moltusconstruction

How to budget for a commercial fit out | Region Canberra

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 05:12:44 GMT

Budgeting for a Commercial Fit Out

There are many different priorities to factor in when to comes to budgeting for a commercial fit out. With design, management, construction, furniture and more to consider, there’s a lot to think over, but every element is important.

Canberra experts Mayukah Senanayake from Moltus Construction and Mark Nicholls from Raine & Horne Commercial have years of experience in the fit out game. They divulge their best tips for creating a realistic budget and avoiding common mistakes that could derail your financial plans.

Confirm your fit out type

There are three main types of fit outs: shell and core, category A and category B.

Shell and core fit outs are a blank canvas to build on. The outside of the building should be complete at this stage, but inside will usually be a bare construction site with simple concrete floors and walls.

Category A or hard fit outs deal with essential infrastructure including flooring, walls, fittings, utilities and safety systems. Category B or soft fit outs follow up with the aesthetics, such as furniture, branding, artwork and extra amenities.

Find an initial figure

When drafting your initial budget, calculating your square meterage is the first place to start. Taking wall measurements as well as floor dimensions will give you a better idea of the total scope of your project.

“I always recommend employing a project manager to oversee your fit out from start to finish, so factor that in early along with design and approval fees,” Mayukah says.

“Construction costs, including any demolition works, should be next. Then you can look at materials, furniture and fittings.

“It’s also a good idea to set aside some extra funds if things don’t go to plan. You don’t want to get stuck if ripping up old carpet uncovers extensive water damage.”

Get that concept design sorted

A good concept plan is the foundation on which the rest of your project is built. Be ready to work on as much detail with your designer as possible, including brainstorming ideas and creating a vision board.

Don’t forget to analyse your base building

Plenty of business owners forget to factor in upgrades that might need to be made to the current building to achieve their preferred design.

“These upgrades will need to be made before anything else and can depend pretty heavily on the kind of business you’re running,” Mayukah says.

“A cafe with a cold menu probably won’t have as many prerequisites as a fine dining restaurant or burger joint, but they all need proper plumbing, gas, electrical and HVAC systems.”

Other base building upgrades include basic lighting, ceiling, door and wall finishes, disability access, fire safety and security systems.

Approach the right contractors

Finding the right contractor is all about their experience.

“This is particularly important for fit outs that require specialist equipment or amenities, such as for a medical office or commercial kitchen,” Mark says.

“These kinds of fit outs will also cost more than ‘average’ online figures suggest. Be sure to shop around for competitive quotes and choose a contractor with plenty of experience working for your particular industry.”

Avoid these pitfalls

“Make sure you negotiate enough of a rent-free period with your building’s landlord to avoid paying for rent prior to the completion of the fit out,” Mark says.

“Try to leave more time than you think you’ll need, as fit out periods regularly blow out.”

You can afford to pinch pennies in some areas if you’re working with a tight budget, but compliance isn’t one of them. Never try to cut corners during category A works.

“The construction phase has to be done right, not only for legal reasons, but to ensure your space functions well,” Mayukah says.

“The best time to save money is when you’re considering furniture, flooring, joinery and decorations. If you have to go back in and update your electrical systems later, it’ll just cost you more and disrupt your operations longer.”

Raine & Horne Commercial Canberra specialises in the sale and leasing of commercial properties.

Moltus Construction is a commercial construction, fit out and refurbishment company that caters to a broad variety of clients and sectors within the construction industry.

Want to create an office space people love to work in? Here's how | Region Canberra

Wed, 15 May 2024 05:20:47 GMT

How to Create an Effective Office Space

COVID undeniably changed the way we work, but while commercial landlords and employers are realising this is one genie they can’t cram back into the bottle , a better office space goes a long way towards luring employees back to the workplace.

With more than one vacant Canberra office, there’s been a marked uptick in certain revamp, refit and rebuild trends that create workspaces people want to be in, according to Moltus Construction director Mayukah Senanayake.

He says gone are the days of compartmentalisation – it’s all about spaces that organically bring people together.

“As few as five years ago workplaces still had this kind of hangover of the days when people favoured separate offices and cubicles. But people got a gut full of isolation during COVID, and now the office space must facilitate connection and an exchange of ideas. That’s invaluable to productivity, but also employee wellbeing,” he says.

“Modern offices tend to embrace a more open concept. The new fitouts we’re working on tend to do away with a lot of internal walls, and even for meeting rooms people are opting for glazed partitions rather than opaque plasterboard walls.”

Aesthetic considerations impacting employee wellness, such as natural light and even something as seemingly superficial as colour, are equally important considerations when making a workplace an attractive alternative to the home.

Part of the reason is a shift in the average office footprint.

“We seem to be moving away from the 500 square metre-plus areas we used to fit out to half that average size. Perhaps that’s because the hybrid model a lot of employers are embracing now, where staff spend part of the work week at home and part in the office, means fewer desks that people share,” Mayukah says.

“In those smaller offices it becomes even more important to optimise the space, so dark colour schemes and using up precious space on, say, a corridor through the centre of the office, can hinder that open feel people want. The same goes for furniture.

“People are favouring fitouts that draw in as much natural light and moving away from those black and grey carpets commonly used in high foot traffic and common areas, opting for more of a timber look.”

But it doesn’t stop there. In a competitive labour market where flexibility is a major drawcard, employers want an office space that empowers them to answer the siren call of working-from-home convenience – and that might mean adding a few “extras”.

This may include more breakout spaces for employees to gather in or take a quiet moment, better kitchenettes and exercise facilities. End-of-trip facilities such as showers, which combine the prospect of avoiding traffic in the commute while getting in your daily exercise, are also popular.

“We’re upgrading a fair few commercial buildings with end-of-trip facilities,” Mayukah says. “Anecdotally, landlords for commercial office spaces are saying this is one of the facilities a lot of employers are looking for.”

People previously looking to lease commercial office spaces favoured “cold shells” – a blank canvas they could fit out themselves. Mayukah says more clients are now looking for turnkey solutions, where they can “hang their signage and move right in”.

But go too far with a “speculative fitout” and you might find you’ve not only overcapitalised but also limited the pool of potential lessors. It’s a tightrope walk.

“In terms of feasibility, you have to kind of work backwards. What’s the rent per square metre you hope to achieve for your space, and how many workstations do you need to fit in to achieve that? That’s how you land on a budget,” Mayukah says.

“Most construction companies won’t offer consultation on that until post-engagement, which can be problematic when you’re trying to figure out what you can realistically do with your budget.

“We take a collaborative approach. We offer our clients free front-end consultation, and create something called a ‘test fit’. Basically that means providing potential floor plans of fitouts for cold and warm shells, which clients can show potential lessors, knowing up front what the cost and design would be.”

For more information, contact Moltus Construction .

'People are yearning for this' - Canberra is getting a compassionate and affordable way to farewell loved ones | Region Canberra

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 06:58:33 GMT

Tender Funerals

With good bones and an “unorthodox approach”, construction has commenced on the new home of compassionate, affordable and meaningful funeral services in Canberra.

Respected not-for-profit organisation Tender Funerals is slated to arrive in Canberra by early June, thanks, in part, to a $1 million commitment from the Snow Foundation.

The Capital Airport Group contracted Moltus Construction , with whom they have worked extensively, to transform the premises at 49 Laverton Avenue, Fairbairn, into a purpose-fit, comprehensive facility.

Originally the RAAF Officer’s Mess, the site will include beautiful outdoor areas, two arrangement rooms, viewing or vigil rooms, wash and dress rooms, a mortuary and a community space for workshops and ceremonies, all designed to empower families to understand their end-of-life and funeral options.

The 520 sqm space has already been stripped back to its shell, and artist impressions show gorgeous, bright interiors that Moltus Construction managing director Mayukah Senanayake says will be rewarding to deliver.

“The building has good bones, with large, open spaces and high ceilings. With some skylights and a clever design brief, it will become a light and airy design that will retain some of the beautiful original structural features,” he says.

“It’s a bit of an unorthodox approach, but we’re excited to deliver it to the Canberra community and are thrilled that our client, Capital Airport Group, has entrusted us with this work.”

Snow Foundation CEO Georgina Byron says the Foundation’s financial commitment would help address a great need in Canberra and build on the Foundation’s legacy of giving in its home community.

“For the past 32 years, since my father founded the Foundation with his brother, it’s grown from supporting Canberra to supporting many national opportunities, but Canberra is its origin, and we will always commit to the betterment of the national capital,” she said.

“Tender Funerals fits into this vision. Caring for those who are dying is an under-supported area in the philanthropic sector. We’re not very good at talking about dying – it’s too hard.

“We want to make a difference in that area and help offer dignity and a respectful opportunity for people to farewell their loved ones at the end of life.”

Tender Funerals is renowned for its commitment to offering affordable funeral services, with packages often costing about half that of their commercial counterparts.

But Ms Byron said while this helped meet the significant demand for more economically fair funeral services in the national capital, the company’s compassionate approach resonated most.

“They take a personal, meaningful and culturally safe approach to offering funerals,” she said.

“There are about 3500 funerals every year in the Canberra region, and Tender Funerals hopes to offer about 400 a year, so it will be pivotal in providing compassionate, affordable and inclusive funeral services to the people of the region.

“Canberra will be Tender Funerals’ third site, but the organisation is actively working with nine other communities across Australia to establish more. I think this demonstrates that people are yearning for this, and it’s not necessarily something they want to outsource to a big entity. They are looking for a more careful, considered, dignified way to farewell their loved ones, at a more accessible price point.”

The Snow Foundation, which has also supported Canberra hospice service Clare Holland House and end-of-life social enterprise The Violet Initiative, has worked with Tender Funerals on the project for three years, providing seed funding for a feasibility study and helping find the right site.

Their $1 million commitment includes a $750,000 grant, a $250,000 loan, and a significant partnership with Capital Airport Group, which is providing pro bono resourcing.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of May, and the handover will be finalised by early June.

End-to-end construction service helps new businesses cut through the red tape | Region Canberra

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:07:29 GMT

Construction for New Businesses

Setting up a new office, eatery or retail outlet in Canberra can be expensive, time-consuming and downright stressful. But there’s one building company that can take care of everything, from go to whoa.

Moltus Construction director Mayukah Senanayake has been fitting out shops and offices all over the Territory for the past decade, and he knows all the tricks to ensure regulations are upheld and work is carried out to budget and on time.

“The biggest challenge for people are the hidden approvals and dealing with the regulatory bodies that govern things like health approvals and liquor licences,” he said.

“When it comes to the construction and fit-out, you have to consider things like mechanical engineer certifications, signage and development application approvals.”

Mayukah can look after everything from planning and design to dealing directly with executive committees and landlords, offering a one-stop project management service.

“There are a lot of hurdles when setting up a shop that can end up costing time and money,” he said.

After working with many big companies, such as Westfield, Canberra Airport and Belconnen Markets, Mayukah has an in-depth understanding of their building design briefs and exactly what is required of new tenants.

“I’ve seen business owners come in with great designs, but they’ve been knocked back by the landlord, so they have to start from scratch.

“We’ve been doing this for years now, so we know exactly what landlords want and what can and can’t be done in their centres. We can design fit-outs to fit their criteria.”

Mayukah said new businesses and franchisees, as well as existing businesses making the move to a new building, faced a mountain of paperwork and hidden approvals, including “big ticket items” such as fire services.

“With each job, we go through the process with the client starting with mood boards, then reviewing the site to see what services are there,” he said.

“Often we find there’s no provisions for plumbing, fire services and electricals, which can be 20 to 30 per cent of the fit-out cost.

“These roadblocks can be avoided by using Moltus Construction because we take a holistic approach to each project. You won’t get that end-to-end service from a general shop fitter.”

As well as retail outlets, cafes, restaurants and offices, the Moltus team can fit out or refurbish medical and professional practices, childcare centres and salons, from pre-design to the final shiny new signage.

“We work with the client from the start and we don’t leave until they are happy with the result,” Mayukah said.

“It’s a team effort and we go on their exciting journey with them. We’re transparent when it comes to budget and delivery.

“We work with quality suppliers so the client doesn’t have to worry about ordering things like light fittings, kitchen appliances. We can even arrange quotes for furniture and have it delivered.

“Our inclusive project management approach goes above and beyond the job itself.”

Mayukah and his team are currently fitting out five new outlets in the Belconnen Markets and shops at Westfield Belconnen and Woden.

Moltus Construction provides a stress-free solution for clients that want a one-stop shop for their projects, which includes interior and exterior design, project management and delivery from start to finish.

This former brickie's labourer founded a rising star in the local construction industry | Region Canberra

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 05:07:32 GMT

Meet Mayukah Senanayake

It seems all the headlines paint a picture of a construction industry in trouble – but there are major success stories as well, and some are happening right here in Canberra.

One is Moltus Construction which, to the outsider, appears to be a young and eager upstart specialising in shop and office fit-outs. But while the company is only a few years old, its director, Mayukah Senanayake, has worked in the local industry for 16 years.

Starting as a brickie’s labourer at age 17, Mayukah knew from the beginning that he’d stumbled into the right industry, but his ambitions were big.

“I’ve always been interested in building from a young age. Not only are the people salt of the earth, but I love that no two days are the same,” he says.

“The problems we tackle on a daily basis are never the same problem, and there’s so much diversity among the clients as well.

“I wanted to do more of it. I wanted to know more.”

After working for a number of businesses, from mum-and-pop shops to large commercial companies, he earned a civil engineering diploma, a bachelor’s in construction management and an A-class unrestricted ACT builders licence, cracking his skillset wide open.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic when the building industry was booming, it was time for him to strike out on his own. Along with his fiancé Ashley Raab, a former public servant, he opened Moltus Construction.

Aware that Moltus wasn’t the only newbie to seize the opportunity of the construction boom, Mayukah honed in on a specialty that would set the business apart.

“There are not a lot of outfits of our calibre that cater to smaller shop and office fit outs, and which have the capability to deliver jobs larger commercial construction projects $5 to $6 million mark,” he says.

“It’s because our staff are heavily qualified on the project management front. Many of them are university-qualified, and importantly, we have site managers from a trade background.

“Most companies that take on the kinds of projects we take on are sole traders and don’t necessarily cover the project management aspect. All our projects, small or large, are filtered through the same management methodologies and that gives us an edge.”

This approach, coupled with Mayukah’s connections from years in the local industry, seemed to work. Over the years, Moltus has secured a steadily growing number of clients and completed jobs for high-profile clients, including Canberra Airport.

While they used to average 40 to 45 jobs a year, this year, they’re on track to complete closer to 60, with a good supply of larger jobs already in the pipeline.

The types of jobs are changing as well. Moltus just completed its first “bottom-up” commercial construction project – and got a taste for it.

“It was a 500 sqm extension to a school for an integrated science lab. Not only was that a cool project, but the client was so pleased with our work that they’ve awarded us the next stage of the expansion – a 2-storey building,” Mayukah says.

“We took on the design and management of that at a late stage of the project, and there were delays in approvals and so on, but we overcame all that and accelerated things to be completed in time for the next school semester. The client didn’t have any expectations of that.

“I love that part of the job – adapting to meet the challenges of such a build. And it was exciting to see the team pull through to deliver such a high-quality job, which resulted in a return client.”

Next year, Moltus will become accredited to take on government work, with ambitions to eventually become a tier-one building company.

Though this new kid on the block seems to have bucked the trend and grown substantially in troubled waters, there are challenges ahead.

One is to remain competitive as a small business against bigger guys from interstate. But Mayukah is confident the benefits that come with using a local contractor are enough to tip the scales in their favour.

“Clients are sometimes caught off guard when they’re told they need to get certain building approvals – an interstate builder wouldn’t necessarily know that,” he says.

“Knowledge of the local market and government requirements – there’s a lot of value in that.”

For more information, contact Moltus Construction .