This week’s dose of inspiration comes all the way from Sri Lanka! With their well-designed site, Koombie Galle has proven that they’re capable of building much more than beautiful homes.
From the smallest details of their stunning verandas to the jaw-dropping vistas from their infinity pools, they certainly have an eye for the aesthetic, and we’re happy to share their answers to our 5 Creator Questions this week:
Who are you and what do you do?
Koombi Galle Pvt Ltd is a firm of Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors operating in Southern Sri Lanka. We specialize in the construction of luxury villas and boutique hotels.
How did you get started?
The director of the company is from Britain and before moving to Sri Lanka he had a small construction firm in the UK, specializing in renovating rural heritage buildings. With the global downturn in 2008, and after having experienced a sabbatical in Sri Lanka working for an NGO after the 2004 Tsunami, a move to Sri Lanka looked like a good option. When he moved here there were plenty of good contractors but not many project managers, and very few offering services from the client’s perspective. The gap in the market was obvious and Koombi Galle was born.
What sets you apart?
We only offer project management and quantity surveying services, this makes us independent from the design process and from the contractors’ obligations, allowing us to minimize conflicts of interest. Our perspective is therefore aligned with the client’s best interests.
All our senior staff have experience working abroad and are aware of cultural differences, which is very important considering the majority of our clients are not from Sri Lanka.
We have an experienced and qualified member of staff on-site full time.
Our quantity surveyors are in-house. The same QS who wrote the Bill of Quantity will be the QS who manages the on-site staff and who verifies the interim bills.
What obstacles did you have to overcome?
Managing cultural differences between client expectations and local practices is a constantly relevant obstacle. The acquisition of good experienced staff has made this easier. But if you are coming from a culture where work is often prioritized above a social life or even sometimes family, then getting the most out of Sri Lanka takes some readjustment. For example, paying top end does not guarantee punctuality or even top quality in a reciprocal nature: a good personal relationship is far more likely to motivate contractors and reap the best results.
Do you have any tips for other creators?
Just get started. I’m not that proficient on computers so I was procrastinating badly – I put off doing this website for a couple of years. However, once I started, I found the IM Creator site builder to be very easy to use, and mostly intuitive. Even when I did get stuck, the excellent support team always managed to point me in the right direction.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to break ground on your new website!
Get started for free with IM Creator!
