7 Strategies to Speed the Construction of a New Building or Home

7 Strategies to Speed the Construction of a New Building or Home
7 Strategies to Speed the Construction of a New Building or Home. Image source: Supplied

Construction technology is advancing at a speed unlike any time in history. There are new software, tools, vehicles, and more that make every project run smoother.

The people still using pen and paper will get left behind by the people keeping up to date with the trends, it’s no longer a question of if, but when.

So if you’re still on the fence on getting that project management software or hiring that estimating firm, hop over it and you’ll be blown away by how much results you start seeing.

That brings us to our first, and most important, strategy to help any construction project be more efficient:

1. Use Technology in Construction

Technology in the construction industry is advancing and it’s wise to incorporate this into your construction business. We’re seeing a trend where construction software is assisting in the management of projects as well as the estimating and budget preparation.

One of the strategies any construction company implement right away, regardless of country, is to start utilizing digital takeoff software. This software replaces the traditional pencil and paper manual methods of estimating. These are typically very costly because you need to print the drawings and spend house manually measuring and calculating quantities and pricing.

By using digital estimating and takeoff software, you can speed up your budget preparations, which in turn, speed your execution of projects. Many contractors still feel they lack in time, so you can outsource your estimating to a qualified construction estimating company. This will allow you to focus on other parts of your business while allowing the tedious estimating to be performed by a skilled agency.

The same goes with better project management software and bidding software. These tools exist to make your life as a construction professional easier, so take advantage of them if you’re not already.

2. Modernize Equipment

If you live in a first world country, chances are very strong, you have access to the most up-to-date equipment out there, from trucks with automated features, heavy equipment for site work, all the way to new gadgets to be used in the design aspect of new projects.

One of my personal favorite new pieces of technology is 3D concrete printing, which is basically a human-sized cake frosting nozzle that can create structures in a matter of hours, as opposed to taking months with traditional construction projects.

Image source: Supplied

There’s also laser technology that allows you to format construction sites into digital schemes so architects can make 3D models out of it.

These are just some examples, but there are so many useful gadgets you can use for your construction company to help any project run smoother, it’s just a matter of whether or not you go the extra mile and start to implement them in your business.

3. Be Efficient in Your Operations by Creating Systems

The idea here is to speed up the process of building a structure through being as effective as possible with our time. How do we do this? By creating systems.

To start, we need our preconstruction, design, bidding, and estimating processes to all be systematized through software online. This is the first step to jumpstarting your effectiveness on the job site and if you don’t really show up to play here then the next few steps won’t work.

After you put make the bulk of the management of your construction company go digital, we need to modernize the actual job site. Here you’re looking to apply the latest software, tools, and equipment in the field to help the workers do the best job they can in as little time as possible. In and out.

Finally, we feel that training programs and keeping up with popular industry blogs really helps you understand what trends are happening right now you’re not aware about, and how you can take advantage of it to make more money for your construction business.

4. Integrate Project Management Software in your Operations

If you’ve ever worked as a Superintendent or Project Manager, then chances are you know exactly how frustrating and stressful it can get on the job site.

Good communication helps you avoid unnecessary drama and problems with other people on the job site, and to achieve this to the fullest, you’re going to need to prioritize using project management software and email.

Using these 2 tools lets you quickly send plans or important documents to people without the delay that happens because of long phone calls, pointless meetings, or other older methods that reduce productivity.

5. BIM (Building Information Modeling)

Building Information Modeling has recently been picking up speed in the construction industry, and for good reason. It simplifies huge projects and makes the entire job run easier.

You can use software like Revit to visualize complicated projects and make it easier to manage as a whole.

BIM wouldn’t be as effective when dealing with smaller residential projects because they can just be managed by 1 or 2 people. But if you’re in the commercial sector, this is a very helpful software I can personally vouch for.

6. Get More Done on the Job Site

Being more effective on the job site all starts with hiring the right project superintendent. They must be both a people person, and a construction person, knowing as much about the industry as possible.

This deep knowledge of construction allows them to quickly find mistakes in plans for projects and resolve any issues before they even become one.

On the other side of the coin, the employees on the field need to be experienced and skilled in their trade. This may seem obvious but more often than not I see clients of mine hire the “cheapest” workers on the job market in hopes of making more money on the job, but this typically becomes the opposite of what happens.

Less qualified workers take longer on jobs and require more hours of payroll so someone making $10/hour taking 40 hours to finish something will end up costing more than someone making $20/hour taking 10 hours to do the same exact task.

7. Build the Best Team Possible

This is a no-brainer, so instead of telling you how important this is, I’m going to tell you where to start to build your construction dream team.

All success in the construction business rests on the quality of the project manager on your team. Similar to the project superintendent, this person needs to be an absolute expert on not only construction, but sales as well.

Having someone collaborating with architects, engineers, and construction workers on a daily basis is the foundation to everyone else on your team so if there’s any position you want to hit a home run with, make sure it’s with your project manager.

Conclusion

Increasing the effectiveness of your construction company allows you to see more profits and grow the entire business. By using technology to help you with the construction of your residential projects, you’ll be building faster at be much more profitable.