Construction delays are expensive and frustrating. Falling behind on the construction schedule is one of the most common problems people have when they embark on home building.
According to the Daily Monitor, here are the top 5 reasons behind construction delays.
1. Inadequate Workforce
An engineer with Peak Engineering Solutions Limited, Mr. Nasser Sserunjoji, explains to the Daily Monitor that having an inadequate workforce may cause construction to stall.
“Engineers have a tendency to hire few forepeople because they want to reduce the costs, yet they know the workload needs more workers, and they end up delaying,” he told the Daily Monitor.
Mr. Nasser says that when you employ fewer labourers, they will do their best, but as human beings, they will eventually break down.
“Unless you opt to use several machines and hire few workers, that’s the only way you can manage the workload, but with only a few workers, automatically you will be working behind schedule,” he said.
2. Inaccurate Planning
Mr Sserunjoji says inaccuracy in planning is another factor that causes construction delays.
He says that many people underestimate the budget. They expect to spend a certain amount of money, yet the workload exceeds their allocated budget and requires more funds to complete.
“Some people do their estimation not based on expert knowledge, and sometimes they consult substandard specialists who give them wrong estimates,” noted Mr. Nasser. “When they advertise for the work, they expect [the builder] to go with their [underestimated] budget,” he added.
When funds are scarce, work stalls. It is preferable to work with an expert on your plans so that your budget is accurate. Then you will be property prepared before you begin home building.
3. Delays in Approvals
Mr. Nasser told the Daily Monitor that approval delays may also delay construction.
He cited delays in approving building plans as an example. “Engineers have a lot of work to do, and sometimes when they send the drafts to the clients, they take a long time to approve, because they want to consult several people, and this affects our working schedule,” he said.
Mr. Nasser adds that by the time the client responds to the plan, the engineer may have begun other engagements and has limited availability, which compounds delays.
He says efficient communication is important in construction, whether it be approving plans or approving changes. “Sometimes it might be an urgent matter which needs immediate response,” he says. “Some clients take long to communicate… you can send messages or call but the response takes long to come.”
4. Heavy Workload and Unavailability
Mr. Nasser says that some engineers will have several contracts at the one time, all of which require their presence.
“When the engineer is not around at the site, it means the builders will work at their own pace, because no one is guiding them on what to do,” he said.
“Sometimes you find yourself with a heavy workload, because things which can take one week end up taking a month,” he told the Daily Monitor.
5. Climatic Conditions
Weather is a natural problem that affects construction work, and it has no solution.
“When you’re building during the rainy season, it means that the pace is going to be slow because you cannot work when it’s raining, and this therefore delays the work,” Mr. Nasser told the Daily Monitor.
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