One common factor we tend to come across in initial meetings with clients is that their vision and their budget do not quite match up.
Although designer furniture and marble may be the look you want to achieve unfortunately this look can come with quite a hefty price tag and other factors such as services and joinery can bring in unforeseen costs that then eat into your initial budget.
Now, this is not to say you can’t get the look you want at a fraction of the cost.
The three main factors that need to be taken into consideration are:
Compromise
Sometimes we want things that we just can’t justify and that’s when we have to compromise.
The thing you need to remember is that there is always another option and it is our job to find a replacement for you that you will love.
By compromising to use laminate timber look planks instead of real timber flooring or furniture that is not quite designer but still unique and modern we can create the look you are after at a fraction of the cost.
Expectation
An important thing to remember when visualising your new medical or dental clinic is what your staff and patient expectations are and how these expectations fit within your budget constraints.
While you might have fancy artwork and designer waiting room chairs (that are decorative other than functional) keep in mind your staff may be dreaming of more cupboard space and storage room and your patients may love the thought of walking into a large airy waiting room filled with natural light and the latest magazine or up to date medical information easily on hand.
Taking your staff and patients into consideration first will help to build your design around keeping everyone happy and knowing what you are trying to achieve early on will help to build a realistic budget.
If you are dealing with a lot of children concentrate your budget on creating a decent sized children area, or if the older generation are your clientele little things like making sure all of your waiting room chairs have arms and that there is a refreshment station available can make a huge difference.
Priority
Priorities are an important part of day to day life and something we have to juggle constantly in our personal lives, so why shouldn’t you take this into consideration when it comes to opening a new medical or dental clinic?
Think about what is important to you, your staff and your patients and how these things fit into your budget.
Here we combine compromise and expectation in order to see which areas need to be addressed straight away and which areas can wait until later.
Services can be expensive but if you do not have an A/C unit that is in good working order it is safe to say you may also not have any staff or patients coming in during the cold and hot months so of course this is something that needs to be prioritised, even if it means it takes the exact furniture you had in mind out of the budget…….for now!
These big ticket items are a good discussion point in your initial meetings to determine just what needs to be done on your selected site, or whether it would be a better idea to look for an alternative premises that might have working services included.
