Check out our recent Q&A for our completed project at Podingtons!
Vision recently took some time out to interview one of their project managers, Charlie Howarth, to find out how a recent installation at Podington Garden Centre had gone. This was one of Vision’s signature turnkey projects including refurbishment of the kitchen, servery and restaurant.
Hi Charlie! Are you pleased with the final result of the refurbishment?
Yes we’re really pleased with the finished result. The results have surpassed the client’s expectations and it is satisfying to see the initial visuals come to life. The extension of the restaurant has given the area a fresh and airy feel with the new servery and back bar really utilising the space available.
Tell us what motivated Podingtons to go ahead with the refurbishment?
They had been discussing and planning a refurbishment for over 12 months as they felt they had outgrown the existing kitchen and servery. The Garden Centre felt the time was right for something new, but felt it was important the new cafe fitted in with the overall atmosphere of the Garden Centre.
How did Podingtons come to the decision to use Vision’s turnkey solution?
After several visits to Podingtons, I introduced the idea of Turnkey to them. Turnkey seemed the natural progression for Podingtons as site personnel often don’t have the time to fully project manage the building works for a project this size. This can mean that 5 week projects can often overrun and cause more disturbance than is necessary. Vision’s turnkey solution takes that stress away from the client with us managing timescales and the co-ordination of all external contractors.
You worked closely with J.Q Contracts on this project. How did the added expertise of this shop fitter help you to carry out the project more successfully?
Working with J.Q is great. Managing Director, Stuart, visited the site early on and assessed what was required, helping us to work out the timescales for this project from this early stage. This added expertise also helped us to plan a temporary coffee shop for Podingtons, ensuring minimum disturbance to the garden centre over the duration of the project.
Do you recommend that other Garden Centres should consider the turnkey solution that Podingtons used for their cafe refurbishment?
Absolutely! Opening a new or refurbished cafe should be exciting for Garden Centres and not prove a chore or a burden for them. Using turnkey solutions helps to provide the client with a more stress free project and enables them to focus on other aspects of their cafe, such as their new menus and customer service.
