Gym Construction & Tenant Improvement — Speakeasy Fitness at Beverly Boulevard

Converting an existing retail building to an A-3 Gymnasium occupancy is one of the more technically demanding categories of tenant improvement work under the California Building Code. The CBC imposes specific egress, structural, fire protection, ADA, and MEP requirements that bear no relationship to what a retail shell was designed to handle. The mezzanine required LVL beam installation at two second-floor openings, HSS diaphragm brace frames, and a new guardrail system engineered to stamped structural drawings. All structural field welding required a LACBS-licensed welder, AWS D1.1 compliance, and shop drawing submittals prior to fabrication. The electrical scope required full LADWP coordination for a new main service panel and three-phase service energization for the HVAC system. The HVAC required a stamped and sealed structural RFI covering rooftop curb details, equipment sizing, and loading before scope or price could be committed. DWD Builders scheduled pre-construction meetings with the LADBS Building & Safety inspector and all MEP inspectors to map the exact path to Certificate of Occupancy before work began.

DWD Builders established a clear, fully documented scope before any work began, with every trade's inspection sequence coordinated in advance with LADBS and all MEP inspectors — eliminating discovery-at-inspection delays. Structural work at the mezzanine level was executed per the approved structural drawings: LVL beams at both second-floor openings, HSS diaphragm brace frames, full guardrail system with welded wire mesh, and wall drift connections with slotted holes. All field welding was AWS D1.1, performed by a LACBS-licensed welder, with shop drawings and WPS submitted prior to fabrication. The full electrical rough-in and finish was completed per approved plans, with a new LADWP main service panel and meter base installed and coordinated through LADWP's scheduling and inspection process. Plumbing scope covered the water heater installation, ADA hi-lo drinking fountain rough-in, and all supply and return pipe lines for the steam unit. The steam room was fully waterproofed with a Schluter Kerdi membrane system at walls, floor, and ceiling — followed by porcelain tile installation across approximately 600 SF. Sauna installation included all framing backing, vapor barrier, blocking, and component installation. Subfloor preparation throughout the mezzanine fitness area (~2,416 SF) included grinding, leveling, and self-leveling cement application. At the southeast end of the building, a new ADA exit door and reinforced concrete ramp at 1:12 slope was installed — with metal railing and ADA tactile warning surface at grade.