Follow these 5 Steps and Complete Your Construction Project on Time!
In most cases, major renovation project as new custom home builds require homeowners to arrange for alternative accommodation for the project duration. Navigating the process can be challenging, especially when there are a lot of loose ends. Selecting a Professional Builder/ General Contractor becomes essential to ensure the project is carefully planned, remains on schedule and you, the homeowner, moves in on the agreed-upon date.
To ensure everything goes smoothly, your General Contractor must know how to properly manage the project and create a plan that everyone can follow.
Creating an effective schedule means considering the many variables of working with designers, city inspectors, subcontractors and suppliers, accounting for weather delays, managing missing or delayed materials, etc. No construction project goes perfectly according to plan, but a solid, well-communicated plan will help you meet your schedule and get the job done on time.
Here are 5 ways to ensure that you stick to your project schedule:
1. Review all Plans, Scope and Project Details with your General Contractor
Make sure you have a full understanding of the project scope and are on the same page as your general contractor. Carefully review all construction drawings, design specifications, scope and construction agreement. A well-defined project forms the basis of the project schedule and helps ensure that all details are accounted for.
Pro Tip: Engaging your builder/ general contractor in the early planning phases of the project is very important for various reasons (more on this in another blog). Booking particularly good trades is one of them. Depending on the season and time of the project, many of the best trades are booked months in advance (e.g. concrete, underpinning and framers to name a few). Engaging a General Contractor early on ensures the best trades are available when needed, and that any interruptions between subcontractors are limited.
2. Create a Detailed Project Schedule with Milestones
A professional general contractor has the experience necessary to quantify the time it takes to complete various project activities. The activities need to follow a particular sequence. In some cases several activities can be completed in parallel (at the same time), while in other cases only one activity can be performed at a time.
A professional general contractor utilizes scheduling software to identify what project activities form the critical path (the sequence of activities that can only flow after each other and where the delay to one activity leads to a delay in the entire project schedule). Identifying the critical path allows a general contractor to know where resources can be added to help fast-track the project schedule.
Pro Tip: A good schedule is comprehensive. It accounts for all project activities, required city inspections, times for ordering material, lead time for material deliveries, important milestones, etc.
Pro Tip: Some project activities will be completed a few days earlier or later than planned. Including milestones for key deliverables helps the general contractor to understand how the project is doing overall and to help update future projections. This is a good time to communicate the progress with the homeowners, in case it is possible to move in sooner or if major delays are anticipated.
3. Make Sure a Contingency is Included
Many factors and complexities exist that can lead the schedule off track including bad weather conditions, missing materials, delayed subcontractors, sickness absence, lockdowns, etc. A contingency is a buffer created to absorb unforeseen events. It allows the general contractor to establish a realistic completion date and the homeowners to make informed personal, business, and financial decisions.
A professional general contractor has a good understanding of the potential risks affecting the construction project and has various strategies to address and resolve issues as they come up.
4. Finalize Selection and Orders Early on
Covid has created times where some delivery orders can take up to 6 months to arrive or in some cases longer. Make sure all selections are made as early as possible. This allows the general contractor to start ordering materials early and try to avoid shipping delays. It also helps the general contractor to understand what he is working with and to properly communicate his expectations to trade partners.
There are a lot of selections to be made during a custom home build/ major renovations. Collaboration between the homeowner, the designer, the general contractor and the suppliers is very important to navigate this step successfully.
Pro tip: Involving a professional general contractor in the planning stages (prior to permits) helps a lot in steering the project in the right direction, as they are aware of the market conditions and can advise on best practices.
Pro tip: Local manufacturers are producing great products. Selecting products from manufacturers right around the corner is highly recommended.
Pro tip: It goes without saying, confirming lead times with suppliers is crucial to ensure delivery dates work with the project schedule. If not, revising selections to readily available items might not be the worst idea.
5. Monitor, Update and Communicate
Careful planning, regular monitoring and updating the schedule are essential for leading a successful construction project. This highlights the importance of working with the right general contractor/ builder.
The potential of issues arising throughout the course of a custom home build/ major renovation project is high. However, proper planning, organization and communication can keep all stakeholders on the same page and get a project back on track.