Ft. Lauderdale Yacht Interior Designer’s Advice on 5 Keys to a Successful Yacht Interior Refit
- by Karen Lynn
- November 5, 2020
- 10:22 am
Assemble a Team
I have been fortunate to assembled a wonderful team of tradespeople that specialize in yacht interiors and yacht refit. I can depend on them for anything and they warranty their work for my clients. We have a long term working relationship and I have made agreements of my teams companies to ensure rules guidelines for my projects are followed, such as my approval process for change orders, insurance, payments, and timelines.
Setting a budget and how to control it
One of the most important and first things I ask my yacht interior refit clients is “what is their budget?” This is probably the single most important question. I work on all my yacht interior refits with a fixed target budget set forth by the client from the start of the project. If there is a fixed budget and fixed bids, things are under control. We see many yacht refits in industry that get started however they never get finished because 1. there was never a budget set 2. and the project was bid out on time and materials which is a set up for failure as costs quickly spiral out of control.
Defining a scope of work for the yacht interior refit
It is imperative to the yacht interior refit that there is a written scope of work which is very detailed and clearly defined. Once you have the very detailed scope of work, this makes it very easy to get the fixed estimates from each of the trades as described above for purposes of setting a budget. It also provides the details needed for the yacht owner on what exactly he is paying for and what’s being done onboard.
Establishing a timeline
When doing a yacht interior refit, I write a weekly production schedule with the target completion. This helps to project the weekly items that need to be performed. It also is important for the designer, owner, and captain to have a realistic expectations and timeline for the amount of work being performed. Timelines may need to be adjusted if their are delays on getting payments from clients or designer not being able to purchase materials for installations. It is very important that all parties are working together towards the completion date!
Having open communication with the Client
and getting the approvals and payments needed is very essential. Without open communication with the Client and timely payments, there can be severe delays to a project’s timeline. There can be a delay to the materials being approved or being purchased if Client is not responsive which can shift back the team. There can be a delay on approvals to be made by Client for change orders or the Client not making payments in a timely manner. In summary, a yacht interior refit requires participation and responsiveness of the client as well as the organization and abilities of the yacht interior designer and her team!
Please contact us if you would like more information on our yacht design services for refit and new build. www.karenlynninteriors.com
Karen Lynn Interior Design LLC
2551 State Rd 84
Ft Lauderdale FL USA 33312
Cell 9547322387
Office 9543248355
