Alfa Builders
Riding the Construction Balance Beam without Falling Off
Cost versus Quality
This is the constant battle of every construction project. Each owner wants a top notch finished product. But in today’s economy, project budgets are tighter than ever.
The common question is how do you keep that in balance? It is not an easy task.
Learn Your Owner’s Expectation of Quality
One necessity is to understand your project owner. During the pre-construction phase of the project, spend time learning about what makes your owner “tick”.
If it is possible to visit a project the owner has completed, DO IT! It is much easier to grasp what the owner’s focus points are if you can see what has satisfied him in the past.
Judge the Project Budget Based on the Owner’s Expectations
Once you get a sense for what level of quality the owner expects, evaluate the project budget based on your understanding of the owner’s tastes.
If your owner tends to focus on interior trim details, make sure your budget has a respectable amount of money to hire the right trim carpenter and painter to ensure a good finished product.
If the owner doesn’t even break stride when evaluating the toilets and sinks in the building, then don’t splurge on Kohler when American Standard will do.
Communicate and Compromise
If you can make yourself think from the owner’s perspective, it will go a long way to keeping your project in balance. But sometimes a high quality standard coupled with a skimpy budget won’t allow you to achieve a good balance no matter what you do.
In those situations, communication is key. Make sure the owner understands the dilemma you are in as his contractor and then try to work together to develop an equitable solution.
I think you will find most owners are willing to make necessary adjustments to get what they want.
In Conclusion
Although no plan is completely foolproof, if you can take some time to understand your owner, properly evaluate your budget, communicate and compromise, you will be well on your way to avoiding an inevitable fall off the construction balance beam.
Please share any thoughts or experiences you have related to balancing quality and budget or feel free to contact me.
