A building project primer for senior living decision-makers
Part 3: Talk is cheap — do it often to ensure your project's success
In the final installment of his three-part series of valuable tips on the design/build process, Mark Yerkes, senior living project manager for Horst Construction, reaffirms the importance of communicating and meeting regularly with all parties involved in your project. It’s a simple, but often ignored step that ensures success down the road for your senior campus's new construction or renovation project. Talk is cheap, but its value to your project is priceless.
 Get your contractor involved early. By the time drawings are approaching construction level, it is too late for a contractor to recommend — let alone implement — many cost-saving changes. If your concern is to secure the best deal, work with your contractor to develop a process and contract that meets your budget concerns. Bottom line: If budget is the main priority, communicate that fact loud and clear up front.
Meet frequently. Sit down often with your internal team and the design/construction team and talk frankly about project concerns and pending deadlines. Meeting weekly on an intensive occupied-space renovation project will quickly generate answers to tough questions and resolve issues before they impact the project and its completion timetable. Bottom line: Clear, focused communication between all project participants means less stress on everyone.
Price too good to be true? Be aware if your team decides to bid the project and prices come in over a wide range. A price that is too good to be true (better than any other qualified firm by more than 15%) means a potential team member may not understand the project scope — whether the contractor, subcontractor or a supplier. Bottom line: Remember, it only takes one project team member experiencing financial difficulty to turn your "good deal" into a nightmare and make their problem your problem.
Missed Mark's other project tips? Read them here.
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