Assumptions

Recognizing there are a wide range of people involved with a construction effort, one of the challenges is ensuring that everyone understands what the other person means. This is not to say people are intentionally being unclear, rather, words can have different meanings based on one’s life experiences. The point here is do not assume anything. To help you think a bit more about assumptions, we have assembled a brief checklist of issues for your attention.

• The owner is the chief shepherd—How you role model the core beliefs of your house of worship is essential and sets the tone for the entire project. Great relationships produce great projects. Great projects have a much better opportunity to finish on time and on budget.



• Who does what and what don’t they do—As you work through the project and particularly during project meetings, you need to ask who (by name) will be responsible for what. So that there are miscues or things dropping between the cracks, be sure to ask what the limits of their work will be AND when their work will be passed along to the next person.



• Making timely decisions—An essential goal for any project is that everyone involved make timely decisions. Be clear on what decisions are required, who is making the decision, and when answers must be made. When decisions are postponed, costs go up. This point can not be over emphasized. Taking days or weeks to make a decision can impact a project by months.



• Language—It is amazing how quickly someone can be misunderstood on a construction project. Although we may use the same words, those words can mean different things to different people. This is particularly true when people outside the construction industry interact with people within the construction industry. Again, as one who has participated from the church side, I have seen it quite often.
  
  Take the time to ask for clarification. For example: "Just put a door there." Does everyone understand the full implication of what it will take to place that door there—framing, hardware, flooring, electrical, etc? And by the way, what kind of door? Fire rated or not? Metal or wood?
  
  Another example relates to walls. Depending on the specifications of a project, a painted wall may not clearly articulate the owner’s (unspoken) expectation. The type of paint, construction material, angle of light, etc. will impact the final look of a wall. It is important to discuss these types of concerns in the design phase of the project.



• Drawings—Everything about your project should be outlined on the architectural drawings, shop drawings, and reflected in other documents. Be sure you take the time to review these drawings and documents. If you have never attempted to read a set of plans before, ask your professionals to walk through them with you.



• Clearly understanding any "value engineering"—or adjustments in project cost estimates. "Value engineering" is the term used to eliminate or trim costs in your project. Having a paper trail outlining any changes is basic to keeping everyone focused on expectations. Without documentation, your architect, building committee, general contractor, and sub-contractors will become frustrated on exactly what not to do and/or adjusted, as well as the cost savings associated with the VE items.



• Access and/or occupying the facility during work—Under no circumstance should anyone assume that the construction project is an open site for visiting. A construction site can be an extremely dangerous setting. Conversation between your house of worship and the builder must take place in order to think through traffic in and outside of your facility as well as the use of gathering spaces.



• Maintaining air filters, floors, etc. during construction—If your project is a renovation or your new expansion is on the grounds of the existing facility, as the owner, you must be vigilant in caring for your existing facilities. You and the construction company will need to coordinate how this work will be accomplished. A couple of quick examples include keeping air filters clean, maintaining floors, and protecting sidewalks.



• Coordination of schedules—between construction activities and your organization’s activities. This effort will not only ensure a safe environment but will prevent any misunderstandings by those using your house of worship. Weddings and funerals are particular events that need close coordination—not to mention religious holidays, and, if applicable, mid-week daycare or educational activities.



• Maintaining and recording documents—Don’t assume anyone is going to keep a set of extra files for you. It is imperative that your house of worship establish a filing system that contains all vital information. These records will be a great resource to you during construction and after the project is completed.



• Why change orders occur—After your design drawings and documents have been finalized, changes can occur. Sometimes these changes can be significant. To provide the proper means of addressing alterations, a change order process is used.
  
  A change order may be created to deal with a surprise on the job, particularly likely in a renovation. Sometimes an error or omission may be made by the architect. At other times, the owner could change their mind about a feature of the project. The prudent action to take when you are establishing your budget is to include a percentage of your construction (possibly 10% or more) to cover this type of unanticipated expense.