10 Construction Challenges Property Owners Miss

Every project has its challenges. The bigger the project, the bigger the challenge. The fact is that large construction projects tend to have more headaches than others, particularly because of all the planning and management that has to go in each aspect. On a smaller, residential project, the general contractor or property manager would be in charge of making sure everything is completed. However, for larger projects, that responsibility has to be shared.

In order to successfully manage a large construction project, property owners are going to have to not only be aware of the challenges they will have to deal with, but also understand what is needed in finding solutions.

Construction Challenges For Property Owners

Consider these challenges as a guidebook on how you need to think about the project in its entirety. Construction advisors recommend that you develop an early strategy for how you will handle these areas of the project, not to mention all the actual construction that will take place:

1. Options: Your property is literally a blank canvas and you can create different options throughout every inch of it. Do you want an area for shopping, parking, restaurants, small businesses or something else? What is the goal of the property, the design options and how will it generate money for you once the construction is complete.
2. Time management: Believe it or not, time management is one of the biggest issues that has been known to push construction projects back days or even weeks. That’s because one issue that comes up on a job site can create delays for the entire project and this is why safety, not just organization, needs to be a top priority for everyone onsite. Without a commitment to safety, projects are proven to fall behind schedule and for property owners, that means losing more money.
3. Building your team: Whenever getting started, construction advisors recommend that you focus on building the best team possible, making sure that everyone you bring on board is ready to handle their assigned tasks. You will need people to manage scheduling, permits, working with the city and county and someone to manage the finances to begin.
4. Required regulations: This is a large construction project and that means there are going to be a lot of regulations that you need to be aware of and follow with the city and county. Keep in mind that not all of these regulations will be known to you immediately. You will have to consult with the local authorities to determine what you will need to get approved and so forth.
5. Knowing who to contact: When issues and delays come up on a job site, the experienced advisors know who to call in order to get the project back on track. This may be anything from machine repair to installing a sign near the street. Every aspect of the project must be completed correctly which puts more emphasis on working with someone who has experience.
6. Managing subcontractors: If you hire a general contractor they may handle the hiring and managing of subcontractors. However, this is still something you want to be in the loop about and make sure that the subs are following the same rules and regulations that the other contractors are. This includes safety gear, following all safety guidelines and completing the project on time.
7. Ordering: A mid-size commercial construction project can cost over $1 million dollars in job materials alone. This includes everything from concrete and nails to chairs and windows. These products need to be ordered at the right time, compensating for delays and shortages, and everything must be given correctly including sizes, color requests and so forth. This is one of the most challenging and overwhelming aspects of the job because you cannot be sure that the products are correct until they arrive.
8. Blocking streets: What if you need to hire a crane and shut down a street all morning to complete a task on the job? Whenever you are going to shut down a city street for construction purposes, you must work with the city to make sure everything is done to code and safely. This is an important aspect of the project and an example of when your managers need to have full control and open communication with all members of the team, including subcontractors.
9. Staying on budget: Another major challenge for any project this size or larger is making sure you are staying on budget. While you may have an idea of what the costs will be before you get started, there’s always a chance that those costs will go up, especially for materials and labor. Because of that, it’s important to know where the money is being spent and manage yourself throughout the job if you are working with a restricted budget.
10. Inspections: Planning inspections with the city is easy enough. However, construction advisors recommend that you always work with the city yourself and never leave something just to the contractor. The reason is because you want to know if the city requires any changes to the work that is being done in order to pass inspection. This may mean having to go off plan or make a significant change which is why you want to be involved in the communication.

The key to success for construction advisors is to make sure that you stay organized and have full communication with everyone involved in the project. Knowing who is in charge of what, making sure roles are defined and keeping everyone on point is challenging enough but it’s the only way you will get the work done correctly.