TIMESCALES FOR A BASEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 

It’s understandable that once you decide to have a basement built, you’re keen to get that process underway as quickly as possible! Our clients are nearly always eager to start progress on site immediately, and of course, in circumstances where that is an absolute necessity, then we have the capability to do just that.

By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail”

— Benjamin Franklin

PLANNING YOUR BASEMENT DEVELOPMENT

However, with the luxury of time to plan a project we can better coordinate the delivery, with the result that the period of time spent on site can be reduced to a minimum & consequently the disturbance upon our Clients is reduced.  But time is a luxury some Clients do not have & we try to accommodate our Client’s every need where possible.

Notwithstanding the immediacy of circumstance, in any building project there are hundreds of tasks and dozens of dependencies.  These dependencies are reliant upon other tasks being completed before they can begin, forming what is known as the critical path.  They dictate the optimum achievable completion date and therefore determine the required start date.

EXAMPLE TIMESCALES

As previously outlined there are a number of steps that require to be undertaken.  To offer an insight into the required timescale for a medium sized refurbishment, we allocate the following periods to those tasks:

A.  PLANNING & DESIGN            WEEKS

• Survey –                                         1
• Feasibility Study –                    1
• Concept Design –                       2
• Planning Submission –         3  (if required)
• Planning Permission –        10  (if required)
• Design Development –          1
• Technical Design –                    2

B.  CONSTRUCTION                        WEEKS

•  Mobilization –                               1 
• Civil Works –                                  12 
• Refurbishment –                        10
• Finishing works –                        3 
• Commissioning  –                        1 
• Handover –                                     1 

In the event that planning permission is not required, the process may be further expedited through concurrent works, so that a project which could take as long as 11 months (with planning permission) to complete, could in fact be delivered in under 9 months.

PROJECT DELIVERY

Prior to any mobilisation to site we will first develop an integrated Project  Delivery Programme, which breaks down the project into a series of events and identifies the critical path.  This allows us to accurately plan our site works, organise tradesmen, compile a procurement schedule and, most importantly, put in place the necessary controls to ensure the project is delivered on time.

As part of our commitment to transparency and collaborative working, the Project Delivery Programme will be constantly updated and reported against.

More time planning, less time building.  Simple.