The commercial construction planning phase involves establishing guidelines for the project and creating an overall budget. A professional construction manager can help you manage this process effectively.
This phase also includes preparing the construction site. This involves removing vegetation, installing drainage systems and building temporary work buildings or storage facilities. It also includes constructing foundations, framing and roofing.
Physical Construction & Post-Construction
The pre-construction phase is essential to any construction project. It sets the stage for every step that follows, including physical construction and post-construction. During this phase, the contractor meets with the client, design team, and key people to understand what they want from their project and determine how feasible it is for them. The contractor must assess the space, review design plans, and provide a cost estimate for the project.
A contractor will use schematics and drawings to help the client visualize the final project, and they will also perform a feasibility study. This helps to identify potential issues that could affect the overall construction schedule and budget. It can also highlight ways to improve the project, which may save the client thousands of dollars.
Pre-Construction Phase
During the pre-construction phase, the management team is selected. It is important to establish clear responsibilities between the team members during this meeting so that everyone is on the same page from the start. This will make it easier to keep the entire project on track, avoid confusion, and minimize issues down the road.
Engineering assessments are also performed during this phase of commercial construction in Houston. It’s important for the contractor to check all existing infrastructure that will be part of the new building or structure. This includes anything from electrical and plumbing to HVAC units. This process ensures that they will function properly and isn’t breaking any existing codes or causing unwanted damage.
Team Members
The final step in this phase is developing a project schedule. It denotes when various tasks will occur and how long they will take to complete. It will also include the budget for each task and any other key details that need to be clarified. The schedule can be sent out to team members, clients, and stakeholders to give them a clear idea of what is happening with the project. It is a crucial piece that will ensure the project can be completed on time and within budget.
Large-Scale Construction Projects
The design phase is where the bulk of the planning work takes place. Here, architects and engineers produce a range of preliminary drawings to help their clients iron out details before the final build begins. The process can be lengthy and complex, especially for large-scale construction projects that require numerous decisions to be made about layout, materials, structural design, utilities and more.
This phase also includes a lot of research, feasibility studies and meetings with government officials and contractors to understand the project specifics and determine any issues that might interfere with its progress or result in a delay in the construction timeline. This is an important part of the commercial building construction process because it ensures that all stakeholders will be on the same page.
Potential Delays
Once the design phase is complete, the contractor can begin preparing the site for construction to reduce any potential delays. This preparation includes installing underground utility lines, clearing and excavating the area, and creating an earthwork plan for the structure to prepare for foundation installation. The commercial contractor can also start sourcing and obtaining materials needed for construction. They will also work to install horizontal and vertical surface treatments, as well as insulation (which can be spray foam, batt or blown in).
The construction phase is where the real physical work of commercial building construction occurs. This phase usually begins with a meeting organized by the superintendent where important decisions about work hours, material storage, site access and quality control are made. Depending on the type of building and its functionality, a variety of minor processes may occur during this phase, such as site excavation, concrete pouring, steel erection, framing and interior/exterior work. Each of these processes is inspected by the project manager and an official state construction inspector to ensure that they are being conducted properly and that the project remains on schedule.
Final Words:
It is during this stage that a construction manager is often hired to oversee all aspects of the construction. Their job is to monitor budget, schedule and quality to ensure that the project stays on track. They will also coordinate contractor safety programs, ensure the correct materials are used, perform quality assurance inspections and tests and certify progress payments, RFIs and submittals.
