Construction projects are known to be long and demanding. They often require proper planning and decision making from both the client and contractor to ensure a successful outcome. When building your home, you must understand that your project is likely to follow certain steps and processes. Regardless of your budget, size of home, design, and delivery date, building a new home can be a rewarding experience if you take time to prepare and know what to expect. Of course, you must work with the right contractor as well. Here are the stages of a construction process.
The Conception of the Project
Well, you are the one who will conceive the project. Plans and designs can’t be developed unless someone dreams about owning or rather building a custom home. Once you’ve conceived the project, research for the right location will follow. There’s no specific period for the conception stage as it depends with the client. The contractor may not have much input at this stage.
Design
You can plan to have a pre-construction meeting with a contractor after you have determined what it is that you want. The design phase allows you to incorporate design professionals to help see how your vision and dream can become a reality. The bidding process begins at this stage. Led by an architect or an engineer, the design team focuses on ensuring that all the building codes and regulations are met while ensuring the functionality of the new building. The design stage usually includes the programming and feasibility step, schematic design and development.
Pre-Construction
At this stage, you’re done with the bidding process and have selected a reputable contractor for your construction project. The pre-construction stage involves finalizing and submitting home plans and designs to the city authorities for review. Site tests and examination is done to detect any environmental challenges that might be experienced during construction. Soil testing is also done. Be sure to raise all your concerns so they can be addressed at this stage before work begins.
Procurement
Once the pre-construction stage is over and the scope of work has been determined, it’s time to obtain equipment, workforce, and materials. The complexity of the procurement stage will depend on the project size, available resources, and how soon construction should begin. Your general contractor will handle this stage so you don’t have to worry.
The Construction Stage
It’s important that you hold a pre-construction meeting with your general contractor before the construction work begins. You want to make sure everyone is on the same page to avoid misunderstandings later on. Discuss the hours everyone is expected to work every day, how quality control will be done, how workers will be accessing the job site, material storage, and anything else you might have. Make sure each party is satisfied and there are no lingering questions. The project can now begin.
The Post-Construction
Your contractor may ask you to do a walk-through of your new home with them as the final touches and clean-up are being done. Before the new building is commissioned, an inspection needs to be done just to check if everything is okay. The project team will then train you how to operate and maintain your new home before allowing you to take over the building. On the date of possession, your contractor will hand over the keys and the home will be yours!