Major Causes of Delays & Overages in On-Site Construction

Traditional on-site construction is susceptible to delays and overages from design changes, contractor disputes, weather, waste, and labor shortages.

It’s become an axiom of the modern construction industry that projects will take longer and cost more than what was agreed to in the original contract. Developers often feel like it’s impossible to complete a project without experiencing an overage or delay because they’re at the mercy of a number of factors outside their control. This doesn’t have to be the case, however, especially when developers use innovative methods such as modularization to avoid, and in some cases, eliminate such issues.

The following list details common reasons why the majority of commercial construction projects experience delays and overages, and how modularization can reduce these:

Changes in Design

In traditional construction, developers will often change their ideas of the design after building has already started. Adjustments to floor plans, materials or other features frequently involve expansions to the budget, and always involve additions to the timeline.

Modular units must be precisely engineered for assembly on the foundation. As such, modular construction can allow for multiple rounds of revisions before construction starts, so our clients are completely satisfied with the design before it is finalized.

Contractor Miscommunication

Traditional construction typically requires multiple contractors responsible for different aspects of the build. With so many parties working on different tasks, there is plenty of room for miscommunication, which leads to disputes over accountability. When a problem arises, they all tend to blame each other, which further slows progress.

In fact, disputes between contractors can result in an average delay of nearly 16 months.

Modular construction eliminates the need for additional contractors. When only one company is responsible for every aspect of the process from design to installation, there is no opportunity for lengthy disputes.

Weather

Construction projects are commonly halted as a result unpredictable and unavoidable conditions, such as:

• Rain or Snow
• Excessive Heat or Cold
• High Winds

Labor Shortages

Traditional building processes require labor specializing in on-site construction and associated trades. Over the past decade, though, the supply of labor in the construction sector has been shrinking. This is partially due to layoffs that took place in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and less youth entering the industry. This shortage of available labor results in crews being booked for more projects at a time, which extends the timeline of each.

Lost & Wasted Materials

Constructing a building on-site creates a number of opportunities for unnecessary waste and lost materials. For example:

• Leaving building supplies exposed to the elements can result in damage.
• Lack of security on an open job site can leave materials vulnerable to theft.
• General confusion associated with a disorganized job site, with multiple teams working alongside each other easily resulting in misplaced materials.

Building modular units in a controlled facility along an assembly line means necessary materials are always secure, protected and easily accessible to crews.

Originally published at https://www.deluxemodular.com on September 18, 2019.