Sydney Office Update January Leasing Magazine | Page 9

SYDNEY OFFICE UPDATE | 6
Australian TV viewers
can’t get enough of home
renovation shows. But has
our national obsession
skewed our perception
of what to expect from
a building project?
Programs like Grand Designs draw
their viewers’ interest by creating
drama and suspense throughout
the program. Budget blow-outs,
time delays, builder’s disputes and
arguments with neighbours and council
all make for good TV.
And indeed, many residential
developments do come with high
risk. But they are plagued with many
factors that we simply don’t encounter
on commercial projects. For example,
emotions can run high when you’re
building or renovating your own home
which can create tensions between
family members or between clients
and contractors. ‘Changing of minds’
is common to home building that
threatens program and immediately
adds expense. But on commercial
projects, design uncertainty is
something we rarely encounter
at Intermain.
A good delivery partner will invest time
with their client at the beginning of a
project to fully understand their needs
and priorities. This process can involve
extensive consultation with employees
and leadership teams to tailor a smart
solution that supports the company’s
working culture and business
ambitions. We test the solution to
ensure it strikes the right balance and
that all stakeholders are confident in
the design before work commences.
Respecting and protecting our client’s
budget is a top priority at Intermain
and has been key to our success over
the last 20 years in business. A good
delivery partner will innovate to
identify cost efficiencies or solve
challenges that would otherwise
threaten budget. Critical to
this is having the expertise and
experience to cost engineer a
solution that delivers the desired
style and finishes within budget
parameters.
Home renovation shows love it
when the ‘unexpected’ occurs
mid-project. A poorly positioned pipe
discovered behind a wall that is being
removed. Rotted timbers uncovered
threatening the stability of the
building. But in a commercial fit-out
project, extensive pre-design work is
carried out to fully identify and locate
all services and cabling to ensure
there are no surprises when we start
construction.
We also don’t have the same
challenges and delays associated with
inclement weather. Rain doesn’t impact
a fit-out program, but it can spell
disaster to a home renovation.
One of the ways a good delivery
partner will add value to a commercial
fit-out project is to manage any
landlord and council approvals that
may be required. Like residential
developments, these can be extensive,
particularly if your office is located in
a heritage building. But unlike we often
see on TV, this process will be seamless
and straight-forward when managed
methodically.
WORKING WITH
AN EXPERIENCED
DELIVERY PARTNER
W H O U N D E R S TA N D S
THE SENSITIVITIES
OF THIS PROCESS IS
CRITICAL TO PROJECT
SUCCESS.
Professional project management
skills are another aspect that sets
commercial fit-out teams apart
from many home renovators.
Good operators will dedicate a quality,
experienced team to the task, ensuring
your office refurbishment program
is correctly staged, efficient and
appropriately resourced to achieve
deadlines.
Put bluntly, no one will ever make
a prime-time TV show about
office renovations. On time, on
budget delivery and a stress-free
client experience does not make
for compelling viewing. But at
Intermain, we are more than happy
with that.
Andrew Johnson is Managing Director of Intermain, an established multi-skilled commercial fitout com pany focussed on
excellent customer service and high quality building standards across building refurbishment, design and construct for
corporate offices, ‘make-goods’, retail and hospitality. Intermain work nationally from offices in Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane and have one of the largest, state-of-the art joinery workshops in Australia. Visit intermain.com.au for more details.