Every question your Deal Desk, CFO, or COO should ask us.

A Property Condition Assessment (PCA) is a formal evaluation of a commercial building's physical condition: structure, envelope, roofing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-life safety, and ADA accessibility observations, documented in a Property Condition Report. You need one when you are buying a commercial building and want the purchase price to reflect what that building will actually cost to own, rather than what the seller's paint job suggests. PCAs follow the framework of ASTM E2018 and are the standard due diligence document for commercial real estate acquisitions. Learn more: Property Condition Assessments →

Sometimes, and we will tell you which straight away. Many commercial lenders require a PCA as a condition of funding, but most institutional and agency lenders (CMBS, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and life-company loans) specifically require one stamped by a licensed engineer or architect. Ours are led by a Certified Commercial Property Inspector and are built for buyer-side due diligence, price negotiation, and capital planning, not for lender certification. If your lender requires a stamped, engineer-certified report, we will tell you before you engage us so you never pay for two reports.

Six things. The Property Condition Report itself, with system-by-system findings, photographs, and thermal data. An Immediate Repairs Table putting a dollar figure on every near-term deficiency. A 5-Year Replacement Reserve (CapEx) forecast broken out by system. An operating and maintenance (OpEx) cost outlook built from the equipment we actually find on site, covering ongoing upkeep, not utilities or property taxes. A Total Cost of Ownership snapshot combining the two. And a plain executive recommendation on the asset. It is formatted for your acquisition model and your closing table, not delivered as a binder of photos.

Pricing is fixed by building size, starting at $2,500 for buildings up to 5,000 square feet and moving up through square footage tiers, with buildings above 50,000 square feet quoted individually. Specialized facilities such as wet labs, heavy manufacturing, or cold storage can change the scope and the price. Send us the address and square footage and you will have a fixed quote before your diligence window narrows. See the full pricing tiers →

Standard delivery is 7 to 10 business days from the site visit to the final report, and rush 48-hour delivery is available when a diligence window is closing. We can typically confirm scope and schedule the on-site assessment within 48 hours of your first call, which matters more than people expect: the scheduling delay, not the report, is usually what puts a deal at risk.

Yes, we work across California. Alongside the Bay Area we publish local guides for Fresno, Bakersfield, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and the Tri-Cities, Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San Diego County, each covering the property types and local requirements that actually matter in that market. Send the address and we will confirm coverage and timing.

An owner's representative manages a construction project on your behalf. The general contractor builds the work and the architect designs it; the owner's rep is the only party whose job is protecting your budget, your schedule, and your interests across the whole thing. In practice that means feasibility and budget work before design starts, selecting and managing the design team, leveling contractor bids so you are comparing the same scope rather than three different ones, then reviewing change orders, pay applications, and schedule throughout construction, and finally driving the punch list, warranties, and final accounting at closeout. You will also see the role called an owner representative, a project representative, or owner-side construction management. Learn more: Owner's Representative Services →

Structurally, only the owner's rep. The general contractor holds the construction contract and is paid out of the construction budget, so a change order increases their revenue. That is not dishonesty, it is how the arrangement works. The architect designs the project and administers the design intent, confirming the work matches the drawings, which is a genuinely different question from whether you are paying too much for it. We hold no part of the construction contract and have no financial stake in what the project costs, which is what allows us to challenge both the numbers and the schedule on your behalf.

Most engagements run roughly 2% to 6% of construction cost, scaling down as the project gets larger, and the percentage is fixed when we sign. It does not rise when change orders do, which matters precisely because that is the moment every other number on your project is climbing. We also work on a fixed fee, a monthly retainer with a capped term and an agreed extension rate, or hourly with a not-to-exceed cap for limited scopes. A minimum engagement fee applies to full representation. See the full fee structure →

With the condition data, if you have it. When a property condition assessment was done during diligence, the immediate repairs table and the capital needs forecast in that report are effectively the scope document for the renovation that follows: they already tell you what the building needs and roughly what it should cost. We take those findings, turn them into a prioritized and budgeted scope, put it out to bid properly so you are comparing real numbers, and then represent you through construction. Owners who run diligence and construction as one continuous process stop paying twice to learn the same things about their building. Learn more: Owner's Representative Services →

Yes, and it is one of the more common reasons people bring us in. Churches, nonprofits, and school boards are spending money that belongs to a congregation, to donors, or to the public, which means every significant decision needs documentation somebody can defend in a meeting. We structure reporting around your approval cycle and provide independent documentation of where the money is going and why. Approval layers do add meetings and decision cycles, so they factor into the fee, and we tell you that up front rather than discovering it later.

Yes. Limited-scope reviews are priced hourly with a not-to-exceed cap, so a second opinion does not require a full engagement. The common versions: reviewing change orders you suspect are inflated, leveling bids you have already received, auditing pay applications before you release more money, or assessing whether a schedule slip is recoverable. If the project needs full representation from that point forward we will say so, and if it does not, we will say that too.

No, and that is deliberate. We do not hold the construction contract, do not self-perform any construction work, and do not provide stamped design services. We represent the owner and only the owner. That independence is the entire value of the role: the moment a representative has a financial interest in what the construction costs, they lose the ability to question it on your behalf.

In an NNN lease, the financial burden of aging infrastructure shifts entirely to the tenant. Landlords in markets like San Jose and Sunnyvale frequently push deferred maintenance onto new occupants. If a 15-year-old rooftop HVAC unit fails six months after move-in, your operating capital pays for the replacement, not the landlord. We audit these systems before you sign to prevent blind CapEx liabilities. See the case study: The Cosmetic Deception, $850K secured →

Standard property inspectors check for basic code compliance. As your Owner's Representative, we conduct a forensic audit of mechanical remaining useful life, electrical capacity constraints, and total financial exposure. We deliver an evidence-based CapEx Exposure Model that your Deal Desk uses to negotiate landlord concessions or increased Tenant Improvement (TI) allowances, not a checklist of cracked tiles. Learn more: Pre-Lease Audits →

Data is leverage. When we deploy thermal imaging and AI-driven diagnostics in a SoMa or Financial District building, we quantify the estimated dollar amount of deferred maintenance. Your real estate attorney uses our executive report to pursue rent abatements, landlord-funded repairs prior to move-in, or increased TI dollars. Without that data, you're negotiating from optimism, not facts. See the case study: The Biotech Runway Defense, $1.5M secured →

You should engage us before you sign the lease, ideally during the Letter of Intent (LOI) phase. The findings give you legitimate, data-backed leverage to negotiate landlord concessions or TI allowance increases as a condition of signing. Once the ink is dry, that leverage disappears entirely. Bringing us in early establishes the Ground Truth before you're legally obligated to live with it. Learn more: Pre-Lease Audits →

Especially if you're a startup. You're about to sign a 5-to-7-year lease without an internal facilities team to catch problems after the fact. We have seen clients recover multiples of the audit cost in lease concessions alone. Your Series A wasn't raised to fund a landlord's deferred maintenance. See the case study: The Fragmentation Tax, $350K recovered →

Yes. We can seamlessly transition into a Fractional Facility Leadership role, acting as your outsourced Head of Facilities to manage your build-out, vet vendors, and oversee daily operations from Day Zero onward. If the build-out itself is substantial, that work is often better structured as an owner's representative engagement. Learn more: Fractional Facility Leadership →

Yes, as an independent, third-party audit partner. We provide rapid 48-hour Go/No-Go assessments and full forensic pre-lease audits for brokers' clients during the LOI window, converting building liabilities into the TI allowance and concession leverage that helps deals close. We are not a brokerage and offer no tenant-rep services, so your client relationship stays entirely yours. For Brokers & Referral Partners →

A Phase I Environmental checks for soil and groundwater contamination. It does not protect your EBITDA from failing building infrastructure. Our Quality of Infrastructure (QoI) audits analyze heavy mechanical systems, vendor contracts, and predictive maintenance gaps in cold storage and industrial assets, so your underwriting reflects the real cost of ownership, not just environmental exposure. A QoI complements a Phase I; you need both. Learn more: M&A Pre-Acquisition Audits →

We build an estimated 3-to-5-year CapEx Exposure Model based on the actual condition of the target asset. If we uncover obsolete ammonia piping or failing sub-floor insulation in a Central Valley logistics facility, we provide the financial data your Operating Partners need to support a CapEx holdback and renegotiate the acquisition price before the deal closes. See the case study: Inheriting the Toxic Asset, $1M holdback →

We understand exclusivity windows are tight. Upon execution of the MSA, we can typically deploy to target sites across California and the West Coast within 48 to 72 hours. We operate on deal-time, not consulting-firm time. On a tight window? Book a 20-minute executive call →

No. We operate with the discretion required during the M&A diligence phase. Our diagnostics, including thermal imaging, are non-invasive and can be conducted without halting the target's production or alerting their staff to the acquisition process. Learn more: M&A Pre-Acquisition Audits →

Yes. For multi-site acquisitions, we perform rapid Target Evaluation Sweeps across the entire portfolio, followed by deep-dive QoI Audits on the primary flagship facilities. We structure our deployment to match the pace of your deal flow across all sites simultaneously. Learn more: Facility Infrastructure Audits →

The biggest failure in M&A consulting is handing an Operating Partner a list of problems and walking away. Once the deal closes, we transition directly into the role of Fractional Facility Executive to actively manage the build-outs, execute the 100-Day Integration Plan, and handle vendor transitions on your behalf. Where the post-close plan involves significant construction, we run it as an owner's representative engagement. Learn more: Fractional Facility Leadership →

A Fractional Facility Director acts as your part-time Head of Facilities. Instead of hiring a full-time executive, you retain Base Layer FM to provide high-level strategic oversight, vendor management, and CapEx budgeting for exactly the hours your growing company actually needs, without the W2, benefits, equity, or PTO overhead. Learn more: Fractional Facility Leadership →

Hiring a full-time, executive-level Facility Director in the Bay Area easily exceeds $150,000 annually, plus benefits, equity, and PTO. Base Layer FM provides the same executive-level strategic oversight, vendor management, and lease negotiation expertise at a fraction of that cost, scaling exactly to the hours your operation requires. Scope your hours: Book a 20-minute executive call →

Founders and COOs should be scaling the core business, and HR should be managing company culture. Handing commercial HVAC, electrical systems, and complex vendor negotiations to non-technical staff creates expensive blind spots: missed SLA violations, lapsed Certificates of Insurance, and overpaid contractors who know no one is checking their work. Meet the technical lead: About Gabe →

Lacking an internal technical lead leaves your team at the mercy of contractors, often resulting in premium emergency rates for temporary band-aids. We audit your existing vendor contracts, eliminate overlapping services, and deploy a predictive maintenance architecture. We make sure no unauthorized technician touches your critical infrastructure without vetting and insurance verification. See the case study: The OpEx Hemorrhage, 22% OpEx cut →

No. We empower them. Your Office Manager or HR team should focus on company culture, employee experience, and onboarding. We take the heavy physical infrastructure (HVAC, electrical systems, landlord disputes, and vendor insurance compliance) completely off their plate so they can do their actual job. Learn more: Fractional Facility Leadership →

During Phase 1, we audit your existing vendor contracts. If they are performing well and priced correctly, we manage them. If they are overcharging or underperforming, we bring in our vetted, pre-approved network of contractors. We have no financial incentive to replace vendors unnecessarily. Our only loyalty is to your CapEx. See the case study: The OpEx Hemorrhage, 22% OpEx cut →

Absolutely. Managing construction and build-outs is a core part of our Fractional Director service. We act as your Owner's Rep during construction to ensure contractors are hitting milestones, staying on budget, and delivering exactly what was designed, not cutting corners on critical electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems to protect their margin. For larger or standalone projects, that work is scoped as a dedicated owner's representative engagement. Learn more: Fractional Facility Leadership →

Title 24 mandates strict energy efficiency standards for commercial spaces. When converting standard office space into an R&D lab in Palo Alto or Menlo Park, retrofitting legacy electrical and HVAC systems to meet these standards can trigger large, unexpected costs. We verify structural readiness before you commit to the build-out, so compliance costs are budgeted up front rather than surfacing mid-permit. See the case study: The Biotech Runway Defense, $1.5M secured →

Many legacy flex spaces in Oakland, Hayward, and Fremont were not engineered for modern electrical loads. We conduct full panel surveys, analyzing available amperage, switchgear condition, and grounding, to confirm the existing service can actually support your 18-month growth plan, including server racks, lab equipment, and EV charging stations. Finding this after you sign is catastrophically expensive. See the case study: The Fragmentation Tax, $350K recovered →

San Francisco and Oakland enforce mandatory soft-story and seismic retrofit requirements. A tenant who doesn't know about them can end up caught in city enforcement actions or operational shutdowns if a landlord has ignored the mandates. During due diligence we flag whether the building appears to fall under these programs and confirm the current status, so it's on the table before you are legally associated with the property. We are not structural engineers; where a formal retrofit review is needed, we'll tell you so you can bring in the right one. Learn more: Pre-Lease Audits →

Due to the extreme heat cycles in Pleasanton, Livermore, and San Ramon, rooftop package units often degrade faster than manufacturer estimates. We don't just look at the age of the unit. We identify the refrigerant type from the data plate and assess compressor and thermal performance to estimate its remaining useful life before it becomes your financial problem under an NNN lease. See the case study: The Cosmetic Deception, $850K secured →

Yes, and they vary a lot from city to city. The City of Los Angeles runs a mandatory retrofit program (Ordinance 183893) for pre-1978 soft-story and older non-ductile concrete buildings; Pasadena (Ordinance 7345) and Burbank run their own mandatory programs, and Santa Monica has one of the most comprehensive in the state. The City of San Diego runs an unreinforced-masonry (URM) ordinance covering older brick buildings, many in the Gaslamp Quarter near the Rose Canyon fault. Many Orange County and Inland Empire cities have inventoried their URM buildings rather than adopting broad mandatory programs. As part of a Property Condition Assessment we note whether a building appears to fall under the applicable city's program, flag the retrofit exposure, and confirm the current requirements for your review. We are not structural engineers and don't perform the retrofit engineering or certification; if a formal design is needed, we'll tell you so you can bring in the right licensed engineer. Learn more: Property Condition Assessments →

These are heavy logistics and warehouse markets, and the building itself carries most of the risk. Central Valley and Inland Empire heat is hard on roofing membranes and HVAC, so we read remaining useful life carefully rather than trusting a seller's log. The dominant warehouse construction is concrete tilt-up, where wall-to-roof anchorage is worth reading, and on distribution buildings we check whether the ESFR sprinkler coverage fits the rack configuration and high-pile storage actually in use, and whether the electrical service supports modern fulfillment, automation, and fleet or EV charging. Getting these documented before closing keeps them out of your first-year CapEx surprises. Learn more: Inland Empire PCA →

Legacy consulting firms take weeks to manually write condition reports, effectively paralyzing the diligence window. Base Layer FM uses proprietary, AI-driven diagnostic tools that synthesize raw field data and thermal imaging into an executive-ready CapEx report. We process physical risk at the speed of software, delivering actionable intelligence in 7 to 10 business days for a full audit. See the engine behind it: The Platform →

No. We do not sell HVAC units, swing hammers, or provide janitorial staff. We are independent Owner's Reps and fractional facility executives. We sit exclusively on your side of the board table to vet, hire, and actively manage those maintenance vendors for you, ensuring transparent service with zero conflict of interest. Learn more: About Base Layer FM →

Anyone who has outgrown their current operational bandwidth or is about to spend serious money on a building. That includes early-stage startups signing their first commercial lease, mid-market tech and biotech firms expanding their footprint, Private Equity teams conducting pre-purchase due diligence on commercial and industrial portfolios, and owners running capital projects, including businesses, churches, nonprofits, and school districts. We do not accept single-family residential projects, HOA management, or standard janitorial contracts. Not sure if you fit? Book a 20-minute executive call →

We serve clients across California. Our home base is the San Francisco Bay Area, where we deploy the full range of services, fractional facility leadership, pre-lease audits, owner's representative engagements, and forensic assessments, across the SF Financial District, Silicon Valley (San Jose to Milpitas), the Peninsula (Palo Alto to Redwood City), the East Bay (Oakland to Fremont), the Tri-Valley corridors, Central Valley logistics hubs (Stockton, Tracy, Sacramento), and Wine Country (Napa and Sonoma County). Property Condition Assessments and owner's representative engagements are available statewide, including Central and Southern California; see the Property Condition Assessments section above for our local market guides. You can reach our Bay Area line at (510) 516-2203 or our San Diego line at (619) 488-7189.

General contractors are motivated by speed and margin, not your long-term OpEx. As your Owner's Rep, we oversee the TI process to ensure the infrastructure being installed meets your operational requirements, preventing contractors from cutting corners on critical electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems that would cost you far more to fix after move-in. Learn more: Owner's Representative Services →

Every audit is led personally by Base Layer FM founder Gabe Clifford, a Certified Commercial Property Inspector (CCPIA) and facility executive with 15+ years of operational experience, who also holds Cal/OSHA 30-Hour, CompTIA Project+, and Lean Six Sigma certifications. His background spans hands-on lead-electrician and mechanical-room experience, 200,000 sq ft heavy industrial facilities with complex ammonia refrigeration, multimillion-dollar emergency reconstructions, and infrastructure management at MARSEC-level secure facilities. We pair boots-on-the-ground operational expertise with forensic-grade diagnostics and proprietary AI-driven reporting tools. Meet Gabe: About Base Layer FM →

It's our proprietary, in-house software: a voice-driven, AI-guided audit engine plus a full multi-site CMMS. It captures, photographs, and prices every finding while we're still on-site, assembles decision-grade reports in days instead of weeks, and then runs our fractional clients' work orders, preventative maintenance, and predictive risk forecasting after the audit. It is not for sale. It's how we deliver. See it in action: The Platform →

Yes. We act as the physical extension of your IT team: MDF/IDF server room build-outs, precision CRAC cooling, UPS and dedicated-circuit electrical, low-voltage cabling oversight, and access control integrations with the fire marshal. Your team racks the gear and provisions the software; we build the room it lives in. Learn more: IT Infrastructure →

For maritime fleets and specialized logistics operating in federally regulated, zero-tolerance environments, reactive maintenance leads to overlapping service contracts and unacceptable asset downtime. We take total ownership of the operational structure, consolidate the service matrix, audit USCG and regulatory compliance, and implement disciplined predictive-maintenance protocols that protect top-line revenue, as we did for a 7-vessel commercial fleet, cutting maintenance OpEx 22% and downtime 15%. See the case study: The OpEx Hemorrhage →