Three Common Construction Problems (And Solutions To Them That Work)

When you're working in the construction business, you're going to have to get used to dealing with a few setbacks.  CustomSmart Homes uses modular construction to build our homes, and we even still experience some issues with this highly efficient construction method.  Construction is the kind of business that relies on a variety of people in order to complete a job, and when you factor in other things like weather,  material management, site development, and client financing, a lot of things could cause delays.  If you find yourself having some of these common construction problems, follow our advice to ensure that you handle them the best way possible.

Weather Delays 

Weather plays a major factor in site building a home.  It has less of an impact on modular construction.  With modular construction the main sections of the home are built in a factory that is unaffected by rain, snow, or temperature extremes.  So even when site work and  foundation work cannot proceed because of inclement weather,  the construction schedule still moves forward, which saves time.  When it is time to set the home, a  weather window of one - two days is needed to get the house set on the foundation and protected from the weather.  But if there are long periods of rain there will be delays because excavation, grading, and foundation work cannot proceed.  The possibility of weather delays should always be factored into the timeline especially during the rainiest winter months in Tennessee.  CustomSmart will always have a discussion with our clients about realistic expectations on a completion date for their  home and how the weather can cause delays.

Unexpected Materials Shortage

There isn't much you can do for your construction project if you don't have materials to build with.  The best way to deal with a shortage of materials is to plan ahead to try to decrease the chances of not having the building materials you need.  This is especially true of special order materials.  CustomSmart Homes builds completely custom homes and out clients come to us with many special requests for  specific materials and finishes.  Because we us modular construction,  we build the entire house "on paper" before it goes into production.  Everything must be preplanned and thought through before construction even begins.  This eliminates a lot of the delays caused by requests for special materials.  But, even with good preplanning there are times our material suppliers cause delays.  since the great recession, many manufacturers have cut back on production capacity and many distributors have cut back on inventory, so unexpected materials shortages and long lead times can affect the construction time line.  Once again, CustomSmart Homes will discuss this possibility with our clients on the front end of the project and factor this in to our timeline.

Unexpected Site Development Costs

Most clients don't like hearing that their project is going to cost more than they expected, so it's important to try to help them plan for the unexpected and reserve some money for contingencies.  An area that this is most likely to occur is in area of site development costs.  Site development costs include excavation, driveways, power, water, septic systems, and wells.  While construction budgets are always created with realistic expectations, unexpected conditions do arise.  There could be rock which is costly to remove,  the power company may chose to run power to the property the long way because neighbors will not allow easements, the health department may require a more expensive septic system then usual due to poor soil conditions, or the well may have to be drilled deeper to obtain quality water.  The best way to handle unexpected conditions is to reserve monies for the unexpected.  There is a tendency for families to allocate all their funds for the things they want in their home, leaving no reserves.  At CustomSmart Homes we talk with our clients about the unexpected and ask that they reserve funds to easily handle additional work that may arise because of unexpected conditions.