Construction Manager Pro

Start your project off right with a  Checklist for Mobilization  Field Engineering 1. Ensure that survey information is available and accurate. Verify that there are sufficient benchmarks, monuments, and stakes to identify key points.  2. Verify the requirements for field engineering for the layout of the construction project.    Verify your property corners are set.   3. Verify that all permits and approvals have been obtained from all jurisdictional agencies. 4. Obtain a geotechnical investigation including subsurface ground moisture, bearing capacity of the soils, geological features, chemical compositions, and other items about the sub-surface conditions.  Erosion Control & SWPPP 5. Review the permitting process with your state on the Stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP). And e nsure plans for erosion and soil control.  At a minimum, you should expect. 1. Silt Fence      A silt fence will be constructed on ...

  The different types of Changes Orders in Construction   How does a Change Order originate? There are several ways a change order can exist on a construction project. Unforeseen conditions , On a new ground-up project the earthwork, the Contractor may encounter unsuitable soil during his excavation that was not identified in the geotechnical report. The contract documents indicate stripping the site, scarifying the base, and then lime-stabilizing the base. However, during the rolling and compaction of the site, you may notice that a particular area pumps up and down as the heavy equipment rolls over it. It is at this point that the Construction team and the site excavator notify the civil engineer and the Archit ect of this unsuitable soil. Upon mutually agreeing that the soil must be replaced with suitable soil, the Architect, Civil Engineer, or Construction Manager may issue a change order to the excavating contractor. If you have a General Contractor, then thi...

The Design-Build Method is an alternative in the building of your project.  In the Design-Build method, you will start an immediate collaboration with your Design-Build consultant (DBC) The Pre-Construction activities are the first part of the Design-Build Method. The pre-construction phase starts with a Preliminary drawing or sketch that can be generated by the Design-Build consultant or the Owner. Develop Estimates and Budgets From there, you want to establish the Budget of the project from the design stage through the construction stage. The DBC team will start with square foot estimates. As more detailed drawings are completed by the  D BC, they will develop a more detailed construction estimate.   Incorporate Value Engineering into your  project. At this point, the DBC will develop some Value engineering suggestions and Options for the building. The Value Engineering suggestions would look at alternate materials, methods, and components in the design that can ad...

  What are the close-out documents for your construction project?  I completed a custom house, and the following examples are the requirements for Close-out documents.                          1,800 SF House & 3 Car  Final Acceptance Date 1. Verify from your builder the Final Acceptance date for your project. Set the date after all completion and punch list items have been completed.                   Completion & Punch List  Operations and Maintenance Manual 2. Verify that the Operations and Maintenance Manuals are transmitted to you the Owner and or the Architect for review and approval. This book will contain all the operation and maintenance instructions for each project component.        .  Standard and Extended Warranties 3. Verify the one-year standard warranty from your builder.  Also, verify the e...

A detailed and accurate schedule should be developed for your projects by using the CPM method. The Critical path method (CPM) scheduling is a process for building a Construction project schedule and analyzing it to determine the most critical tasks affecting the scheduled completion date. Let’s look at this example of a custom house that I completed. As you see from the drawing and 3D rendering, the house is 1,800 Square feet, one story, and a three-car  garage.  I start to develop a rough draft of the Schedule. I obtain the activities for the schedule from my construction takeoff and estimate. (Figure 3) The Takeoff is a list of activities that are necessary to complete the project. I feel that it is important that the Project Manager/Estimator of the project be involved in constructing the Schedule. If that is not the case with your company, work closely with the estimator in developing your Schedule. He or she understands the project in a very detailed w...