Three Common Myths About Construction

Three Common Myths About Construction

Mar 22, 2017 | Construction Myths, Starting a Construction Project

Myth #1: I can do my own general contracting.

Navigating the commercial construction industry requires years of involvement and significant technical understanding.

Does this mean that general contractors have an exhaustive understanding of every trade? No, definitely not to the same degree that subcontractors do. However, there is a reason general contractors are required to be licensed in Oklahoma.

Operational general contractors must demonstrate a basic proficiency in the construction process so they know how to build your project safely and effectively. They must know how and when to obtain the necessary permits, schedule material and long lead items, and – most importantly – manage the pipeline of communication between project managers, subcontractors, architects, and the client. This maze of project management requires an entire team of full-time, dedicated construction professionals.

Not convinced? That’s okay. We wrote down a few more reasons to consider a General Contractor here and here. 

 

Myth #2: You can pick any general contractor.

Your project is unique, so the company that builds it should be, too.

Is it a design-build project? Some commercial construction companies have developed years of synergy with architectural firms. They know how and when to implement value engineering.

Are you constructing a multi-phase, 100,000 sqft building? Other firms have developed their portfolio in construction management and know how to execute complex phases using cost-effective and time-sensitive methods.

A firm that specializes in office renovations and repairs may not be the most qualified to handle your ground-up restaurant. That’s why it’s important to vet the experience and expertise of any general contractor.

Ask for referrals. Most general contractors who perform quality work are well-known by repeat-clients and subcontractors.

Conversely, contractors who promise low prices and perform low-quality work also develop a reputation for hemorrhaging client’s budgets with hefty change orders.

The commercial construction industry is a resourceful community. Ask for recommendations and find out what contractors deliver quality services.

Analyze their resources. The individuals who comprise the general contracting team determine the overall capability of the firm. That’s why it’s important to ask: What are the qualifications of the project managers and superintendents? How many can they dedicate onsite to your project?

For example, DBG Construction uses Procore Construction Management software to effectively record and track onsite supervision, safety, and progress. We dedicate a superintendent to a single project, and provide a comprehensive support system for processing contracts and documentation. Make sure your construction project is going to receive the detailed attention it deserves.

 

Myth #3: The hard cost is negotiable.

An experienced contractor is familiar enough with the trades to ensure that each piece of the project is priced properly. In fact, a quality contractor will put together a team of knowledgeable subcontractors with a record of excellent performance. This means that a general contractor has diligently estimated the hard cost of your construction project, and then added the necessary percentage to cover their overhead costs. These hard costs are the result of existing market dynamics – labor, material, or the availability of both – not the contractor’s desire for profit.

(Fun fact: Overhead costs are how we take care of our people – including providing water and accommodations for onsite workers. You can read more about overhead costs here: “Contractor Markup – What are you really paying?” SucceedWithContractors.com.)

What is left to negotiate? A successful general contractor in the commercial construction industry knows that they can only afford to drop the price if they can adjust the scope of work.

They often provide value engineering services to analyze the specifications and replace various materials and finishes with cost-effective alternatives. Without examining other options for material or labor, the hard cost of your project remains the same, but an experienced general contractor has the resources and the network to help keep your project in budget without sacrificing quality.

Looking for a general contractor for your next commercial construction project? We’d love to hear about it. Contact the DBG team!

Preparing for Inclement Weather

Preparing for Inclement Weather

Jan 25, 2017 | DBG Construction, Starting a Construction Project

While the height of construction season is around the corner, there are still the remaining months of Winter and the upcoming rainstorms and tornadoes of Spring.

Mother nature gives us beautiful, sunny days, but she’s also unpredictable. When it comes to executing a construction project, weather is one of the most notorious factors that causes unpredictability and inhibits progress on the construction site.

For those of you beginning projects during these seasons, our team of pre-construction and project management professionals compiled a few pointers to avoid unwanted delays and unplanned cost increases:

  • Assess the weather conditions in the project location.
    Before beginning any construction project, our team researches and identifies possible weather delays. They explore the climate of your project’s location and find the most common weather patterns in the area. More importantly, you will learn how impending inclement weather may run affect the projected timeline.
  • Make recommendations and adjustments given weather trends.
    Depending on your company’s timeline and needs, we may suggest making changes to the project’s start date in order to minimize weather-related risks. Time is often an uncalculated cost in construction. At DBG, we understand that avoiding delays means your business opens and becomes operational, earning returns on your investment as soon as possible.
  • Plan on-site fixes for anticipated weather challenges.
    If you’re planning to begin construction during rainy season, for example, our team will recommend incorporating specific types of equipment – such as plastic sheets and storm drains – and develop flooding contingencies for your construction site. The overall costs of extra equipment and exigency panning are less than being caught unprepared by an onslaught of weather conditions.
  • Create a realistic budget and timeline considering common weather patterns.
    Our team develops a projected schedule accounting for probable weather-related delays, and how long these delays could last in your area and time of year. With our 10 years’ of experience as a general contractor, we predict how much these weather patterns may affect your projects progress; we create a timeline that takes realistic weather projections into consideration and develop a budget that is prepared for whatever the weather brings.

Although we can’t control mother nature, we have an impeccable record when it comes to dealing with the unexpected and delivering projects with quality in timely fashion.

Contact us today to learn more about how our professional pre-construction services can help your commercial project.

Starting a Construction Project: Permit Considerations

Starting a Construction Project: Permit Considerations

Jan 18, 2017 | Reasons to Use a General Contractor, Starting a Construction Project

When beginning a commercial construction project, it is uncommon to be able to break ground and get started immediately.

The vast majority of commercial projects require you, or your general contractor, to apply for a permit from local municipalities.

Depending on the project’s scope and location, the complexity and requirements of the permit will vary.

 

Things to keep in mind when applying for a permit:

  1. Permits take time before receiving approval.
    City permit offices can get backed up, particularly at the peak of construction season. When developing a construction plan, keep in mind that even a simple permit can take several weeks to get rubber stamped. A qualified and respected general contractor that has well-developed relationships with local municipalities can often speed up the approval process by knowing who to contact and how to monitor the permit’s status.
  2. Inspections or meetings may be necessary.
    As a part of their due diligence, some city committees will need to inspect your building, property, or construction plans before approving them and providing the permit. You may even be required to share your plans with a city planning committee at a live hearing. To ensure a seamless approval process, have your plans reviewed and inspected by a general contractor before presenting to a committee.
  3. Your construction project might need revisions.
    Your permit may not receive approval upon the first review – especially if the committee or city has concerns that the property or existing infrastructure may not be able to sustain the project size or type. Your permit may be delayed by other concerns including neighborhood disruptions. Sometimes you’ll also need to re-submit for simple reasons like not filling out the paperwork quite correctly. Be prepared to work with the city to alter plans, or possibly consider a new site.

There are consequences to not acquiring the correct permits that not only affect your timeline but also your finances.

If discovered without a permit, or with the wrong one, your company may be fined or asked to halt the project until obtaining the correct permit through the correct approval process. These types of delays increase costs for any business, preventing them from opening up their doors and accessing customers.

As a local general contractor, DBG has spent 10 years working alongside municipalities and planning committees to achieve timely permitting.

We have the resources and the reputation to apply for permits in a way that maximizes your project’s odds at rapid approval.

If you are considering a project that may require permitting, contact us for help today!

How to Start a Construction Project: A Realistic Timeline

How to Start a Construction Project: A Realistic Timeline

Aug 10, 2016 | Starting a Construction Project

How Do you Start a Construction Project?

Your business is booming, and you’re looking for a way to physically keep up with your growth. It’s time for a new building, and you know it, but where should you start?

Many business owners and operators know that the need for expansion to a new location or improvements on an existing building are necessary, but few truly understand the time it takes to revamp a whole structure or build a new one from the ground up.

Since your business is different from all the rest, a generic time frame will not be able to accurately predict the time it will take to finish the project. Typically, estimated completion dates can range from 3 months to a year and a half, depending on the type of work and the size of the job.

For any construction project there are several factors to consider:

  • Will you lease an existing structure, or will you be building a new one?
  • Do you have a new general location in mind?
  • If the structure exists, is it in good repair?
  • If you’re building a new structure, does the location you’ve chosen meet the criteria for the type of building you desire?
  • Have you factored in the time it will take for an architect to come up with plans for the building before construction can begin?

Lease vs. Buy

Both the choice to lease an existing structure and to build a new one have their merits and drawbacks. Leasing eliminates to need to build from nothing, but will most likely require modification of the building, especially if extensive repairs are necessary. It’s possible to transform a drive-through fast food restaurant into a satellite bank branch, but is the transformation as desirable as erecting a new building specifically designed to suit the bank’s needs? Building from scratch allows for custom design, but may require significantly more time to complete than remodeling. In this decision, a business should carefully consider all the options available.

For additional help, download our free Lease v. Buy forecasting tool!

Selecting a New Location

Deciding on a new location requires a great deal of time and forethought. Researching demographics, market trends, and traffic past the area are all wise moves when determining where to go. Sandwiching a business space between two busy, one-way streets heading opposite directions and a railway crossing that impedes traffic often doesn’t necessarily make as much sense as relocating somewhere less highly traveled. Building an enormous structure to accommodate more stock can be a great asset, but only if it doesn’t reduce parking space or accessibility to your clientele. Willingness to compromise in one direction or another sometimes becomes the greater asset in those types of situations.

Finding an Architect

Finding and employing an architect who has the skill to translate what you want for your business structure from your vision to the plans can be a daunting task. Researching architectural firms to find the perfect fit takes time, and that’s time spent before anything is laid out on paper. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have recently seen the finished work of a tremendous architect, but chances are you will spend some serious time asking around, searching online, and making phone calls to find the right craftsman for your job. Once that’s accomplished, drawing of the blueprints can begin.

Obviously, the planning required to embark on a major construction project dictates that it won’t happen overnight, but talking to a professional general contracting firm is a great place to start.

Contact us today to learn more about what it takes to realize your construction ideals.

Or call us at 405.601.2700 x 104

How to Start a Construction Project with Fewer Stresses

How to Start a Construction Project with Fewer Stresses

Aug 2, 2016 | Starting a Construction Project

As a construction company, it is our mission to make sure our customers are familiar with the benchmarks necessary for evaluating and selecting a general contractor.

At DBG Construction, we have ten years of operational experience in the construction industry and nearly 200 years of combined professional experience. Now, we’re offering our expertise to proactively address the stresses and concerns associated with any construction project. Here are a few points we would like to highlight, specifically geared to help you make an informed decision about your future facility and the contractor responsible for building it.

Pre-Construction Services

Pre-construction services are critical for identifying potential obstacles before your construction project even begins. The sooner you implement pre-construction services, the more effectively our team can work to analyze potential weaknesses and develop contingencies to remain on-schedule and on-budget.

We work hard to maximize your investment, and that means we adopt an integrated approach with the design team to ensure project constructability and eliminate budget surprises.

Design-Build

Design-Build is the most streamlined approach to your construction project. As your designer-builder, DBG becomes the single point of contact for every phase of your project – from design conception to construction completion. We have mastered and improved this linear method over and over again, excelling in design/build projects for law firms, restaurants, retailers, and industrial facilities.

We bring every detail of your project to life, by turning your concept into a building.

Construction Management

Construction management services provide you with invaluable resources from our knowledgeable professionals. As construction managers for your project, we tackle feasibility studies, reduce risk by committing to your budget, and track project performance. It is our responsibility to navigate the obstacles to provide you with budget and schedule certainty throughout the entire process.

DBG works meticulously with our subcontractors to provide a clean, safe job site; these details are critical factors that help ensure timely completion of your project.

Facility Maintenance

Facility maintenance services keep your project in excellent working condition. DBG’s facility maintenance department pulls from our extensive resources throughout Oklahoma to provide timely and cost-efficient repairs.

Our expert team even handles construction with smaller scopes of work, streamlining the repair process for a project that requires expertise from multiple trades. DBG’s maintenance portfolio includes a wide range of projects including parking lot repair, roofing, plumbing and electrical services, and the installation and implementation of video security systems.

We offer quick delivery and on-site emergency assistance, establishing clear communication to keep clients informed of project costs and status.

If you have a project in mind, DBG Construction will help bring every detail to life – on time, under budget, and according to your expectations. A job rightly done speaks for itself.

Contact DBG Construction today to discuss your project and get it started!