Common Construction Mistakes by Owners
If you talk to someone who’s been through a project (even a kitchen remodel) they will have a list of things they would do differently. Going into the project it seems like no big deal and you are excited to do something new. Maybe your business is expanding so you need more room or you are succeeding and doing well so you want to improve your home or your office. But after it’s all said and done you realize there’s no magic to it and it’s not as simple as you expected. It’s a lot of work, there are always challenges and most people are hugely disappointed by the process. Here are some common mistakes people make dealing with construction.
Owners believe it’s no big deal. You just pour some concrete, slap some stuff together and poof it’s done. It’s just not that big of a deal. Well, perhaps it shouldn’t be but even a simple kitchen remodel has a lot of different elements to it that all have to work together and look good when it’s done. You either have to know how to get it done right or trust the contractor which leads me to #2.
Owners believe the contractor is looking out for their best interests. Let me say that the majority of contractors out there are honest and hard working people. But even the best of them have things come up and as a result your project may not be done when you expected and it may not look like you expected. There are all kinds of contractors out there and working with them to get what you want is not as simple as perhaps it should be.
Owners make changes. Most people don’t really know what they want when it comes to construction (honesty here). Once they see how it looks and feels, they often want to change things. Or perhaps what they thought was a good idea turns out to not be so good. Changes are a killer to a project and change orders are often the biggest point of contention on a project. The secret is to know what you want and then not make changes during construction as much as possible. If there are changes, they need to be managed well.
There are a number of other things that are like landmines on a project just waiting to blow the whole thing up. Most people don’t understand things like contracting, protecting yourself against liens, managing risk with insurance, how the flow of money affects the project, etc. The business of construction can sometimes be more complicated than the actual work. That is why many owners are turning to construction managers to guide owners through the process and help make the project a success. RA Consulting is available to consult with regarding your project so let’s have a conversation and see if we can help.