Commercial construction is a highly complicated procedure. It consists of several stages such as initial planning and budgeting, and the final walkthrough. Successful projects don’t happen by chance. They demand careful management and effective communication among all partners.
According to Yahoo Finance, the U.S. Construction Market is set to reach $1.27 trillion by 2025.
If you are aiming to build your commercial project and are unsure where to begin, this guide aims to simplify the process. We will share the key stages of this type of construction, offering you and your stakeholders clarity on the construction process. It will also help you determine the best contractor for your needs.
Phase 1: Planning and Budgeting
A solid plan and a realistic budget are what make a commercial construction project successful. You and your stakeholders must define the scope of the project, the objectives behind it, and the limitations. The contractors might ask you how large it will be and what your desired materials and finishes are.
Apart from discussing these things, the planning also involves the selection of the site, whether obtaining permits will be straightforward, or whether you’ll need to continue searching.
A thorough analysis should be done to evaluate the zoning laws, environmental factors, and availability of utilities.
Once the scope is clear, a budget has to be created. This must not be restricted to a single figure, but a detailed breakdown to show all the following estimated costs:
Hard Costs: Hard costs are the direct construction costs, such as labor, equipment, and material usage.
Soft costs: These are indirect costs like architectural and engineering fees, with obtaining permits and insurance.
A Backup Fund: You should have a contingency fund, around 5-10% of the total budget, to cover sudden expenses or charges.
From the beginning, setting a realistic budget saves you from last-minute financial shocks.
Phase 2: Design and Pre-Construction
Once the site location and budget have been decided, your project enters the designing and pre-construction stage. Your vision is translated into design plans, where architects, engineers, and other experts collaborate to create detailed drawings and necessary specifications:
Schematic Design
The architect takes the lead in creating the introductory sketches and drawings to explore the project’s form, function, and aesthetic direction. The schematic design stage is a high-level overview to know the general pattern and feel.
Development of Design
The schematic design has to get approved, and once it does, the contractor’s team polishes the drawing of the layout, adding extra details. They invite suggestions from structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers for better results. This phase cements the systems and the components of your project.
Create Documents For Construction
The creation of documents for construction is the final step of this design process. These papers include specifications for the building, providing the necessary and important details that your contractor will ask you to accurately build your commercial project and code.
While focusing on pre-construction, the contractor’s team also handles the permitting part. Getting it can be quite a lengthy and complicated procedure, as it requires you to submit the construction documents to local authorities. They review page by page to make sure your work meets the building codes and regulations.
Phase 3: Bidding and Select Contractor
Keep searching until you find a reliable and professional contractor. Here, you need to assess the shortlisted commercial contracts based on their image in the market, years of experience, and offered quotes.
You will send the related documents to a selected group of qualified contractors for bidding. Each of them steps in to submit a detailed proposal, highlighting their way of working, the time they would need, and the charges.
While evaluating, don’t just choose the one ready to do your work at the lowest price, but also consider the following factors:
Experience: Does your chosen contractor share a strong track record in handling similar projects?
References: Request references from past clients or check within your network. This will help you learn how many people are satisfied with their work.
Communication: Observe whether the contractor immediately responds to your queries and is easy to work with.
Schedule: Does their proposed time duration match with your project’s goals, or are they taking too much time to complete?
Once you get a contractor ticking all your requirements, you and they sign a construction deal, where the scope of work, project timeline, payment terms, and responsibilities due on each party are mentioned. This formalizes the agreement.
Phase 4: Construction and Project Management
In this phase, the actual work begins. Therefore, the contractors manage the project in a way that everything goes according to the schedule and on the decided budget.
Major activities during this phase include:
Setting the Site: The contractor begins setting the site, meaning bringing in the equipment, temporary usage facilities, and materials.
Laying Foundation and Structure: The foundation is laid, and the structure of your commercial project’s framework is in place.
Enclosure: Your building gets an enclosure through exterior walls, windows, and a roof to protect it from damage from external elements.
Interior Rough-ins: Then, their teams work on installing your plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems inside the walls and ceilings.
Finishes: You get to see the installation of drywall, new flooring, painting, fixtures, and other finishes.
Throughout the building procedure, the project manager regularly holds meetings to track progress, address issues if there are any, and coordinate with subcontractors to stay on the same page. Besides, quality control inspections are also performed at every level, making sure nothing is out of order.
Phase 5: Final Walkthrough
The last stage is also referred to as the final walkthrough. In this phase, the owner, architect, and contractor go through your commercial site to see if anything still needs addressing. The remaining items, like subtle paint touch-ups, a crooked outlet, or a door that doesn’t properly open or close, are documented in a punch list.
On completing the punch list, the contractor gets their final payment, and the project is declared complete. Apart from this, your contractor will also provide you with a set of original drawings of updated plans and the warranties of the installed equipment.
Conclusion
Your commercial construction goes through multiple phases. Begging from budgeting, planning, selecting the site, to choosing the right contractors. So, make sure your project follows the rules and regulations, and contact Garzone Construction for your convenience.