Financial budgeting is often perceived as a big deal when executing a renovation project, and rightly so. However, most of the people involved usually overlook the importance of time, which can’t be overemphasized. Neglecting the essence of time in a renovation project may cause homeowners to fork out more money than initially budgeted. Therefore, knowing the best methods of time management for renovation is as vital as your financial plan.
Projects may take longer or less to complete, depending on the nature of the job and client expectations. Still, experienced renovators know how to create a balanced timeline and financial plan to avoid falling below par.
This guide contains tips on how to improve productivity in the construction industry. Your renovation team will find it useful, and it will help them manage their time more precisely when handling their next remodeling project.
1. Plan Before Starting
Who would even start a project without proper planning? Now, you may have used the best of your ability to create a strategy for your renovation. However, did you carefully factor in the time and expenses that will be incurred? Did you prepare a foolproof contingency plan in case anything goes wrong?
The typical pre-construction timeline for a renovation project is as shown below:
Measuring the area: 2 weeks
Concept agreement: 2-3 weeks
Budgeting: 2 weeks
Construction documents: 3 weeks but can take longer if zoning is involved.
Finalizing the design: 5 weeks
Keep in mind that the timeline may vary depending on the size and client expectations for the implementation. However, it’s always good to allocate some money and time for unforeseen circumstances.
2. Time and Financial Budgeting Should Be Concurrent
While it's essential to create a timeline for your renovation project, planning a detailed financial budget for each phase of the implementation is still important. It should go hand-in-hand with the outlined duration. From experience, people often need more time and money to upgrade a property. That's why you should assign some resources and more time for such a situation to avoid stopping the project halfway. You should give some padding around your budget and timeline to make room for the unexpected.
3. Create a Logical Timeline
If you are quite experienced in handling renovation projects, you may have developed the skill of knowing the approximate duration for a property upgrade. However, sometimes, people get too familiar with their job and fail to do a proper analysis of the time it will take. Though the major determining factors for creating a realistic timeline are the financial budget and the extent of the project, developing a specific duration helps keep you and your team motivated. Only make sure you're logical and that you’re equipped and ready to react in case of unprecedented issues.
4. Use Productivity Tools
Many contractors assume they don't need productivity tools to work. While that idea may have been accurate some decades ago, companies in different sectors, including the construction industry, are already taking advantage of productivity software to get more done in less time. For instance, you can use a Kanban-style app like Trello for handling your projects. This can be an effective method of time management for renovation to-do lists. The software has features that help to simplify how you organize work with your construction team.
Besides using a project management tool like Trello, time tracking and employee monitoring software can also help you accomplish more in your next construction upgrade. Traqq is an example of a tool with features that can assist you and your team make more productive use of your time.
5. Fulfill All Legal Demands
Depending on your location, there are regulations governing the execution of renovation projects. You have to find the laws and ensure that you fulfill every demand before implementing your construction plans. Doing so will help you avoid trouble as much as possible. You will also save time wasted in trying to resolve court and other legal issues.
6. Stick with Your Timeline
While there may be unprecedented events that may arise during the construction upgrade, you need to stay on track with your timeline. Unless you must bend to new developments, ensure that you strictly follow the marked-out plan. It helps ensure that you check the availability of resources you’d use for the renovation before starting. Then, you can create a contingency plan that will make up for times you have to wait for major resources to complete the job.
7. Get an Assistant Project Manager
Getting an assistant project manager with deep experience and expertise is something worth considering. However, you may not bother hiring someone if you think you can handle your construction team without assistance. Depending on the scope of the renovation project, it may be necessary to employ an assistant manager who can help you supervise certain aspects of the plan.
