Every building project, big or small, should bring with it a feeling of excitement. Whether it’s a bathroom or kitchen renovation, extension to your house or a much-needed refurbishment, the idea of having a space that looks new or provides new function to your home can be a prospect worth anticipating. However, the reality of building work is that it takes time and both the start and finish dates are always affected by many external factors. So, if you are wondering when you can expect a project to start, develop and eventually finish, here is what you should consider:

The Scale of the Project

The first thing to consider is how large or small the size of your project will be. Usually, this can be pretty easy to identify, but perhaps there are elements you may have not considered when planning your project. An example of this could be having an idea for an extension to your house, but being unaware of the structural requirements that will need to be met for having the extension added to your desired part of the house.

A good way to get an accurate picture of the scale of your project is to consult with a qualified, experienced contractor. This is usually the first step towards hiring any contractor in the first place, but it is also a vital way to understand at what stage your project can begin and what level of pre-planning, assessment or authority permission will be required before construction can take place.

The Contractor’s Timescales

Once an assessment and consultation outlining your ideas for the project have taken place, design concepts and project planning can get underway. At this stage, it’s important that all costs and materials are considered in order for both the contractor and you to have an understanding of the sort of timescale that the project will have to take place over.

Another factor affecting this is the scope and size of the building company you have hired, with considerations such as; the number of people they can assign to the project, what equipment and vehicles they have access to, how far away your home may be from important locations (recycling centres, supply warehouses, the contractor’s office etc.) and the skillsets of the construction team and if third-party specialists must be hired.

All of this together will allow the contractor to give a timescale for the completion of the project. It is vital to ask your contractor to give accurate timings and guarantees of service or compensation for overdue work, in order to insure yourself against dishonest behaviour on the contractor’s part. Read about how Copperwood Construction make honest, reliable timescales part of our customer service guarantee.

Environmental Factors

Following on from this, and the last thing to consider before any project, is the effect of the environment when it comes to construction work. Obviously, this depends on whether the work will primarily be interior or exterior, but it can be surprising how much the time of year and the associated weather can affect the likelihood of your project being completed on time. For instance, heavy rainfall will delay any extension or major work done outdoors, while high winds will affect whether materials can be lifted on a crane. Snow can have a huge impact on exterior installations as well as vehicular access on and off your property. Delays to construction are inevitable, but can be foreseen and worked around depending on when the project is started. To have your extension ready by the Spring can mean working over the New Year and Winter months, so delays should either be expected or the project should be started during a season with more favourable weather.

All of this should be considered by both you and the contractor when planning to start any building project and when setting the target date of completion

We hope that this has been enlightening about the factors that can affect how a project is planned and when, as the home owner, you can expect to have everything both started and completed.

We take pride in our accurate timescales and guarantees of high quality service at Copperwood Construction. Our highly skilled team can deliver realistic assessments with transparent costs and honest, expert opinion, no matter the size or scope of your building project.

To find out all about our standards of practice and why you should hire us for your next project, drop us a call and speak to a member of our team for advice, to arrange a consultation or site visit and to receive a free quote.