Building? Work Backwards to Get What You Want
Working backwards might at
first sound like a very strange
thing to do when you’re
building; but if the end of the
project is your starting point
in the planning process, you
will give yourself the best
chance of getting what you
want, when you want it.
It is around about this time
of year when the pressure
comes on for families who
want to be in their new home
in time for Santa to visit. It
seems like the weeks are
passing more quickly as
builders and tradespeople
have an ever growing ‘to
do’ list as they try to get
everything completed before
we’ve heard too many repeats
of Snoopy’s Christmas on the
radio.
Start off by mentally living
in your brand new home.
Everything is in place, the
kitchen cupboards are fully
stocked and the banana
boxes have been dropped
off at the recyclers. If you
have a specific event or
date that will influence
your building project, circle
it on the calendar. Now
you have a goal that you
can conservatively work
backwards from to relieve
the home’s construction of
unnecessary time pressures.
There is a set of questions
that will help you and your
builder determine where you
need to be at any stage of the
planning for your home.
How much time do you need
to move in and get settled to
meet your deadline?
About how long will the
construction take including
the code compliance process
after practical completion?
What affect will winter
weather potentially have on
the construction timetable if
