Something that often happens on a construction site is that it can go over the budget. One of the reasons is because of a miscalculation with materials and tools used on site. Another reason is that it missed the deadline and now has to pay people extra in labour costs.
When organising a construction project, there are a few things you need to do to ensure you don’t overspend. It is essential you keep on top of your costs and not let them get out of hand with your project. The last thing you want is your bosses shouting at you because you overspent on a project that should have cost half of what it did cost.
If you are planning a project and want to ensure that you don’t overspend, there are several tips you can take from this which will save you a lot of money.
What Are The Common Reasons For Overspending On A Construction Site
One of the main reasons why businesses overspend on construction sites is that they don’t shop around. It is important with big projects like this that you ensure you shop around for the materials you will be using. Don’t just buy the first items you and instead, look at other businesses that sell those materials. You never know, another company may have a special offer that reduces the overall cost by 25%. These are the sort of things you need to look out for.
It isn’t just materials you need to shop around for here. If you are shopping around for specific machinery, view different businesses which specialise in plant hire. For example, if you are looking for a telehandler hire, don’t just book that machine out with the first business you see on Google. Browse other websites to see if you can save on this.
Poor site management can also lead you to overspend on your construction site. As we mentioned earlier, a common mistake that leads to overspending is project delays. However, poor management of the staff working on the site can lead to you missing deadlines. Have a Gantt chart of when things should be completed by so other workers know when they need to work on their part of the project.
How Do You Reduce Costs On A Construction Site?
There are many ways to ensure you can save on a construction site. Let’s take you through some of the methods for cutting down on costs for your project.
Bulk Buy Materials
The first tip we can give you is to bulk buy your materials. It is a great way to cut costs and ensure you are saving money on your project. Furthermore, you will be surprised by the number of businesses that sell materials which will offer discounts over a certain amount.
If you work on several projects and you have a good storage warehouse. There is no reason why you shouldn’t buy too many materials when you can use them for other projects. You shouldn’t go overboard because this can lead to overspending. Nonetheless, make sure you bulk buy to get that discount.
Consider Wholesale For Your Building Supplies
Our next tip is to advise you to buy from wholesale stores. There are many suppliers/ stores where they will markup the cost because they buy it from the wholesalers. Therefore, when you buy from a wholesaler, you are cutting out the additional fees that a supplier may add on themselves.
One of the best things about wholesalers is they ensure contractors buy as many products as possible, giving you fantastic bulk deals. Furthermore, you do not need to worry about the quality of the tools and materials you buy from these wholesalers. That is because it is usually the same product that you would buy from a retailer.
Keep On Top Of Site Efficiency
Site efficiency is important if you want a job to finish on time. Not only are we talking about your construction being efficient but also the machines you use as well. A good example would be to invest in a digger instead of hiring multiple workers to use a shovel. Not only will the digger complete the job quicker but, you won’t have to hire several workers to dig for you. Yes, the digger will be more expensive but it is far more efficient and can keep you on track to finishing your job on time.
Spend On Quality Tools
Something that many construction sites will cut back on is buying quality equipment and materials. It is these high-quality tools that are reliable and therefore, will help you finish your job on time. Even with materials you need to ensure you are buying the best in the business. For example, buying cheap plastic pipes instead of copper pipes might not be as beneficial for the task at hand. Understanding quality will last much longer will benefit you and save you a lot of money on your project.
Understand When To Hire Equipment
Something else you must understand is when to hire equipment. Sometimes, site managers will go crazy with spending thousands of pounds on new equipment/ machinery when really, all they need it for is to hire for a couple of days.
Hiring heavy machinery is a great way to cut costs on projects, especially when you know it will only be required for a certain number of days. However, if you know you will need it for a very long time and the rental price per day is expensive, it may be worth purchasing that machine. Make sure you do the maths on these costs to ensure you go with the cheaper option.
Be Prepared To Adjust Budgets If You Need To
Something that many site managers get wrong when running a construction site is not understanding when to adjust the budget. Adjusting the budget cannot be helped at times because a disaster may have occurred where you were not in control. That is why you need to understand that overspending a tiny bit is ok. As long as you give your shareholders a good enough reason as to why you have overspent, they won’t be bothered.
Summary
Managing a construction site is not an easy job and it can be very expensive. There are many little tasks along the way that you must keep on top of. If you manage them correctly, you can positive that you won’t overspend, keeping those shareholders happy with the project. Remember, if you need to alter your budget then it is not the end of the world. Some people would prefer to spend a little extra for you to get the job done to a high standard.