Commercial Construction
Commercial construction planning encompasses a range of pre-construction services to ensure a smooth building process. Estimating costs, reviewing plans, and navigating regulations and permits are just some of the steps taken before breaking ground.
While the goal is often a more seamless construction process, pre-construction planning can also save money in the following ways:
More Accurate Budgeting
While estimating building costs is rarely easy, it can be more straightforward when time is set aside during commercial construction planning for budgeting.
This is when project teams and estimators create cost models based on building plans, material pricing, site conditions, and labor. This helps prevent underbudgeting, which can cause challenges later.
During this process, you can identify overpriced design elements early, enabling you to propose more cost-effective alternatives. You can also compare materials and systems and forecast any escalation risks.
Better Scheduling to Reduce Labor Costs
The most cost-effective construction team is one that’s busy, using all available time to the company’s advantage. That’s more likely to happen when comprehensive scheduling is planned in advance.
Pre-construction planning allows you to create realistic schedules and sequencing plans to reduce trade conflicts, overtime, downtime from late permits or materials, and rework. For example, by coordinating subcontractors before construction, such as mechanical and electrical, you can prevent crews from getting in the way of each other on-site.
Avoiding Construction Clashes
Modern commercial construction projects are complex with many systems and materials. As a result, there’s potential for them to clash. HVAC ductwork can collide with structural beams, and plumbing routes can impede electrical conduits. It can also get awfully crowded in the ceiling space.
That’s why so many construction teams use building information modeling (BIM) software. Planning a construction project with this software lets you address these issues digitally, avoiding costly rework.
Reducing Change Orders
Change orders are documents that modify the original building contract to officially adjust the scope, cost, or schedule of a project. Change orders are common due to client requests, such as swapping tiles for hardwood, as well as unforeseen site conditions, design errors, and material shortages.
Change orders are a major source of cost overruns. While they aren’t entirely avoidable, pre-construction planning can undoubtedly go a long way toward reducing them. This is because comprehensive planning can improve design clarity and scope definition.
Smarter Material and Equipment Purchasing
Many construction companies purchase their materials and equipment as they need them. This can result in multiple shipping costs, a loss of special deals, and long lead times. By incorporating materials and equipment purchasing into pre-construction planning, there’s potential to save thousands of dollars.
Purchasing far in advance may mean you can:
- Lock in special prices
- Take advantage of bulk deals
- Avoid expedited shipping costs
- Improve the chances of materials with long lead times arriving when you need them
Identifying Risks
The last thing you want is to be remedying risks during active construction. By performing comprehensive pre-construction planning, there’s potential to identify a range of risk factors and remedy them before they cause costly issues.
For example, construction teams can put plans in place for poor soil conditions, permit delays, environmental compliance issues, and utility conflicts when they are identified before ground is broken. Resolutions can often be harder and more expensive once construction is underway.
Improving Subcontractor Coordination
The most professional and highly regarded construction companies will already have their subcontractor coordination down to a fine art. However, it’s further enhanced by pre-construction planning. Engaging subcontractors before building begins can provide the following advantages:
- Identifying any unrealistic design assumptions
- Highlighting more efficient installation methods
- Coordinating prefabrication opportunities
- Improving sequencing to lower labor costs and refine scheduling
Reducing Rework
Rework is the process of tearing out, redoing, or repairing work that wasn’t completed correctly in the first place. It could be as straightforward as a minor touch-up or as invasive as complete deconstruction and rebuilding. Both minor and major rework tasks can be avoided through comprehensive pre-construction services.
During planning, you can create clear plans, detailed logistics, and coordinated drawings to reduce construction errors that require costly, time-intensive rework.
Start Your Next Commercial Construction Project with Republic Building Contractors
Whether you’re planning a new restaurant, an office building, a retail space, or another commercial structure, there’s only one name to call: Republic Building Contractors. Our experienced team with decades of experience operates from Maine to Florida, ensuring straightforward access to the commercial construction project solutions you deserve.
If you’re ready to get started, contact us to discuss your project. We look forward to guiding you through the process from start to completion.