Sela Developments is a commercial contractor in Calgary, Alberta. Commercial contractors in Calgary build and renovate buildings that businesses, landlords, condo boards and congregations own. Our work covers tenant improvements, storefront and restaurant exteriors, church renovations, multi-family envelope and window replacement, and stucco and EIFS repair on buildings that stay open during the job. We hold the contract or act as construction manager, apply for the City of Calgary permits, phase the trades around your tenants and hours, and answer for the finished result.
01 · Overview
A commercial contractor holds the construction contract on a building used for business, rental, institutional or multi-family purposes. In Calgary that work is permitted by the City and built to the National Building Code, Alberta Edition, whose 2023 edition came into force on May 1, 2024. Our commercial work falls into six groups:
Most of these jobs need permits. The City of Calgary requires a building permit for alterations, repair or demolition of structural and non-structural walls in a commercial space, and for a change of business that creates a new building code classification or occupant load. A development permit is also needed when the use changes, or when exterior changes do not match the approved development permit.
02 · Before you start
The trades are similar. The conditions around them are not.
A restaurant still serves lunch. A church still holds services. Condo owners still need their front door. Every day of work happens next to the public, so access, noise, dust and fire exits shape the schedule. On a condo, crews work outside occupied suites, so residents need notice before anyone is on their balcony.
The City of Calgary says a building permit for interior commercial renovations typically takes 21 to 49 days. A change of use that is discretionary or needs a relaxation adds a development permit, with 10 to 12 weeks to decision and appeal. The City also notes that an architect or professional engineer may need to design and stamp the work.
Parapets, cornices and fourth floor windows need scaffolding, hoarding or a boom lift before anyone can repair them. Calgary weather tests that envelope hard: the August 5, 2024 hailstorm caused nearly $2.8 billion in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
A landlord, a tenant, a property manager, a condo board, an insurer and the City can all have a say. A tenant improvement often needs the landlord to approve the drawings before the City permit is even applied for. When nobody owns the approvals, work waits on email.
A fixed price contract puts the risk of overruns on the contractor. Construction management gives the owner more control and more of the risk. Picking the wrong one for the stage of design causes most budget fights.
03 · Key insight
On a commercial project, the materials are rarely the hard part. The cost and the schedule are set by how the crew reaches the wall and how the work is split around the people using the building. Scaffolding, hoarding, covered walkways, after-hours shifts and zone-by-zone handovers are the job.
So the first thing we price is not the stucco or the windows. It is the access plan and the phasing plan. Once those are agreed, the rest of the scope can be priced with confidence.
This is also why two quotes for the same stucco repair can be far apart. One includes engineered scaffolding, hoarding and night shifts. The other assumes a ladder and an empty sidewalk. Ask every bidder to show access and phasing as their own lines, then compare.
04 · How we work
We map the building into zones, agree the working hours for each one, and put the plan in the contract. Entrances get covered walkways, exits stay clear, and each zone is cleaned and handed back before the next opens. Tenants and residents get written notice before work starts at their unit or frontage.
During the walk-through we check whether the scope needs a building permit, a development permit or stamped drawings. If a consultant is needed, we say so up front, so the permit timeline is in the schedule from day one. Permit fees, the City’s permit deposit and any consultant fees appear as separate lines in the quote.
On commercial stucco and EIFS repairs we cut back to sound material, check the sheathing, flashings and weather barrier, and photograph each layer before it is covered. Window replacement on multi-family buildings gets membranes and sill flashing before the new unit goes in. On church towers and parapets, frame scaffolding goes up with a hoarded walkway at grade so the public route stays open.
You name one contact on the owner side. Every change goes to that person as a written change order with the price and schedule impact, and the landlord, tenant or board gets a copy. Site reports with photos go out at each milestone, so the owner or board has a record for its files.
When drawings are complete, a fixed price general contract usually fits. When design is still moving or the work is phased over seasons, construction management gives you control of each trade package for a set fee.
05 · In short
Sela Developments is a commercial contractor in Calgary for tenant improvements, storefront and restaurant exteriors, church and institutional buildings, multi-family envelope and window replacement, and stucco and EIFS repair on buildings that stay open. We plan access and phasing first, get the permits, and run the trades as general contractor or construction manager.
Alberta’s prepaid contracting licence does not apply to contracts for commercial buildings. The checks that do apply are a City of Calgary business licence, WCB Alberta coverage ([Account no.]) and liability insurance ([Amount]).
If your project is a home rather than a business property, see residential general contracting. For envelope scopes, read about exterior renovations. For budgets and vetting, see what a general contractor costs in Calgary and how to hire a general contractor, or go back to general contracting in Calgary. Browse completed projects, then send us your building to book a walk-through.
Last reviewed October 22, 2026 by the Sela Developments team. See our editorial policy for how we write and check these pages.
On the job
Usually, yes. The City of Calgary requires a building permit for alterations, repair or demolition of structural and non-structural walls in a commercial space, and for a change of business that creates a new building code classification or occupant load. Wholly cosmetic work such as painting or new furniture does not need one. The City says interior renovation permits typically take 21 to 49 days.
The City's fee calculator sets the commercial building permit rate at $10.14 per $1,000 of construction value, plus a $112 minimum processing fee and a 4% Safety Codes Council fee. Permits over $10,000 need a 25% deposit, capped at $10,000. A development permit for a permitted change of use is $190. The official rates are set in Building Permit Bylaw 64M94.
In most cases, yes. We split the job into zones, put up hoarding and covered walkways over entrances, keep exits and fire routes clear, and book noisy or dusty work outside business hours when tenants need that. Each zone is closed, cleaned and handed back before the next one opens. The phasing plan is agreed in writing before work starts.
A general contractor gives one fixed price for a defined scope and carries the risk of its own costs. A construction manager is hired earlier, often during design, helps with budgets and sequencing, and tenders and manages the trade contracts for a fee. Construction management gives the owner more control and visibility, and also moves more of the cost risk to the owner.
No. Alberta's prepaid contracting licence covers residential work sold away from the contractor's place of business where money is taken before the work is done. Contracts for business or commercial buildings are exempt. A commercial contractor in Calgary still needs a City of Calgary business licence to get permits, and you should ask for proof of WCB coverage and liability insurance before signing.
Send the address, how the building is occupied and a few photos. We walk the site, check what the permit will need and send a written scope with a phasing plan.