Step 9: Review the Schedule
A remodeling project’s construction schedule plays a crucial role in its success. It improves efficiency by lowering costs and improving the renovation’s overall quality. Moreover, it should be detail-oriented, explaining the time required for different activities. A constantly revisited schedule helps track progress and update it as needed, making sure the project stays on track. Lastly, it will set you up for an easier inspection and approvals process.
Having an organized construction schedule is crucial. It can reduce costs, improve the quality of the renovation, and simply predict how long each activity will take. Typically, a construction schedule uses a Gantt chart approach, which defines the timeline. To make things easier, it’s helpful to store all information in a single spreadsheet, including the construction schedule. Various sites offer Gantt chart construction schedule in Excel, like this one: https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/construction-schedule.html
When viewing the construction schedule, it is important to consider the timing of the project. Factors such as weather conditions can affect the progress, with rainy or snowy periods making it difficult to deliver materials. It is important to plan ahead for these potential snags to ensure that the project stays on track.
Remodeling projects can be complex, but a construction schedule can clarify the process by listing critical steps and making certain that all team members understand what needs to happen and when. The schedule should define start and end dates for each trade, provide material delivery timelines, bring attention to key inspection points and explain how each role adds to the overall success.
Step 10: Remodel Construction
With a solid remodel plan in place, necessary team members, vendors, contractors, materials, and permits secured, it’s time to break ground and begin construction. First, prep the site by covering and protecting high-traffic areas and spaces. Next, remove everything that won’t be kept for the remodel during the demolition stage. Finally, the space goes construction to bring the new design plan to life.
The renovation construction process includes the following general stages:
Inspections
During a construction project, inspections are a necessary part of the process. Your local building department may send inspectors to approve specific stages and sign off on them. They ensure compliance with building codes. This needs to happen after electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems have been installed and before they are covered up.
Demolition
Demolition is the initial step in renovating a space, involving the removal of interior or exterior structures, such as walls, ceilings, floors, or other structural parts.
Framing
Next, framing will go up to determine the new structures and walls that will create the rooms and space within the structure. You can think of framing as the “bones” of the home.
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEPs)
After framing, the next step is to install the MEPs, which involves putting the veins of the home in place. This process can be long and tedious.
Plastering
In the fourth stage, the construction process involves adding insulation to the walls, followed by installing drywall and plaster.
Final Finishes
The final phase is installing of final finishes, such as cabinets, fixtures, painting, and wallpaper. of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and fixtures, finish carpentry, floor refinishing, painting and wallpaper.
Step 11: Final inspections and approvals
Once all construction and mechanical inspections are complete, the final stage is a building inspection. Before that, you and your contractor should conduct a detailed inspection yourselves, setting aside a few hours to carefully examine each aspect of the home. If the renovation is happening during cold weather, some building departments will allow parts of the outdoor work to be unfinished during inspection – but always be sure to check with your building department about the requirements for final inspections.