstacles — and more affordable than other contractors. The craftsmanship is phenomenal."
"They did a great job replacing both support beams on our rooftop pergola — a tricky job with heavy materials in a tight space. I appreciated the attention to detail matching the existing accents and the timeliness to finish."
Commercial framing FAQs
By the wall: standard metal stud partitions run $18–$28 per linear foot, sound-rated partitions $22–$35, 1-hour fire-rated demising walls $30–$45 and 2-hour or shaft assemblies $45–$60 per linear foot (framing labor and material). As a whole package, build-out framing usually lands around $6–$15 per square foot of floor area. Ratings, ceiling height and occupied-building logistics are the big multipliers — the calculator above lets you test all three.
Often, yes. The building code assigns every building a construction type, and many commercial buildings are noncombustible types — meaning interior framing must be steel. Even where wood is allowed, landlords and insurers frequently require metal stud. In 2–6 unit residential buildings and some mixed-use properties, wood remains legal and cost-effective. We frame both, so the base building drawings — not our habits — decide the material.
Yes — about half our commercial framing is performed as a trade for GCs, developers and owners. You get an itemized bid from your drawings, current COI and W-9 up front, lien waivers without chasing, a crew that mobilizes on the committed date, and walls that are plumb, on layout and inspection-ready. If your last framing sub cost you a schedule, that's the problem we get hired to fix.
A demising wall separates your space from the neighboring tenant or corridor. It usually carries a fire-resistance rating, runs deck to deck rather than stopping at the ceiling, and must be built as a specific listed assembly — exact studs, board layers and head-of-wall detail. That extra height, material and precision is why it prices at $30–$60 per linear foot instead of partition money. It's also the wall the inspector checks hardest.
Yes — unit separations, corridor walls, full gut reframes and new layouts in 2–6 unit and small mixed-use buildings, often combining wood structure with metal stud interiors. Owners with multiple buildings are some of our longest-standing clients, because a framing contractor who answers the phone and prices honestly is worth keeping. Porches, stairs and decks get framed to Chicago's porch code while we're there.
With drawings in hand we can usually bid within days and mobilize within 1–3 weeks, sooner when a schedule is genuinely burning. Planning numbers: 300–600 linear feet of standard partition per week, 150–300 of rated demising wall, and a typical 2,500 sq ft build-out framing package in 1–2 weeks. We publish the pace in the bid and hold it — that's the point of us.
Both. Mezzanines and platforms get engineered for the intended load and framed in steel, wood or a hybrid, with code-compliant stairs and guards. And when demo reveals what old buildings hide — cut columns, rotted joist ends, sagging storefront headers — we diagnose the load path, coordinate the structural engineer where stamped drawings are needed, and install the correction without letting it swallow the schedule.
Email your drawings to bofranbuilders@gmail.com, call (773) 969-9097, or send the form on this page. You'll get an itemized framing bid — assemblies, footages, openings and exclusions stated plainly — within days, no obligation.
Have drawings? Get a real number
Send the plans or tell us about the space. Whether you're an owner planning a build-out or a GC who needs a framing package priced, we'll come back within one business day.
Call us directly
Start your commercial framing scope
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