Saving time is just as important as saving money on a construction site. You want to make sure that everything is on schedule which is easier said than done. There’s never been a construction job that goes perfectly as planned with no delays. Delays happen, but the more you can stay on schedule, the more time and money you will save. Start by following these tips:
- Plan ahead: While you begin every day with a plan, the truth is that it’s really just an idea of what is going to happen that day. The reason is because there are delays that can keep you from getting everything done when you want it. That happens, but the more you can plan ahead, the more efficient you will be.
- Order materials early: Some materials can be there within a day, some may need weeks or months to get. When you talk to your vendors try to go over a list of materials you will need and get an idea from them on how long each one will take to get. Also, if you have a truck that’s responsible for gathering materials, make sure they are making runs early in the morning and getting whatever is needed. If you run short of nails by lunch time, you do not want to have to wait on your truck driver to head to the hardware store and get another box.
- Find subcontractors before you need them: If you are going to need to rent a crane for this upcoming project, you should select a crane rental company months before you need them. This ensures that you find someone you like, someone who’s going to deliver high-quality work and also ensure that they are available at the time you need them. Most companies will actually work with you during the bidding process, so you can even begin your search then.
- Learn how to utilize your phone: Your phone is a tool that can help you to save time and money, especially during a project. You can coordinate with your entire team, schedule materials and subcontractors, send documents out and more. Learning how to utilize your phone can really make an impact as you run your business.
- Give your crew a schedule: At the beginning of every day you want to take some time to go over the plans with your crew, what each worker will be doing but also give them a deadline. For example, if someone is responsible for clearing a room out, give them a deadline to ensure it doesn’t take all day. This may seem like a pointless task, but you will be amazed at how quickly people get stuff done if they have a hard deadline to meet.
If you can reduce the amount of time you waste on a project you will see higher profit margins and a happier client. Follow these tips and you will notice that the work gets done faster without reducing the quality of the work being done.