Architectural Consulting Firm

Second floor of a small downtown office building in Fort Myers. A national architecture and engineering firm gutted their suite and rebuilt it from scratch. TSS did the full structured cabling install — 80 Cat6 drops, complete TDR buildout, certified turnover.

We have worked for this client in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. They hired us locally first because our price was competitive and our schedule was short. Once you do good work for a client, they stop caring where your shop is. TSS is based in Pinellas Park. Fort Myers is about four hours away. The drive didn't affect the price and it didn't affect the schedule.

That's the point of including this project. We do work anywhere in Florida. Clients who use us locally often send us to other markets because the quality and price hold up regardless of the location. Some of our best long-term customer relationships started as a single 50 or 80-cable job. The first project is how they find out what we're capable of.

Full gut renovation means pulling out whatever was there and starting over. Clean pathways, new TDR, 80 drops from scratch. The firm designs buildings professionally, so their own office had to look right. The rack work is clean, the cables are labeled, the documentation is complete.

Eighty Cat6 drops across a renovated second-floor office suite. Workstations, conference rooms, phone locations, and wireless access points. Full TDR buildout included wall-mount rack, patch panel, and all cable terminations.

Office renovations have more variables than new construction. Existing pathways may be reused, extended, or replaced entirely. On a gut renovation, old cabling comes out first and everything starts fresh. That's actually the cleaner situation — you know exactly what you have because you installed all of it.

Architecture and engineering firms run dense workstation layouts. Design professionals use multiple monitors, large-format printers, and plotters. Data density per seat is higher than a standard office, and conference rooms need clean, accessible connections for client presentations. The cabling plan accounted for actual work patterns, not just minimum coverage.

This was a repeat engagement with a client we already knew. No time spent establishing how we work or what our standards are. Scope confirmed, schedule set, crew on-site.

Gut renovations require coordination with other trades. Electrical, HVAC, and finish work all compete for ceiling space and wall penetrations. TSS pathways got planned before demolition was complete so we weren't waiting on other trades to clear before pulling cable.

The client's decision-makers were accessible and responsive. When a question came up about drop placement relative to final furniture layout, we got an answer fast. That matters on a fixed-schedule job. Delays waiting for decisions cost more than the decision itself is worth.

All 80 Cat6 drops were tested with a Fluke DSX-8000 to TIA channel specifications. Certification reports delivered electronically with the turnover package. Cable schedule and patch panel map included.

The client keeps these records. An architecture firm understands that a building's documentation matters. Their own clients get as-builts and specifications at project close. We give our customers the same thing — a complete picture of what was installed, where it goes, and what it tested to.

TSS sent a focused crew for this renovation project. W2 employees, OSHA trained, experienced with commercial office environments. The team handles gut renovations regularly. You work around demolition debris, coordinate with other trades, and keep the job moving without creating problems for anyone else on-site.

Fort Myers is outside our home market. The crew drove down, worked the job, and drove back. No different from any other project. Travel is part of doing statewide work and TSS accounts for it in how we staff and schedule.

ANSI/TIA-568 for all copper installations. BICSI best practices for routing, support, and termination. NEC compliance throughout, including proper pathway fill, separation from electrical, and firestopping at rated penetrations.

Office renovations in occupied buildings have additional considerations — noise, access hours, and phasing around active tenant spaces on other floors. TSS coordinated with building management to stay within allowed work windows and minimize disruption to other tenants.