A typical home is made up of many pieces. These include foundation and framing, HVAC and electrical work. The diverse requirements of a new home construction require a wide range of skills. Many of the work required is highly skilled and specialty labor that cannot easily be done by generalists. Homebuilders who only build a few homes each year are unable to retain 20+ specialists to do all the work. This is why home builders heavily rely upon subcontractors to complete their new builds in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
As you can see, the more complex a job is, the more likely a home builder will subcontract it. According to a survey done by NAHB, the top five most frequently subcontracted types are security system installation and carpeting, HVAC, electrical wiring and plumbing. This averages over 95% subcontracted work for new homes. At least nineteen different subcontracted jobs were reported to be subcontracted in more than 90% of home constructions. The majority of new homes have at least 22 subcontracted positions. Subcontractors account for 77% of the average home’s total cost.
Meet the Team That Builds Your Home
The specialty trades are the obvious choice for subcontracting because of the licensing, schooling, skills, and experience required to perform them. However, more than 90% home builders subcontract other work like foundation, concrete, drywall, and masonry.
Requires Sound Project Management
It can be difficult to manage 22 subcontractors as a home builder. You have to deal with many people and companies, and their work often depends on each other. Framing and other dependencies are required before drywall can be installed. How can you coordinate schedules and manage all the subcontractors? The key to managing the home-building process is good project management.
Project Scheduling
It can be difficult to manage many subcontractors with work dependencies. Gantt chart scheduling is essential to get a clear view of subcontractors’ availability and dependencies. You can easily view and adjust schedules over time to keep your project moving forward, even in the face of unexpected events. Kitchen countertops will need to be moved if the kitchen cabinets are delayed.
Project Status and Follow-up
You will also have less control over the status of work when dealing with multiple subcontractors. You need to be able adjust your schedule based upon accurate completion dates. Subcontractor status updates are essential. Are they on time? When will they be completed? Is it necessary to inform another subcontractor about the delay and push out the completion date? They will likely be completed sooner than expected, which would allow another subcontractor to start work sooner. Your project will continue to be delayed as subcontractor delays mount up. Delays that cause delays to your project can be countered by being able to move forward with future work.
Use a project management tool
There are many tools that can be used to manage project projects. The nature of homebuilding is mobile, so the ideal project management tool would be a strong mobile app. This app allows you to manage your projects from anywhere, while also giving subcontractors access to status updates via written notes, files, check ins, and photos. Although updates can be manually entered by the project manager it is possible for subcontractors to provide updates. This allows for faster, more frequent updates.
Conclusion
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