Delays are a notorious aspect of custom home projects, and while they are often inevitable, understanding their common causes can help you minimize them. By working closely with experienced custom home builders, you can anticipate potential issues and ensure your project stays on track.
Project Delays: An Inevitable Part of Home Construction
Delays in custom home projects are a common frustration for homeowners. However, with careful planning and collaboration with a seasoned custom home contractor, many delays can be mitigated. If you are unfamiliar with the construction business, it also helps to have a residential construction project manager on the job to both represent you on the work site as well as looking out specifically for your interests as the project progresses.
Identifying and Mitigating Common Delays
Knowing the most frequent causes of delays and addressing them proactively with your builders can help ensure a smoother, timely custom home build. Here are four common causes of delays and how to handle them:
1. Weather Changes
Unpredictable weather is a major cause of delays in custom home projects. Since much of the construction happens outdoors, extreme temperatures, heavy rain, or strong winds can halt progress.
While adverse weather can’t be completely avoided, you can minimize its impact. Discuss potential weather risks with your custom home contractor and develop a contingency plan. This plan might include scheduling extra workdays during good weather or focusing on indoor tasks when the weather is poor. When the project starts will also impact this in certain areas, where adverse weather is predictable with the seasons.
2. Increased Project Scope
Adding features or upgrades to your home during construction can significantly delay the project. Late changes require adjustments to the construction plan, additional permits, and sourcing new materials, all of which take time.
To avoid scope-related delays, finalize your home’s design and features before construction begins. Communicate any changes promptly to your builder to prevent miscommunication and ensure timely adjustments. This is where your 3D virtual walkthrough can also help to keep costs down. You get to see the entire project before ground is ever broken, making changes earlier in the process rather than after construction is well underway.
3. Material Delays
Custom home construction requires numerous materials, and delays in receiving these materials can disrupt the timeline. These delays are often beyond the control of your builder, as they depend on manufacturers and suppliers. Builders will sometimes stockpile certain materials and supplies, so you may want to check with them about what they have in stock, right now, to guarantee the build goes as planned.
An experienced custom home contractor will anticipate material delays and build buffer time into the schedule. Planning ahead, ordering materials early, and tracking their delivery status can also help minimize delays. If delays are expected, your builder should make alternative arrangements or adjust the timeline accordingly.
4. Poor Communication
Poor communication between homeowners, builders, and contractors is a leading cause of delays. Effective communication is crucial to prevent errors and ensure the project stays on track.
Establish clear communication lines with your custom home builder from the beginning. Discuss the frequency of updates and how to communicate changes or concerns. Timely and clear communication of any changes or concerns allows builders to address issues promptly, preventing unnecessary delays. Remember, effective communication is a collaborative effort between you, your project manager, and your builder.
Looking for an Oregon residential construction manager or other managed construction services? Better Build Now can help. To read more about our construction services, click here. Or, just give us a call at 888-402-4180.