What is happening on my site?

“Who are you and what are you doing on my property? Tunde had made a chance visit to his building project in Maryland on a Sunday and was surprised to see a worker he did not know on site doing some plumbing work. A quick call to his contractor established that the plumber, who was a sub-contractor, was making up for lost time so that his part of the work would not affect the casting deadline fixed for the

next day. Over the next few minutes, the main contractor briefed Tunde on goings on at the site and what was to take place over the next few days “Will I move in as planned?” was Tunde’s final question. The answer did not seem to please him as he ended the conversation with a non-committal grunt. Tunde’s friend, who had come along, was surprised that his friend did not have a grasp of the activities taking place on site and what was to happen next.
If you have decided to go the self build way and have engaged the services of a contractor, it is possible for you to get to site and not quite understand the goings on. At times the site may be very quiet and the next day, for instance when there is casting of concrete, a large number of workers turn up and there is a lot activity and the day after, total silence with only the site guard on duty. And if you have no experience in construction, you may not know if the works are on time behind or ahead of schedule.
To keep on top of your project, you should ask the main contractor to give you a construction schedule and to make you understand it, request that it is given in bar chart format as in the diagram. As the owner, you do not need details of every aspect of the construction but this bar chart will help you see the bigger picture in an instant. On the left side of the chart is a list of the major construction activities and on top is the time frame (divided in weeks) for carrying out those activities. The chart not only shows when an activity is to be started and completed but also how the activities are inter-related . For instance, the plumber has to put in the drains and some pipes before the German floor of the foundation is cast and if this is not done, the casting date would be affected. In our bar chart, you can see that the plumber visits the site in Week 4 in between Weeks 3 and 5 which is the scheduled period for the foundation and this is for the express purpose of inserting the drains and relevant pipes. If he does not visit, the foundation time frame will be affected. The bar chart also helps you confirm that the necessary off site work, like purchase of materials has been done so that work can go ahead as scheduled. Again from our chart, we can see that electrical works are carried out in weeks 12 and 13 and this is for laying of the conduit pipes and wiring, while the electrician is back again in week 23, this time it will be for fixing lights, light switches etc. if you are not to delay him, you must have made your selection of lights and switches before week 23 and made sure they are on site by that date. For materials that have lead-times to be delivered, the schedule should alert you to ensure that they have been ordered within a period that will allow for possible delays.
So do not go to site as a complete novice. Have your Construction Schedule bar chart as a guide.




Gantt chart showing activities for a detached house. You're welcome.