A building project primer for senior living decision-makers
Part 2: How will your project schedule impact your residents?
In the second of his three-part series of helpful tips on the design/build process, Mark Yerkes, senior  living project manager for Horst Construction, talks about the importance of scheduling and inspections to the success of your new construction or renovation project — and to resident life.
Communicate the importance of the schedule.
What's more important to your project: To finish things quickly and possibly affect resident life, or to take longer and minimize lifestyle disruptions? Your contractor can assign more manpower and work longer hours, but you'll need to be cautious of any impact on your residents' daily routines. Bottom line: Make sure your contractor has a clear plan for working hours and resident accommodations — and common sense ways to communicate it to all stakeholders.
Make sure the construction schedule allows time for inspections.
In the resident-care environment, multiple inspections are required — with one inspection often dependent on the outcome of a previous one. To complicate matters, inspectors are occasionally over-scheduled. If you see that only one day has been set aside in a schedule for inspections, consider that a red flag that the process hasn't been fully planned out. That's especially true if more than one inspecting agency will be involved. Bottom line: Frustration can build quickly if the project schedule is not crystal clear from the outset. Communicate early and often to avoid the unexpected and its impact on your community.
Watch your inbox in the coming weeks for Part 3 in our advice series.
Missed Part One of Mark's project tips? Read it here.
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