Construction Expectations

What are your expectations going into a construction project? Are you expecting a perfect job? One with no change orders? One with no call backs in the warranty period? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I think we need to have a talk. We try to educate our clients beforehand that design and construction is a complicated process involving many people, and as humans we are not perfect by any means.

This does not mean that accepting inferior or defective work is acceptable during the construction phase, it is not. Defective work must be corrected for the safety and welfare of the occupants of the building and inferior work should never be accepted. A standard of the quality of the construction should be outlined and reinforced by the general contractor prior to the start of any work.The requirements for the quality of the work is set forth in the specification book that is issued with the drawings by the design professional. If a particular portion of the work is complex or sensitive, the general contractor should set up a preconstruction conference (precon) involving all the participants of that work and set up parameters and convey the expectation of the work to all involved. 

 An example of a precon is when the data cabling subcontractor is ready to start installing the data lines. All subcontractors should attend this conference and understand that any disturbance of the data cabling can render it useless. If the cable is inadvertently painted, it ruins the cable and must be removed. If the cable is kinked or bent sharply it will render it useless. For all subs to have this knowledge is key to preventing damage to the data lines and providing a fully operational data system at the time of completion of the project. 

As the project nears completion, a punch list will be developed by the contractor and architect. This punch list enumerates all the items in the project that need to be corrected, i.e. fix the paint chip in this wall, this door knob is not working, a particular air conditioner unit is not working etc. All these items are to be corrected by the contractor and the final payment withheld until verification of the correction of the punch list items has been received. 

Once the project is declared substantially complete, this does not relieve the contractor of his responsibilities. The warranty period begins upon completion and continues for 1 year. This is the standard length of time for a building warranty. Products or systems with in the building may carry longer warranties such as the roof system which may carry any where from a 10 to 20 year warranty. Before the final payment is made, a manual which compiles all the warranties and guaranties should be received by the owner to insure that these important documents are accounted for.

One final note, always carry a contingency allowance for your project no matter how large or small the project may be. If the project is renovations you would be wise to carry a larger contingency allowance than if it is a new building. New buildings typically have a 2% to 3% contingency, renovations anywhere from 5% to 10% depending on the complexity of the work.

Michael King AIA