You can ask any homeowner about this and they would tell you the same thing: Each day of construction is money taken out of their wallets, a chunk of a loan taken from a bank. Contractors will probably say the same, but the more frustrating part of construction for them is when they have to redo something because of an avoidable mistake. Here are 5 common mishaps that cause construction do-overs and what you can do to prevent them.
Damaged floors
Foot traffic is common in construction sites. Workers, contractors, engineers, and other people involved in the construction walk in and out of the house with their tools and grubby shoes. Without floor protection, accidents that lead to scratched hardwood floors, dirty carpets and broken tiles are very common and can then lead to unnecessary replacement costs. Therefore, after installing your flooring, it is advisable to use some floor protection that will keep your flooring material safe while construction is being finished.
Facade and window leaks
The more creative the exterior design of the house is, the bigger the chance that there will be facade and window leaks. These complicated designs might look good if executed properly, but that doesn’t erase the fact that bringing them to fruition isn’t easy. The only solution to this problem is to take every precaution possible. After all, the real problem here is not the actual design of the house (although it might be a challenge) but the faulty installation of exterior elements.
Unresolved existing problems
When doing construction on an old house or property, you might encounter a few surprises. Molds, termites, water damage and other similar problems are more common than you think. Therefore, you need to set a budget for unforeseen costs. If you don’t have a leeway on your budget, you might have to halt construction, which will only increase the total costs of the project. At the same time, don’t ignore these problems just to save money. In the long-run, they will only result to bigger problems if you don’t address them as soon as possible.
Old floor plan
If you like watching home renovation shows, you might have seen an episode when workers are taking down a wall only to realize that it’s load-bearing. This kind of problem usually happens when the contractor is using an old blueprint of the house to create plans for the renovation. This problem has a simple solution: Before you start construction, make sure that you’re using the latest floor plan of the house so as to avoid risking the safety of your workers and acquiring additional costs.
Inferior substitutions
Sometimes, when an intended material is not available, the contractor is allowed to find a substitute as long as it is of the same quality or better. This can also be done if there is a substitute of the same grade that costs less. However, cheap substitutions of poorer quality materials do happen. To avoid do-overs, make sure that you stay honest with the clients and use the materials that they paid for.
Construction do-overs are not only annoying; they can also be expensive. Hopefully, this has helped you realize that these mishaps are avoidable, especially when you take extra precautions.