When you are taking on a full time commercial construction project, you should be aware that it is not something to be taken lightly. A lot of people who take on such projects are not full-time construction or real-estate professionals i.e. they have other projects and jobs. Therefore, you have to be cautious and ensure that you don’t make some common mistakes in commercial construction. How can you do that? Here are some tips that can help you in avoiding mistakes:
Establish expectations and communicate
You need to sit down with your team i.e. contractor, architect, engineer etc. and establish the expectations you have from each party. Agree on the communication procedure and frequency. Make sure you know when and how you will be updated, your overall expectations from the project and then hold every team member accountable to their commitments.
Plan ahead
There are a number of customized finishes and selections in construction projects. Finalize these items at the beginning of the project and this will help in avoiding surprise costs and delays. Oftentimes, it can be challenging and difficult to procure some materials. Investing some effort and time into nailing down the details ahead of time can help you avoid delays and problems.
Be ready for the unplanned
Whether you encounter unplanned site conditions or unexpected bad weather, most construction projects have to deal with delays that are just not predictable. Bear this in mind when you are establishing a timeline and your expectations.
Communicate some more
Throughout the duration of a project, there will be a number of revisions that have to be made to the plan. You need to discuss these with your engineering and architecture team and then communicate the changes to your contractor. Know how your contractor will put forward their questions, who will answer them and how the entire process will work.
Keep contingencies in place
Construction guru Patrick Shin Oahu suggests that you always need to have a contingency in your project. Unexpected circumstances are typically unavoidable in construction and development, and you need to ensure that there are funds reserved and can be used when such situations do arise, so there are no delays whatsoever.
You get what you pay for
Knowing how tight construction projects can be, it is a good idea to push your service providers and contractors to be as cost efficient as possible. However, choosing an unproven subcontractor or service provider who are offering you a price that’s well below those of the market should make you reconsider. Sure, it will be less expensive, but it is best to pay more to get something done right in the first attempt, rather than getting it done several times.
