How Long Will Your Project Take?
Having a clear understanding with your contractor about a realistic timeline, and what to expect through the duration of your construction project can make a HUGE difference in your construction experience. It’s no surprise that construction projects can involve many moving parts and require careful planning, especially when it comes to timelines. Once you make the exciting decision to move forward with your construction project, you might start wondering about the more mundane details of how things will progress. For instance, what kinds of delays could your project encounter? What preparations and mitigations will your contractor put in place to keep the timeline short and streamlined? And how will your contractor respond to any delays that occur?
The duration of a project can vary significantly based on several key factors that we cover below. The TLDR list is below, and for more detailed explanations on any of these topics just click on the one that you’re interested in!
Factors Influencing Project Timelines
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The size and complexity of a project are certainly main drivers that will determine how long it will take to build. Larger projects with intricate designs and multiple phases naturally take longer compared to those that are smaller and more straightforward. However without a reference point that still doesn’t tell you very much! So, for a helpful reference, a general guideline is to plan for about one year to build a three-bedroom single-family home from the ground up.
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Aside from the structure and design of the project itself, the condition of the construction site it will be built on is an important determinant for how long the work will take. This is especially true for entirely new structures!
Site conditions include things like:The terrain on the site
Soil stability
Existing infrastructure (that may need to be changed, moved, or removed)
Sites with difficult conditions often require longer preparation periods and involve specialized solutions that work well with the site.
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Weather conditions like extreme heat, rain, or snow can interrupt construction progress, particularly for outdoor work. Seasonal factors can also affect the availability of materials that need to be shipped and delivered, labour, and equipment, potentially extending project timelines.
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Securing the necessary permits and regulatory approvals is a critical step in any construction project. Here are the kinds of delays in obtaining permits that can significantly impact a project’s timeline:
Processing Time: The time that regulatory authorities take to review and process permit applications can vary. Things like high volumes of applications, staff shortages, or administrative backlogs within regulatory agencies can lead to delays in being issued necessary permits.
Zoning and Compliance Issues: Projects requiring zoning variances or compliance with local regulations can face delays while authorities evaluate adherence to zoning laws, building codes, environmental standards, and other requirements.
Public Review and Comment Periods: Certain permits might need public review and comment periods; this is especially true for those involving environmental impact assessments or public infrastructure projects. Delays can occur if the results of public feedback requires revisions or more analysis.
Specialized Permits and Approvals: Projects that need specialized permits (like historical preservation or environmental permits) might encounter longer processing times out of a need for expert review.
External Dependencies: Obtaining approvals from utility providers, easement agreements, or coordination with other governmental agencies can further extend progress.
Appeals and Challenges: Finally, permit approvals can be challenged or appealed by stakeholders, community members, or environmental advocacy groups. If this happens, it can lead to additional review processes and potential delays.
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Construction materials and components can come from near and far! How available those materials are is essential for project continuity. To help avoid delays we generally encourage the use of locally sourced materials whenever possible.
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For instances when hazardous materials are involved in the completion of a project, handling these materials requires strict safety protocols to safeguard workers (and often the environment!). These safety measures inevitably extend the timeline due to necessary implementation, inspection, and verification processes.
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Unexpected delays can happen even for the most experienced and prepared of professionals. While unforeseen challenges are (by definition) impossible to anticipate precisely, examples can include things like site discoveries, design changes, world events that impact supply chain, or unforeseen obstacles. With this in mind, effective project management strategies always involve building some flexibility into the project to allow room to address these issues without significant delays.
While this list of potential delays may seem daunting, it is rare for a project to encounter more than two or three of these issues. A significant part of our job is to build room in the timeline to respond quickly and safely to unexpected hitches and to anticipate as many of these delays as we can. We do this by having a thorough understanding of relevant bylaws; by building relationships in the community that help us to understand the social, economic, and environmental contexts we’re building in; by consulting with the appropriate experts; and by using clear communication and transparency that help client’s to manage their decisions, resources, and expectations along the way. We value the trust we build with our clients and strive to make the process flow seamlessly.
Are you ready to begin the construction project you’ve been dreaming up? Give us a call at Vineuve to talk about hiring us to build your project and take care of all the mundane tasks we’ve discussed in this post so that you don’t have to!