Vanilla Shell
A commercial space delivered with only basic finishes—concrete floors, drywall, electrical panel, and roll-up door—ready for tenant buildout.
Definition
Vanilla shell (also called warm shell or white box) describes the baseline condition in which new small bay industrial units are typically delivered to tenants. The space includes concrete slab flooring, finished drywall or painted block walls, basic electrical service to a panel, HVAC stubbed or minimally installed, restroom rough-in, and a roll-up door. Tenants are responsible for any additional buildout such as office partitions, flooring upgrades, specialized electrical, or plumbing beyond the rough-in. This delivery standard keeps developer costs predictable and allows tenants to customize space to their specific needs without paying for finishes they'd tear out anyway.
Example
A new flex park delivers 2,000 SF units as vanilla shell at $14/SF NNN. An HVAC contractor takes one as-is, using the open warehouse for equipment storage. A medical supply company takes another and invests $15,000 in buildout to add a small office and additional electrical circuits.