Constructability reviews are essential tools to help project owners understand the build feasibility of their design as well as seek ways to improve it. Every project should undergo a constructability assessment because it can save your project time and money by reducing costly errors and omissions in the design plans.

The amount of impact a constructability report has on a project can depend on when it is conducted. Integrating construction knowledge and expertise early and often during the design and build phase helps determine the most efficient path forward for the build while still keeping an eye strongly attuned to achieving the design goals.

In terms of when you should consider conducting a constructability report, here are some key milestones, though your type of project should dictate when you conduct one:

• At roughly 50% of the design completion – While you should be partnering closely with your contractor from Day 1, a thorough constructability review may not add as much value to the project if it is conducted too early in the design process. Once at least half of the design is completed, a constructability report can offer important insight into the feasibility of the project before further design is completed. It can also offer value engineering feedback critical to completing the design.
• At roughly 80% of the design completion – As your design nears completion, seeking a thorough constructability review enables you to still make changes to your design without hindering your project schedule. Your contractor is able to work through the building process and identify any potential issues that could arise – be that with labor or material concerns, gaps in the design, or other challenges that could cause problems during the build.
• At 100% of the design completion – Even after the design is completed, a constructability report adds value to the project as it assesses systems’ integration, build methodologies, and whether further equipment, labor and materials will be needed to successfully move the project forward.
• At the project’s inception – Once the build is ready to begin, a constructability report is still important to the success of the project because it helps identify the project’s scope, define how the project will work, complete an overview of the costs, and define the entire process with the ownership team to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Constructability reviews can be done at any time during the design and planning phase. Work with your contracting team to understand when you should conduct one. Doing so will result in a superior build that will be completed on-time and on-budget.

For questions about constructability reports and why you need one, get in touch with our team at Seacoast Construction.