Renovation and Refurbishment (First Part)

Small business renovation or refurbishment is without a doubt a burden to a proprietor because it is not something you can do without and it represents an additional outlay on top of your purchase of a building or a business you are taking over. Yet it is very necessary because it is very much like a statement that you want to make and you want your own mark on it which clearly indicates that it is you not the previous owner and that there is a complete change of management or ownership of your new business  .It is also an appropriate opportunity for you to introduce a brand name that you would like to stamp on so that it is clearly  identifiable to the public what you  and your service have to offer..There is no escape that any new small business has to deal with the bureaucracy of the day. When it comes to  renovations that require structural changes you will need a permit and obviously an approval, which undoubtedly attract  more fees. Refurbishment is not as complex and most of the time be carried out internally though you may still need prior approval from your landlord. But refurbishment can also be costly depending on your budget target..

I remember when I decided to convert an empty run-down empty chemist shop into an Asian restaurant in South Hobart I have to apply a permit for a change of commercial use of the building. You do feel that a lot of time is wasted with red-tape and so on. unfortunately that is how you live by the rigmaroles of complicated procedures in our business life. A Community’s Public Notice will be issued out for a month for any objections or opposition from the project. I so proposed. Then I sought to have the professional service of a draftsman to draw me up a plan for submission to the City’s Planning Office, which they may either further amend, reject or accept in its entirety. Meantime I line up suitable contractors to do the real renovating job. Where it involves a bigger and expensive project it is best to call a public tender to achieve a better economic outcome. That is what I did on my RSL Club in Victoria Street. But wherever I went somehow or other I would make a point of earmarking money aside for renovations and renewal.

 A later photo taken in 1990 on the dining room of my first restaurant when I started trading in March 1978 in South Hobart. Most major structural renovations were done in the kitchen area for it was a brand new kitchen I'd built for my landlord. It was   a costly exercise before I received my certification of approval from both the Town Planning Office and the Hobart City Council. The dining room costs and outlay was in fact the cheapest item. You virtually supply expensive items like  galvanised steel kitchen hood with commercial three phase kitchen fan, pantry, a cool room, stainless steel basins, hot water system, grease trap grease-proof wall etc. A good commercial stove is essential too. The kitchen is the engine room of any restaurant. The kitchen is where nearly eighty percent of your total outlay is spent on setting up with a typical eating outlet. Plumbing cost far exceeds electrician's bill. 

 The recently renovated internal dining room of  Dom's Teahouse Cafe at Liverpool Street in 1991. This was wisely done on a modest budget for I had already spent quite a substantial sum on the purchase of a double- storey  house as well as setting it up as  the Spice Centre in North Hobart. . The theme here is Tropical more of tropical timber and its natural grain plus a lush illustration of green tropical growth. As well it has a fusion of Japanese teahouse setting which henceforth correlates in some ways Dom's own version of a tropical SE Asian Teahouse. Below are some of our simple Japanese frame and artwork.

I got this two colourful words done in neon sign  so that they are portable and mobile wherever we go in the future. Perhaps I had in mind a customised theme for a separate room in the future. Besides some neon if not overbearing can help to enhance.

 My 1991's nice close Staff members . Pauline Chan now a fashion designer in Melbourne, Simone and David. Simone has a wonderful personality. She should be in a P R or some kind of Consultancy job anything less like nursing is just sheer waste on human talent. They were a cheerful bunch to work with. Yes we are still very much in contact even today. I hope so too with whoever that has worked with me.

 New shelvings added on the kitchen wall. Secret is out. At Last , I have let that miserable cat out of the bag. I use  sambal oelek mostly  as my spice base as you can see the number of empty jars I have collected on the shelves for storage. Sambal oelek is not your everyday chilli paste. It is in many ways more expensive than the Thais, Vietnamese or Chinese made chilli sauce or other type of imitation sauce and it is not usually used like the way they are usually used with say Chinese chilli sauce..

Finally my fast growing daughter Ming Zhu. The more she grows up the more I have to find food to feed her. She smiles then she doesn't! What should I do to make her smile all the time ?