Ask the Builder
Eliminate Delays with Job Schedules
By Tim Carter
©1993-2010 Tim Carter
Summary: Planning your material shipment will require
working with your contractor to determine how long each job takes. Schedules are
the only way to keep work delays to a minimum. Having a good set of drawings
will help. Talk to each supplier to find out how long each item takes to
deliver. Then check up on the orders. Charting your project is the only way to
keep sane.
Related Articles: Project
Timeline, Specific
Building Plans Help Avoid Delays
DEAR TIM: We are getting ready to do a major remodeling of
our kitchen. We want to eliminate delays so that we can use our kitchen again as
soon as possible. What steps can we take to achieve this goal? Q.
T.
DEAR Q. T.: In a nutshell, you must do extensive
'preplanning' and scheduling of materials shipments and workers to eliminate
delays. It is possible to eliminate delays, however, your planning must be
flawless.
The first step is to make sure that you have an excellent set of drawings for your project. Your contractor and his sub-contractors will rely on these documents heavily. If there is an error on the plans you will have a delay. I guarantee it.
Before any work begins, you must request from your contractor a very
detailed schedule of how long each aspect of the job will take. There are
many aspects to the job, so make sure that they are all listed. Make a separate
list of all the materials you intend to use for your job. You must pre-select
every item. Remember, some items will have to be ordered.
Ask each
supplier how long it will take to obtain each item. Add a minimum of 3 days to
whatever you are told. Request order confirmations from all suppliers, because ,
believe me, people forget to order things. Make repeated follow-up phone calls
to insure that things are on schedule.
How would you like me to build your new home? It's probably impossible for me to fit your job into my schedule, but I will gladly share hundreds of my tricks and building secrets with you and your builder. Check out my New House Specifications.
No builder or designer's library should be without Adding to a House written by Philip Wenz. Here is the ideal book for designers and builders who understand basic construction but have not had access to a single source of information that covers the entire process of planning, designing and building an addition. Adding to a House is also perfect for home owners who intend to contract the work out and want to understand the process so they can make intelligent decisions and work effectively with people they hire. This book will help you avoid costly mistakes, make sure no potential problems are overlooked and handle tricky construction details. By following the advice in this book designers, builders and home owners will be able to create an addition that solves space problems and increase the value of a house. This book is published by Taunton Press, one of my favorite book publishers, and has wonderful color photographs and easily understood illustrations.
