Building without adequate preparation is a recipe for disaster. Undertaking a project requires serious thought. Because of the usually high sums of money involved, you must ensure that you have taken care of all issues and even planned for the unexpected. All around us, we see shining examples of reckless project implementation, usually manifested in the form of stalled projects, crumbling buildings and winding court battles.
Here are eight mistakes you must avoid when building:
- Not having a budget
You cannot work without a budget. You must have an idea of how much the project is likely to cost and ideally even have an estimate for each component of the project. Going into construction without this knowledge means you are groping in the dark and anything could hit you.
- Not involving professionals
You may believe that one way of cutting your building costs is bypassing professionals – mainly consultants such as architects, engineers and quantity surveyors. You decide that your “experienced” contractor can do everything. You couldn’t been more wrong. These consultants are trained and are experts in their respective areas. Their insight is invaluable. They can save you from major disaster later on in form of a building’s structural failure, awkward internal spaces, unforeseen costs and other problems.
- Failure to obtain relevant approvals
No matter the size of the project, you must first acquire all pertinent approvals from the regulatory authorities. In Kenya, all building plans must be approved in their locality and projects filed with the National Construction Authority. Do not attempt to play hide and seek with enforcement teams. Most importantly, securing these documents is a form of insurance against legal claims that may arise later if you are accused of engaging in illegal construction.
- Awarding the contract to your friend instead of a professional contractor
You are likely to be spending a huge sum of money to complete your project. This is not the right time to please to your contractor friends. Unless they are professional, proven and willing to carry out the work following all laid down protocols and to the specified standards, do not mix friendship with business.
- Not asking for a competitive quotation
You must not accept the first quotation that comes to you. Allow for at least three. You will be surprised at the amount of money you can save by dealing with one contractor and not the other for the same amount of work, same quality.
- Keeping all communication verbal
It may not be possible to write down every bit of instruction that you communicate to the contractor but you are advised to have a written contract clearly spelling out your expectations of the contractor and your obligations to them. This will save you a lot of headache should there be misunderstandings in the course of the project life.
- Not agreeing on a completion date
Before you sign on the contractor, you must agree preferably in writing about the timeline. Have a realistic completion date that the contractor will work with. If possible, agree on dates for the various milestones along the line.
- Not planning for the unexpected
Even the best laid out work plans can go haywire. Budgets can be overshot, a contractor may unexpectedly abandon the site, finances may run out – a lot could happen. Take time to prepare for the unseen.
