There are a few things that are certain in life besides death and taxes: Traffic on I-4 on your way to Disney World. A couple of people crashing their cars on I-275 during rush hour EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. (Seriously, y’all? Every day? Is there a prize for this?)
The same goes for construction projects: No matter how excited you are about getting a construction or renovation started, there will be more mundane and potentially frustrating factors you have to keep in mind. Among them are the following:
- Permitting. Oh, the joys of permits. How many of your friends from elementary school said: “When I grow up, I want to work at a city’s permitting office!” Exactly. No one said that because it’s tedious; but somebody’s got to do it. If you’re located in Tampa Bay, tampagov.net is a God sent. It’s part of the city’s Planning and Development Department, and it is where you go to apply for permits, schedule inspections, pay all applicable fees, and check up on the status of your application. Don’t get annoyed about having to do this. Thanks to this process, Florida can guarantee that all projects meet safety measures in building codes. The peace of mind that comes with this is priceless.
- Plan on going over budget: Listen, mistakes happen. Or you may change your mind about the original plans. You can either allow your blood pressure to rise, or you can simply rely on a contingency budget. How much should you have in it? This will depend on the type of project. Discuss all foreseeable risks with your general contractor, and the chances of them happening. The higher the risk, the higher this budget should be. For a clearer answer, you’ll want to work with a company with extensive experience in the construction industry (such as the coolest one in town, Eclipse Building Corp.).
- Schedule delays. I’m not saying these will be guaranteed to happen, but you should still give yourself a little bit of leeway when planning around your project. For example, here in Florida, we know there’s a hurricane season five months out of the year. One of those nifty little storms may put pause on your plans. Also, if midway through, you decide to modify the design, that’s going to create a domino effect with the schedule, and things will get pushed back. And sometimes, the crew isn’t that efficient (unless you hire Eclipse Building Corp. We really know how to do things well). So plan for the best, but have a modicum of flexibility with your schedule.
Sometimes, you just have to roll with the punches; and the best way to prepare is to know beforehand what some of those hiccups along the way may be. For a more comprehensive analysis of what could happen with your project, contact us and let’s discuss what you have in mind. We’d love to help you.