Commercial General Contractors in Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor’s commercial footprint keeps shifting—research and biotech firms expanding near the University of Michigan corridor, downtown mixed-use development replacing aging retail strips, and light industrial operators outgrowing their current footprint. Each of those projects calls for a general contractor who understands how zoning, site constraints, and building type change the plan from block to block. A retrofit near Kerrytown doesn’t move like new construction off Jackson Road, and treating them the same is how budgets and timelines slip.

Schonsheck, Inc. has spent more than 40 years building that kind of judgment. As an employee-owned commercial general contractor based in Wixom, we’ve completed hundreds of projects across Southeast Michigan, giving our crews direct experience with the permitting offices, subcontractor networks, and site conditions that shape work in Washtenaw County. That local familiarity, paired with ownership stakes that put every person on the crew invested in the outcome, is what separates a commercial contractor near you from one who simply has a mailing address in the area.

Commercial Construction Across Every Ann Arbor Industry

Ann Arbor’s commercial landscape doesn’t run on one type of building, and neither does our project list. Between the university’s research footprint, a growing healthcare network, and manufacturers spread through the surrounding townships, the businesses calling Schonsheck have wildly different needs—a bank branch requires different security and access planning than a warehouse, and a church addition requires different code review than a retail buildout. Here’s where our commercial construction experience runs:

Banking & Healthcare: Secure, code-compliant facilities built around patient flow, records handling, and after-hours access control.

Commercial Additions, Renovations & Rehabs: Structural additions and interior overhauls that keep existing operations running during construction.

Education & Religious Facilities: Classrooms, worship spaces, and assembly areas built to occupancy codes for public gathering.

Light Industrial & Manufacturing: Production floors and equipment bays designed around workflow, power load, and ventilation requirements.

Professional & Office Spaces: Headquarters and tenant buildouts that reflect a company’s brand without sacrificing function.

Retail Construction: Storefronts and service facilities built for customer traffic and fast turnaround.

Warehouses & Self-Storage Facilities: Large-span structures built for durability, security, and efficient material handling.

If your Ann Arbor project doesn’t fit neatly into one category, that’s common—plenty of the buildings we construct blend two or three of these uses under one roof. Our general contractors start every project with a site visit and a real conversation about what you’re trying to accomplish, then build a plan around your budget and timeline rather than a standard template. That planning stage is where problems get caught early, before they turn into change orders.

Commercial Construction Services for Ann Arbor Projects

Design-Build Construction

Design-build keeps your architect, engineers, and general contractor working from one contract instead of three, cutting down on the back-and-forth that delays permitting and pricing. For Ann Arbor projects with tight sites or complex approvals, that single point of accountability keeps decisions moving.

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General Contracting

When your design is already set, our general contracting team takes over subcontractor bidding, scheduling, and daily site supervision through to final inspection. You get one point of contact managing the moving pieces instead of coordinating trades yourself.

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Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings

Pre-engineered metal buildings give warehouses, light industrial facilities, and storage operations a faster path from permit to occupancy than traditional stick-built construction. The steel framing also holds up well against Michigan’s freeze-thaw winters with comparatively low upkeep.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Started on Your Commercial Build

Every commercial project in Ann Arbor comes with its own set of questions about scope, timeline, and process. Here are answers to what property owners and business leaders ask us most before signing a contract.

Does Schonsheck handle design, engineering, and permitting in-house, or just construction?

Schonsheck manages the full scope, not just the build phase. Our architectural design team develops space plans and building layouts. Our engineering staff handles structural calculations and systems design, and our permitting & planning team prepares the documentation Ann Arbor’s Building Department and Washtenaw County require before construction begins. Keeping those functions in-house means design decisions get checked against real structural and code constraints before they’re finalized, rather than bouncing between separate firms after the fact.

For a project navigating design review or historic district requirements, that coordination cuts down on the number of resubmittals typically needed. It also means one point of contact can answer questions about design intent, structural feasibility, and permit status, rather than an owner tracking down three vendors for three answers.

What's the difference between hiring Schonsheck for design-build versus general contracting only?

Design-build puts the architect, engineer, and contractor under one contract from day one, so cost estimates and code compliance get checked against the design while it’s still flexible. This is particularly useful on Ann Arbor sites with tight footprints or unusual zoning overlays where early problem-solving saves a redesign later.

General contracting is the right fit when your design is already finalized by an outside architect; Schonsheck takes over from there, managing subcontractor bidding, scheduling, and daily site supervision through final inspection.

Owners sometimes assume design-build costs more, but the difference is really about who owns coordination—one company managing everything, or an owner managing separate design and construction contracts themselves. The right choice usually comes down to how far along your design already is and how much hands-on coordination you want to do yourself.

What size projects does Schonsheck typically take on in Ann Arbor?

Our project list spans small tenant buildouts under a few thousand square feet up through large-format warehouses and manufacturing facilities well over 100,000 square feet. That range matters because a contractor built around large industrial work sometimes treats a small office renovation as an afterthought, and a contractor built around small tenant improvements can get overwhelmed managing a large site.

Schonsheck staffs projects based on scope rather than running every job through the same process, so a small professional office buildout gets the same direct project management attention as a larger warehouse build. When comparing contractors for an Ann Arbor project, ask specifically how they’d staff a job your size—the answer reveals whether your project fits their typical workload or sits outside it.

How does Schonsheck's employee ownership affect the people working on my project?

Schonsheck has operated as an employee-owned company since 1985, which changes who’s actually accountable on your job site. Every superintendent and project manager assigned to an Ann Arbor project holds a stake in the company’s performance, not just a paycheck tied to hours logged. That structure tends to show up in lower turnover on project teams, since employee-owners generally stay with the company longer than the industry average. It also leads to more direct accountability when a schedule slips or a subcontractor underperforms.

For an owner comparing bids, it’s worth asking who on the proposed team will actually be on-site day to day and how long they’ve been with the company. A stable, invested crew tends to catch problems earlier than a rotating cast of subcontracted labor.

What happens after construction wraps up on my Ann Arbor project?

A finished building isn’t the end of Schonsheck’s involvement. Before the final walkthrough, our team resolves every punch-list item and confirms all required inspections—mechanical, electrical, structural, and fire/life safety—have been signed off by the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County as applicable. Owners receive warranty documentation covering workmanship and, separately, manufacturer warranties on major systems and materials, so it’s clear which issues route back to Schonsheck versus a specific equipment supplier.

If a warranty issue comes up after occupancy, the same project team that built the space handles the follow-up rather than routing you through a general customer service line. That continuity matters most in the first year of occupancy, when a building’s systems are still being tested under real, day-to-day use.

Start Your Ann Arbor Commercial Project With Schonsheck

Whatever stage your project is at—a rough concept, a finished design waiting on a builder, or a warehouse that’s outgrown its current space—Schonsheck’s general contractors can walk through the specifics with you and lay out what it will take to get built in Ann Arbor. Reach out today to talk through your site, your timeline, and what a realistic plan looks like.

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