From project owners to project managers, everyone has a stake in a build’s commercial construction schedule. Knowing critical timelines and the project’s expected trajectory helps minimize the “are we there yet?” questions and best position the project for a timely and on-budget completion. It’s also useful from a project management perspective for breaking down larger components of the build into smaller phases.

Your general contractor and project manager will guide you through the important components of preparing your specific construction schedule during pre-construction, but the following considerations are important to keep in mind as you begin making plans for your next SoFla build.

1) Scope – Is your project an office renovation or a ground-up high-rise? Naturally, the scope will impact your schedule, but so too can factors like a build’s location and the type of materials required. Construction methods can also dictate timeline and costs, and we work with you to determine if there are alternative build methods to streamline the needs for your project.

2) South Florida Weather – Seasonality and weather patterns can have a big impact on our construction schedules, but it is something we consider when setting our schedules. First and foremost, safety is always a priority on our job sites, which during hurricane season, means taking even greater precautions to protect our sites and surrounding areas in order to keep our projects on track after a storm passes.

3) Permitting and Inspections – Every project will require permits and inspections; some are just more time-consuming than others. At Seacoast Construction, we know to best ways navigate the permitting process in each of the counties and municipalities of South Florida so that delays can be avoided.

4) Procurement of Materials – The lead time it requires to get specific products for a build can have a major impact on a construction schedule, but fortunately there are frequently alternative solutions to reduce lead time. For example, in a recent project we undertook, the originally planned exterior storefront glazing system was going to take 14 weeks to procure; however, we found a local manufacturer and were able to reduce the lead time by 5 weeks. By identifying the problem early, we were able to source alternatives that met the requirements of both the project owners and architect – not to mention, shorten the overall project timeline by several weeks.

Construction schedules are the roadmap for your build. Understanding the phases of your project and staying up-to-date on its progress not only gives you, as the project owner, peace of mind, but it also ensures that the build is completed as promised – on time and on budget. For questions about preparing a construction schedule in South Florida, get in touch with us at Seacoast Construction.