Whether you are an investor, an individual looking to build a new home, or someone looking to renovate or remodel a building, planning a construction project is always challenging. This is because you might not have handled such a project before and thus do not know everything that needs to be covered and taken care of. For large construction projects, the challenge is magnified. In this article, we will look at some of the pre-construction services you need to ensure everything gets off to a great start.
An Existing Condition Survey
Many construction projects start with an existing building or structure. As an investor or individual, you need to know whether it would be better to renovate the building or tear it down and start afresh. An existing condition survey only applies to those who want to remodel or renovate and is especially important if you will be putting a lot of money into the building.
When doing the survey, you are looking at everything that will affect the structural integrity and longevity of the building. If the survey determines that renovations will be adequate, you will need to check various aspects of the building such as load, material, strength, direction, roof junctions, and others still work together to make the building viable.
If you do not have these details, you might be surprised when a contractor gives you an estimate for the renovation. If none of these details line up, it is better to tear the building down and build a new one.
A Topography Survey
One of the first things you have to do before any construction projects for a new building is to learn everything you can about the land your building will be sitting on and the surrounding area. The best way of doing this is through a topographical survey. Depending on what you need, the surveyor will provide you with different services.
The topographical surveyor will tell you the nature of the soil on the land. Soil properties are crucial in construction as they determine the foundations needed, whether the building will shift, which will cause cracks, whether you will have drainage issues, and how well you need to waterproof the basement if you wish to have one.
They will also tell you about the different heights of the surrounding area, which will inform you about things like runoff and flooding.
Lastly, you will know the location of trees and other natural elements on the land. All of this data will inform you where to start the project.
The many benefits of a topography survey are why every construction project starts with one. You can learn more about topographical surveys through THC Concepts. THS offers land surveys and CAD drawings for construction professionals to help them get their projects started the right way. They also carry out measured surveys, drone surveys, and other types of surveys construction professionals, architects, and engineers would need for new construction projects, as well as remodeling and renovation projects.
Construction and Design Analysis
Architects and engineers do a great job of modeling new buildings. This is one of the more exciting stages of the project, but it is also a crucial one. This is because any issues or flaws that are not identified at this stage will end up in the physical building, and that will be bad for you.
Remember that even though computers have gotten better at modeling, the models they produce are only as good as the person doing the modeling, and this is why a construction and design analysis is crucial. Have someone analyze the design to identify any issues, as these issues will cause cost and deadline issues down the road if not rectified early enough.
Scheduling and Logistics Services
While it is possible to arrange everything as the work goes on, this is not the best approach. One small thing going wrong with the logistics can cause the project to halt, costing you both money and time. It is best to have a coordinated scheduling and logistics plan in place to ensure everything goes smoothly.
When putting this plan into place, you will need to account for estimates, material sourcing, permits, subcontracting, storage, deliveries, and all other aspects of the project. Hiring the right construction or project manager will help you with all these by putting a plan in place and ensuring all milestones are met.
Procurement Services
Even when you have a construction or project manager, you might still need someone to coordinate procurement. While they might also be involved with logistics, they will be primarily responsible for ensuring you get the right materials for your project. For example, a family home will have vastly different material requirements than a hospital, and they need to know that.
Ensuring you have the right people and plans in place before the start of a construction project will help make things go much more smoothly. Hiring the right people to provide the services above will help you avoid any hiccups so a construction project can be completed on time, within budget, and right.
