Table of Contents
Planning Smart: 10 Things to Consider to Planning A Shop Fit Out Adventure
Hopping onto your next construction adventure is no easy feat. It takes meticulously planning to get blueprints and layouts ready. Shop fitting takes a tremendous amount of preparation and careful planning to be executed properly. Not only that, but the service also tends to incur some cost in the part of the shop owner.
It is human nature that before spending a huge amount of money, people tend to mull over the worth and value of the exchange. If you think that fitting out isn’t worth your money’s while, then you would hesitate in pushing through with the plans. However, if you deem that something is essential, you will purchase it no matter the cost.
The same concept can be applied when it comes to a shop fit out. It is no secret that shop fitting tend to incur some form of cost monetary or resource-wise. However, if the cost is somehow justified by the outcome of the project, then it will be a worthy investment. Hence, prior to a shop fit out, a shop owner and a shop fitter must take the time to sit down and put into details the vision that they have for a commercial space. Hence, here are some considerations that you might want to take before, during and after hopping onto that shop fit out project:
Budget
Before being able to get your project moving, you need to know how much provision you have. Identifying your budget for the project sets the pace and limitations of your shop or office fit out. Knowing how much budget you can work around on will influence how much infrastructure you want to renovate, which furniture to repair or to replace, and how much resources and raw materials you need to procure.
When preparing the budget for your space fit out, it is important to be as detailed as possible. Account for small and petty expenses as you would larger expenses. You need to be able to foresee if you would be purchasing minute details (e.g. light bulbs, nuts, bolts and other small tools) to the grander purchases (i.e. equipment rental, cement and drywall, and other large fixtures).
Location
After making sure that you have enough coins in the pocket, you have to look at your location next. Will you be renting out a business space in a commercial building? Will you be buying property in a neighborhood (if so, assess how much lands and properties cost in the area), or will you be renovating a pre-owned property that you already possess?
Knowing the location of your shop can provide insight on what kind of customers frequent the area as well the needs of the local community that you might be able to provide. You might also want to scout the neighborhood for possible competition and businesses you can possibly collaborate with.
Resources
As you scout the vicinity of your shop, you might also want to take notes on the available resources you have in the area. Supporting local suppliers would not only boost your social standing within the community as a lucrative investment opportunity but would also save you costs when it comes to the transportation of your supplies.
Check for possible water supply, drainage, electricity and other operational resources as well. Your shop’s operation depends on how well it can funnel resources into your shop and cohabitate with that of your immediate community as well.
Timeline
Accounting for the timeline to construct or renovate your space is another thing that you need to concern yourself with. It is important to remember that in the business world, time is the greatest commodity. Time lost is profit lost.
During construction, businesses may have to close up shop for a few days to make way for the necessary changes. Hence, losing a business day may mean the lost of potential customers for that day. Thus, when it comes to construction within the shop, it is important to plan the timeline efficiently. This way you may ensure that each second that you spend on reconstructing your space is not a second wasted.
Branding
As you move forward towards remodeling your space, it is important to reorient yourself with the personal brand of your business. Although the purpose of shop fitting is to refresh and customize your space, you should not lose the identity of your brand during the process.
Branding accounts for the image and personality of your business. This may be expressed through the use of company colours, certain aesthetic style and the general atmosphere of the brand and the shop as a whole.
Thus, as you move along your project, it is important to keep asking yourself if the changes you bring to the space still reflect the vision that your brand has. This way, you will be guided on which kind of floor plan, fixtures or resources to seek to better represent the image that you are going after.
Storage Options
As you go along with the construction, you should also be mindful of your storage options. Include in the plans options for storing your products. Even more so if you have products that are perishable or have an immediate expiry date.
Incorporating storage options during fit out is essential as it ensures that there is space for you to display products on-hand or store your inventory in. This way, you are ensured about the security of your goods or services since there will be a space to store them in included in your plans.
Permits
You should also keep be mindful of acquiring permits to authorize the construction and access to resources. Local government offices and public utilities should be informed of all construction projects within the area so that they may lend assistance and warn the locals about the hazards if need be.
Acquiring permits to build on lands and property is essential as this document legalizes your right to own said land and property. You should also get permission for accessing resources under public domain such as the right to use a main water pipelines, connections to local power resources, access to common driveways and parking areas to name a few. This way you can ensure that you have followed legal procedures to launch your business and that it cohabitates well it with the local community.
Functionality
After the painstaking task of putting things together, you should cross-examine the functionality of your shop. Usually, this is done by having a small soft opening to entertain “beta-clients”, the first wave of customers who get to experience your shop, goods and services and provide feedback on how you can improve the business. Should the soft opening be deemed as a success, then you can proceed with the grand opening. If not, you should make the necessary alterations first before opening your shop to the general public.
As the contactors hand you the keys to your newly refurbished establishment, be sure to note if operational resources such as water, power and ventilation are all working properly. Inspect equipment and furniture for durability as well as functionality.
Do schedule a final walkthrough with your contractor and designer to ensure that they will pass the mantle onto you properly and that you are fully briefed of the features and functions of your new commercial space.
Advertising
Of course, as soon as business is up and running, it is understandable that shop owners would want to make up for the loss of business days by coming back with a boom!
What better way to do that than spread the word around about your fresh new shop? Advertising after a successful fit out is a great way to increase foot traffic to your store. Potential customers would be lining up to experience the “newness” of your shop and will be thrilled to discover what fresh new products and service you are willing to offer them.
Waste Disposal
Lastly, as you finally move forward from the shop fit out project, do ensure that the construction wastes that you endeavor incurred will be dealt with accordingly. More specially when it comes to toxic industrial materials like cement, asbestos and drywall materials.
Should you have left over materials and resources do consider storing them properly or donating them to smaller constructions for charity. This way, you do not only secure the sustainability of the project but you are also able to reach out to the needs of the local community in a way that is beyond your business.
When it comes to disposable construction wastes, on the other hand, guarantee the proper handling of these wastes by reaching out to teams and services that have experience in managing fit out wastes. Our team here at Guardian Built would be happy to assist you in this matter.
Thus, do not hesitate to give us a call here at Guardian Built for all your construction and shop fitting needs from planning the initial stages of your fit out up until cleaning up and waste disposal.