Steel stud framing, hollow metal door installation, fire-rated assemblies, and a Level 5 finish — completed in an active government office with restricted access and live operations next door.

Our general contractor brought us in on a public works building remodel in Buffalo, Minnesota — a civic project with the kind of access and operational constraints that come with renovating a building that can't shut down. The office stayed active throughout construction, which meant our crew worked around restricted entry points, kept dust contained, and coordinated daily with staff still using adjacent spaces.
Beyond the access challenges, this was a technically dense scope. We self-performed the steel stud framing, installed hollow metal door frames, and built fire-rated wall assemblies to code. The finished walls went to a Level 5 standard with control joints planned in to manage long-term movement. It's the kind of project that asks a drywall sub to function as a framing sub, a finish sub, and a coordinator all at once and to do it without disrupting the building's day job.
Our scope on this project covered steel stud framing, hollow metal door installation, insulation, drywall hang, taping, a Level 5 skim coat, sanding, and control joint installation throughout. Working in an occupied government building meant we had to think about more than just the drywall — entry and exit, dust containment, material staging, and end-of-day cleanup all had to be planned around staff who were still working through the project.
Check out our deck of photos that we captured during the project!







Elevate your commercial drywall property with professional drywall solutions.