Month: August 2020

Construction & building by admin

How to Choose the Best Building Materials

Whether you are constructing a production or custom home, you will always need different kinds of building materials to create the desired living spaces. Due to the endless options offered in the market today, choosing the right materials can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, the following are some of the main factors that you should consider when choosing building materials. 

Initial Costs and Life Expectancy 

Most people often tend to choose cheaper building materials as a means of cutting costs. The only problem is that the building materials will very low upfront costs usually need frequent repair and replacement, which would only make life expensive. Consider building materials with affordable initial costs and longer life expectancy. You may have to spend a bit more on the initial installations but, their longevity will save you the stress and financial strain of frequent replacement. 

Energy Efficiency 

Energy usually accounts for a greater share of every household’s expenditure. As such, it is also important that you also select building materials that will enable you to cut spending on electricity. Today, there are various energy-efficient building materials for windows, walls, roofing, and doors that you can install. The installation of the right materials will ensure proper heating and cooling throughout your home with huge energy savings. 

Ease of Maintenance 

Even the most durable building materials will require maintenance to keep them in good shape over time. Therefore, you should also look into the maintenance requirements for the materials. The best materials should be easy to maintain and even upgrade in case you may want to improve sections of the home in the future. 

Aesthetics 

The overall looks of the building materials should also align with the particular style of home and the statement that you wish to express therein. Besides, you can also choose aesthetics based on the environment around your home. Nevertheless, the choice of aesthetics mainly boils down to your tastes. 

Overall, the choice of building materials should depend on upfront costs, life expectancy, energy efficiency, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics. However, you also want to consider readily-available building materials that will not require complex logistics to procure.…

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Construction & building by admin

How to Create an Effective Construction Project Timeline

The success of every construction project heavily relies on proper planning, without which the entire operation may be headed down the drains. You need an effective construction project timeline to ensure that things run according to plan. Any mistakes in the timeline could have dire consequences on the entire project. To avoid such disappointments, check out the following tips on how to create an effective construction project timeline. 

Outline the Work Breakdown Structure 

In developing a proper construction schedule, you should start by laying out all the tasks or activities that will be conducted during the project’s execution. Break down the responsibilities into smaller packages and allocate the tasks to your teams. That will enable you to easily formulate a timeline for each task based on the nature of work. 

Identify Priorities 

Of all the tasks outlined in the Work Breakdown Structure, you will find out that most of them depend on one another. That means some tasks must be completed to give a room or create the desired platform for other activities. Therefore, developing an effective construction project timeline requires you to identify the tasks that need prioritizing and those that can be handled simultaneously alongside others. 

Assess the Availability of Resources 

Your construction project can only go as planned if you have all the needed resources including finances, labor, and building materials. Resource constraints can impact delays and other shortcomings of the project. Thus, it is also important that you know the particular resources that will be available to develop a convenient schedule.  

Give Realistic Durations 

Based on the expected construction activities, prevailing weather and climatic conditions, resource availability, and your objectives, you should also assign reasonable start and finish dates for each task. Talk to your contractor for help on how to estimate the duration of each task. 

Developing a construction project timeline may not be a walk in the park, especially if you are planning a bigger project. However, the above ideas can enable you to easily avoid common mistakes and create proper schedules for different kinds of construction projects. …

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Construction & building by admin

How to Ensure that COVID-19 Does Not Stop Your Construction Project

The construction industry is among the sectors that are facing many changes due to COVID-19. These changes are restricting how business used to be done before the pandemic. The shelter-in-place orders may have made your construction continue as an essential business. However, you still have to observe and maintain social distancing. But, some places are more restrictive when it comes to the construction type that is allowed. If you’re allowed to continue your construction project, here are tips to help you keep it moving.  

Communication 

In the current times where things are always changing, the involved parties should maintain constant communication. Therefore, make sure that consultants, lenders, workers, and owners maintain communication via email and phone. Video conferencing can also be used to communicate without a physical meeting of the team. 

Inspections 

The full crew might not be present at the construction site all the time. However, inspections are important to ensure the progress of the construction project. Virtual walk-through inspections can particularly be effective during COVID-19 for regulatory and safety reasons. Regular inspections will enable you to ensure that your project remains on track. 

Materials 

Some countries are experiencing delays in material supply due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, understand what and who is affected by the pandemic to ensure that delays in material supply won’t affect your project. 

Schedule 

Consider the way COVID-19 is affecting your country or location to determine whether it will impact your construction schedule. For instance, has the pandemic affected the availability of labor? Has COVID-19 affected the availability of inspectors? Consider such factors to come up with a more realistic schedule for your construction project. 

Costs 

Costs, materials, schedules, and labor go hand in hand. That’s because most problems can affect the project cost significantly. The general conditions and delays can impact the budget. Insisting on a strict schedule can lead to contention. This can occasion additional overtime claims or even a premium pay. To avoid this, review your project carefully and identify every item that can affect the budget. This can be due to a labor shortage, regulatory workforce decrease, or material shortages. That means you should review your budget with the help of a consultant. 

Although COVID-19 could be temporary, things remain uncertain. Therefore, adapting quickly is very important when it comes to keeping your construction project going. Follow these tips to ensure that this pandemic doesn’t stop your project. Check out some tips and advice from other construction savvy blogs and businesses. https://www.homeadvisor.com/…

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