Expansion is on the horizon!
It’s finally time to build that brand-new facility for your company. You’ve selected a location and you’ve got a design. But, wait a minute. Exactly how long should it take for the building to go up?
You can shorten your wait by selecting a steel structure.
Steel structures come pre-engineered, there is generally very little cutting to deal with during the building process. That’s good news. But unfortunately, plenty of other factors can cause project delays.
Some challenges when it comes to building delays include:
Time of Year
Ground thawing problems are common during winter. If you are drilling holes for concrete, you can end up with pools of water which make pouring concrete a challenge. A rooftop covered in snow can create a slipping hazard and slow down progress. Winter is not the only offender. Cold or blustery weather can be an issue at other times of the year. Excessive spring rains, for example, can result in too much mud on a jobsite while high winds can create dangerous working conditions and potentially knock people off scaffolding.
If a project is underway in December, Christmas and New Years holidays may also delay the schedule.
Backordered Materials
Many builders fail to order steel until late spring. Panic mode then sets in about November. A more efficient schedule would be to order next spring’s steel this December. This applies to initial as well as later phases of construction since your schedule can be thrown off track if necessary materials are not available when needed.
Despite these potential setbacks, there is a fairly standard schedule of events you can expect your building process to follow.
Stages for most steel buildings are as follows:
1. Start earthwork to compact the ground and get water and sewer lines laid.
2. Bring in clay and any other necessary materials to form the building pad.
3. Put steel piles in the ground.
4. Add underground electrical lines for water, sewer, air, etc.
5. Pour concrete.
6. Bring in overhead doors and seal the building.
7. Start framing.
8. Bring in electrical and plumbing contractors to accommodate completion of insulation and other aspects of the building.
9. Complete finishing elements such as drywall, painting, lighting, and heating systems.
Even though there are many steps, it’s easy to confirm a project being on schedule using the map the builder will provide. This may be in the form of an Excel sheet detailing the number of weeks each phase will span, or in the format of status reports done with construction software.
These reports will show how any weather, holiday, or material delays can potentially affect scheduling. In future you will be able to just log into a website for real-time updates on any project.
This is all part of the Reinhart Group Building Process.