Waking up every day excited about what I do for a living is a blessing. I know that each of us experienced decorative concrete contractors understands that statement and agrees. I look forward to the next phone call, email, and text because it’s always a new opportunity to create. My part in this process is project development, or, as my husband, Byron, likes to call it, “The Happy Dance.”
I love working with owners, architects, landscape architects, and artists to bring their dreams, designs, and visions into reality and to build them with concrete. The journey from concept to creation is a process that never gets old. However, you must take important steps for that process to be successful.
Building a team
Building a team that shares the same goals and has the same vision is important. After some preliminary conversations, I like to start a project with a kick-off meeting with as many of the stakeholders as possible. In most cases, we start with a sketch, a photo, or maybe an existing project that acts as inspiration for the team. I make sure we understand the use of the space, the design intent, and, most importantly, the level of care and maintenance that works for the client.
At the conclusion of that meeting, we should leave with a lot of ideas and some direction of where we need to go next. Typically, that means sketches, drawings, and images from our client to help direct us.
Our next step is getting images and samples to help our clients decide what they like and don’t like to narrow down the project’s direction.
Once we’ve established the design intent and finishes, our next step is to provide a preliminary estimate on the project to determine if the budget works for all decision makers. For me, this is when two important things take priority: constructability challenges and value engineering.
Value engineering
Let’s talk about what value engineering means. In today’s construction environment, project owners and designers are constantly challenged to deliver visually striking spaces without exceeding budget constraints. This should happen at the project’s design phase. The goal is always to optimize materials, methods, and design to achieve the best value without compromising performance or aesthetics.
Value engineering is not about simply cutting costs. It’s about achieving the best visual and functional outcome through better planning, innovative materials, and simplified installation.
Value engineering should never be about cutting corners. It should focus on planning and building smarter by integrating function, form, and fiscal responsibility. Value engineering allows your project team to deliver beautiful, durable, and efficient concrete finishes that meet the project’s design goals and budget expectations.
Constructability
Let’s talk about constructability and how it fits into the initial stages of a project. Constructability is defined as the effective and timely integration of concrete construction knowledge into a project’s conceptual planning, design, construction, and field operations. The goal is to achieve the overall project objectives in the best possible time, with the highest safety, and at the most cost-effective level of quality.
When reviewing a project for constructability, we want to make sure we’re setting the project up for success. Can the project be built as it is designed or specified? Is it practical, feasible, and reliable as it relates to using real materials, crews, schedules, site conditions, and safety?
We want to make sure we have reviewed the drawings and make sure there is no gap between how something looks on paper and how well it can be built in the field. The company I currently work for, Sundek, has created a constructability checklist for our team members and clients who appreciate our thoroughness when we review it with them.
Important considerations
The review involves these steps:
- Help build the project the proper way, keeping focus through all phases before and after your portion is installed.
- Review how your materials interface with other systems and the surrounding environment.
- Stay focused on important items and provide solutions for any challenges that come up.
This is an investment that we as decorative contractors make to help create a successful project. When all of this is done beforehand, we also make sure it levels the playing field if we have any competitors bidding against us. Educating everyone on our design and building team helps everyone make informed decisions and stops competitors from cutting corners.
In conclusion
In a competitive construction market, the most successful projects are those that blend creativity with practicality. The goal is to always deliver a successful project that creates trust and promotes long-term relationships.
