How much is lost time costing you in your build? Add up interest on any borrowed money and rent for your current residence and you’re losing money that could’ve otherwise been saved.
But you already knew this.
What you might not have known, is the impact delays can have on your mental health, the frustration that your project seems to be taking much longer than it should, and the stress that you find yourself in when you’re not quite sure if you’ve ordered materials which you need tomorrow, have lined up the next contractor which needs to work and the constant worry that you’ve forgotten to do something before its too late.
There are so many benefits to developing a programme for your build, sticking to it, and updating it as you go which extend beyond what you’ve just read. The comfort in having a sense of direction is something that we as humans rely on to keep focused on the task at hand, the overall goal, and the mental satisfaction that with purpose, we can strive to achieve whatever we set out to do. Let’s take a look at how these benefits apply to your construction project.
The monetary benefit is self-explanatory, time is money. So if you’re building an investment, you may be losing on interest for added time or you may be renting while your house is under construction which means money wasted if the build is taking longer.
Budgets you may set yourself at the start of the project will usually not account for time lost. So how does a programme assist in not blowing out the duration? By keeping an eye on the overall sequence and looking ahead, you have the information to:
1. Ensure that any building materials are procured ahead of time.
If a certain task that will be commencing on your programme involves you supplying sand, cement, bricks, tiles, taps, or whatever, you have the foresight to ensure it’s on-site when you need it and the opportunity to get a few quotes ensuring you’re not overpaying.
2. Ensure you can give your contractors an accurate forecast of when they’re required.
By developing a programme, you have a start date for each of your contractors so working back, you can ensure a contractor is signed up prior to their start date so you’re not wasting time. By monitoring your programme, you can provide accurate start dates to your following contractors so they can forecast their workload and be on-site when you need them.
3. Stay on top of contractors to ensure they’re keeping to their timeframes.
This ensures the next contractor you have lined up doesn’t end up taking another job because your job is delayed. This would usually mean a further delay as you’d have to then wait for the contractors’ other job to finish first or go with a different contractor who may have been more expensive.
4. Ensure that any required design is complete when required.
For example, if you have a carpenter starting in 2 weeks, it can be a reminder to finalise things like skylights, niches, or any other architectural features that require the contractor’s input.
Programme benefits don’t just assist in construction but any project which requires multiple tasks to be completed. By breaking down any project into smaller tasks and creating a plan, you’re setting up the project for success, not failure.
