Refurbish or construct a retail space
Refurbishing or constructing a new retail space doesn't have to go over budget, be a creative disappointment or cost a fortune in lost trading time if you Write a brief
Make sure the brief encompasses every aspect of your business requirements, including functionality, equipment required, client relationship, logistical requirements and back of house storage requirements. It's surprising how many businesses forget about their storage needs and end up having to stack garments or products in the broom closet. By writing a brief, at least your interior designer or architect can cater for these needs as they are now apparent and not unforseen to them.
Appoint a project team
It is essential that the team consists of an architect or interior designer and a contractor/project manager. It is a key consideration to have two independent companies doing this to avoid any conflict of interest. Design and construction companies tend to compromise design to save on the cost of construction.
When selecting your contractor, ensure that they have experience building similar businesses to your own and that they present well. They should take minutes at your meetings and are contactable via email and, better still, have a web address. It's the age of technology and they should be up to date. You should also ensure that your contractor is licensed.
Check that your interior designers and architects are fully qualified - it's amazing how many claim to be, but aren't. Always check their credentials and references and, if possible, physically check out some of their previous work to ensure it is the calibre of workmanship you require.
Concept phase
Once your interior designer or architect interprets your brief they will be able to translate it into visual concepts. Make sure you understand the concepts. Do not be ashamed to ask how they actually work. Three dimensional concepts are a must and will help you visualise the design.
It is important to have your project manager present through the concept stage. A good project manager will be able to translate the concepts into a preliminary budget, and also, if required, provide value engineering options.
The principal of value engineering is to provide a cost effective solution with minimal design compromise. For example, your designer may select an exotic species of timber that has to be imported and costs an arm and a leg. Your project manager may suggest using a similar species that does not have to be imported and looks almost identical. The cost saving could be very significant.
Design development phase
Once you have approved the concepts and the reflective budget, it is time for your architect or interior designer to develop this further into detailed drawings. These drawings must include at the very least, floor plans, elevations and sections.
It is important that the project manager re-evaluates the budget at this point. If the design development is too far advanced and subsequently gets priced over budget, then you may find that you will need to do a complete redesign, which just adds unnecessary costs to your project.
Approval phase
Once you have completed the design development phase and obtained a desirable budget, then you can use the Design Development documentation to submit to the authority that has to approve the works.
This authority could either be the local council, the strata managers or even the centre managers. It is imperative that you make contact with the authority to establish their requirements. This should be done during the concept phase of the project and is usually done by the architect or interior designer.
Design detailing phase and contractor appointment
Further detailing of the plans is required for the budgets to be translated into accurate costing.
The interior designer or architect will issue a set of "For Construction" drawings that contain the relevant authority consent. The contractor will then price these drawings accurately and submit accordingly.
The cost should fall within 10 percent of your budget that was established in the design development phase. If it varies much more than this, then either your design has changed or your project manager has misinformed you.
Tips
* If constructing from scratch, ensure that you have a good negotiator who will sort out what services are in the tenancy and negotiate contributions from the landlord. For example, if you need a new glass shopfront for the business, you can negotiate for them to contribute towards it. A good negotiator for a lease would be a solicitor. A good negotiator for contributions would be a project manager.
* If refurbishing, ensure your contractor can make your space adapt to change quite simply and cost effectively.
* Ensure that you sign a contract before commencing. The Master Builders Association of Australia produces plain English contracts which are unbiased and protect both sides.
* Make sure you consult the relevant approval authorities at an early stage.