The Main Stages of Pre-Construction Planning

A blogger friend of mine over at Gary Pools, once shared a story with me about his home project he was building in Costa Rica, and shares with me that it’s important that a solid foundation marks the beginning of a good construction. However, planning goes a long way when it comes to the construction project itself. The time taken to plan a construction project is called pre construction. Sound planning is imperative for the success of a construction project. Preconstruction planning involves numerous stages that ensures smooth running of the project. Here are the major stages of preconstruction planning. 

Stage 1: Initial Meeting 

At this stage, the contractor meets the client face-to-face to discuss the construction project. This includes the goals of the project and budget of the client. Essentially, the initial meeting is basically about knowing the vision of the client in relation to the construction project. The initial meeting will have follow-up meetings to ensure that both the contractor and the client are updated on the progress of the project. 

Stage 2: Defining the Project’s Objectives 

This is the stage where the overall project is outlined. This includes looking at the architectural designs and blueprints of the project. The client also shares the big picture of the project. If the client has questions, the contractor answers them at this stage. This evaluation provides the groundwork for the other preconstruction planning stages. 

Stage 3: The Scope, Budget and Schedule  

Here, the client and the contractor discuss the scope, budget and schedule of the project in details. The scope of the project describes what will be done. The schedule is the timeline of the project and the budget is an estimate for the costs of the project. These are discussed at this stage to make monitoring the project’s progress easier. 

Stage 4: Schematic Design

A schematic design is the visual presentation of the project. The client is allowed to give feedback after viewing the presentation. If necessary, they recommend changes but the schematic design forms the final product in most cases. 

Stage 5: Construction Site Analysis 

The contractor visits the site to determine whether anything should be done before actual construction. This analysis includes soil evaluation and checking things like parking, traffic flow, capacity and landscaping. 

Stage 6: Managing Procurement 

This entails scheduling the ordering as well as delivery of materials and equipment required for the project. Procurement management is very important because it reduces the time spent waiting for supplies to arrive at the construction site which can delay the construction process. 

Stage 7: Acquiring Approvals 

At this step, construction permits and other approvals are acquired before actual construction starts. After this stage, the project can now move to the actual construction stage. 

Proper preconstruction planning prevents scenarios that can delay the project. Talk to your contractor about preconstruction planning to ensure that your project runs smoothly.