Why the constant delays in construction?

Working behind schedule is one of the most common problems people face while building their houses.

After signing a contract with a certain engineer they notice that their work is stalling without a serious reason but Mr Nasser Sserunjoji, an engineer with Peak Engineering Solutions Limited, explains why this happens.

Having inadequate workforce

Mr Sserunjoji says that hiring few foremen can also delay your schedule, some engineers tend to hire few people yet the workload is very big and they end up falling behind schedule.

“Engineers have a tendency of hiring few foremen because they want to reduce on the costs, yet they know that the workload needs more workers and they end up delaying,”  he says.

Mr Sserunjoji adds that when you hire these few workers they can do their best but they cannot take on the remaining work because they are human beings and if you force them, they break down because of the overload.

“Unless you opt to use several machines and hire few workers, that’s the only way you can manage the workload but with only few workers, automatically you will be working behind schedule,” he says.

Inaccuracy during planning

Mr Sserunjoji says that some people miscalculate the budget expecting to spend little yet the workload is huge and needs more funds to be completed.

“Some people do their estimation  not based on expert knowledge and sometimes they consult substandard specialists who give them wrong estimates and when they advertise for the work,they expect you to go with their budget,” he says.

Mr Sserunjoji adds that experts doing genuine work have standard costs on certain things,  below which they do not accept to work.

“Apart from working behind the schedule, using inadequate materials can also lead to building collapse, therefore it’s advisable to go with the experts’ advice,” he says

Also, when funds are not available, work tends to stall and result in delays, therefore it’s better to have an expert while working on your budget so that you plan well before starting construction.   

Delay of approvals 

Mr Sserunjoji says that delay to approve the plan can also put you behind the schedule.

“Engineers have a lot of work to do and sometimes when they send the drafts to the clients they take long to approve because they want to consult several people and this affects our working schedule,” he says.

Mr Sserunjoji adds that by the time the client responds to the plan, you already have other engagements and this is also a reason why construction delays.

“Sometimes you find yourself with a heavy workload because things which can take one week end up taking a month,” he says

The delays are also partly due to poor communication. Some clients take long to communicate in case there is a change, you can send messages or call but the response takes long to come.

“While constructing, we need efficient communication because sometimes it might be an urgent matter which needs immediate response,” he says 

Having several contracts 

Mr Sserunjoji says that sometimes engineers tend to have several contracts at the same time, all of which require their presence.

“When the engineer is not around at the site, it means the builders will work at their own pace because no one is guiding them on what to do,” he says.

He adds that sometimes when the engineer is not around, the builders tend to do shoddy work because some are less qualified and others are not accurate enough.

Weather

According to Sserunjoji, weather is one of the natural problems which affects their work and it has no solutions.

“When you’re building during the rainy season, it means that the pace is going to be slow because you cannot work when it’s raining and this therefore delays the work,” he says.

He adds that majority of people who insist on building during the rainy season end up doing shoddy work and incur more costs because shoddy work does not last for long.