There will come a time when you’re working on construction and encounter issues either with the plans for the project or the condition of the work site. How do you solve these construction nightmares? Continue reading below for the most common problems found with construction projects and how you can fix them quickly to keep the project on track.
Surprise Construction Costs
What happens when you start a construction project only to discover later that you will have unexpected costs? Unfortunately, you cannot predict poor soil conditions, termite damage, or dry rot damage to your wood—all of which will cost your company extra money to fix. Before you take on a project or begin one, set aside a portion of your budget specifically for emergencies. This way, you don’t have to stop a project from moving forward because you don’t have enough money to fund it.
Damaged or Incorrect Custom Material Orders
Depending on your client, they may want a particular material built into their home or building. You’ll need to order that material before the portion of the project that needs it, but what happens if the incorrect materials arrive or the company ships damaged materials? You should have created a construction specification to lay out your plans for the project before breaking ground on the work site. If you did this, you can either take the materials as is and continue the project or request the manufacturer send new components, pushing back your project completion date.
Delays in the Project Timeline
There could be many reasons why your project timeline is being delayed. Maybe you’re renting construction equipment and need to wait for repairs or maintenance. Maybe you lose a couple of days due to weather, or maybe there was a mistake made in the construction. Any of these will push back the completion date and cause significant delays in your progress. If this is the case, have a production schedule handy so you can monitor your team’s progress and work with your employees to quickly solve and address delays. Open communication will help move these delays along the timeline faster.
Confusion With the Blueprint
The last construction nightmare you might need to solve is when there is confusion surrounding the blueprint. Your client could change their mind on specifications, and, therefore, the blueprint changes. When you and subcontractors work off an old blueprint version, this could lead to multiple problems. Ensure you are using the most recent blueprints to build a house or building—this will help minimize delays and confusion surrounding the plans for this project.
Sometimes, you can do everything right on a jobsite, yet everything can still go wrong. Preparing for these construction nightmares can help you solve these issues faster and move the project along the timeline. Never try to solve these problems yourself; include management and your employees to work through them quicker.
