The #1 Secret to a Successful Office Fitout:
Are you and your contractor singing from the same song sheet?
Does your office fitout specialist truly get the spirit of the job?
At the risk of sounding like I’ve gone all New Age let me tell you I firmly believe that when it comes down to it, if an office fitout firm doesn’t properly get the spirit of the project, if they’re not focused on the bigger picture of what you’re trying to achieve rather than the exact specifications and what’s going in your quote (or not), then you’re in danger of not getting the result you set out to achieve.
What are we talking about here?
We’re talking about the very first conversation you have. About sitting down together without forms or plans or anything more than a rough idea of your budget to work out exactly what you want out of the project. This is a conversation that should be entirely about you, about the person from the fitout firm being prepared to completely lose themselves in the way you think. They need to fall into step alongside you and start walking in your shoes.
Out of that conversation will come a clear sense of where you are trying to get to. What will the end result look and feel like? What are the obstacles and challenges that are causing the most grief? What are the priorities? What are the limitations? Once you’re walking the same path, you’re already winning because you both know where you’re heading. Then it’s up to your fitout specialist to work with you to find the best way to get you there.
We’re talking about design interpretation. About picking up a designer’s concept and exploring the intention of the thing, rather than getting fixated on the measurements and the angles on the plan. I’ve struck jobs where clever, impressive bespoke designs have gone no further than the pages they’re printed on for years because no one can quite get their head around it. But a good fitout specialist will take a step back and look at the bigger objective. Then will come up with a creative solution (or two) that will see the designer’s vision that got you so excited in the first place finally realised. There is always a way.
We’re talking about finding the solutions that no one else can see. About putting aside that great stack of folders that outline in painful detail the certifications and approvals it’s supposedly essential you tick off to get this job done. And coming at the thing fresh, thinking around them. Because there is always another way. There is always a work around that will allow you to tick off the necessary compliances with half the stress and all the impact and utility you hoped for in the end product.
Above all, what we’re talking about is someone who’s going to take up the job and run with it; to take up your problem and own it, not hand it back to you. You’re looking for an experienced commercial fitout specialist who takes your interests to heart, and keeps them there. From go to whoa.
Bryan Palmer
