Building a home is always challenging; and building in the tropics, such as Costa Rica or Panama is no exception. Planning is paramount regardless of where your project happens to be. Proper planning can address all of the following issues.
There are three basic factors to any construction project which I refer to as the Priority Triangle: TIME, COST, QUALITY. Most contractors will tell you that you as the customer you can have any two of these but not all three. An example would be fast and cheap but of low quality, or high quality and high cost and a long timeline. Granted there is a lot of truth to this but by using what I call the “P” principal, I think that all of these priorities can be met. So, what is the “P” Principal? In short, it stands for: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Yes, planning and more planning. Review the project requirements, the speciality products needed like special order tile if so get it ordered prior to the start of construction. This is just one of a hundred questions that need to be reviewed and planned for prior to starting the actual construction.
The building site will be a major factor in the cost of your construction. The distance of services, such as water, electricity, as well as how far from the location of the house. The geology of the property is critically important to the structural requirements. These considerations may not be included in the construction drawings. Beyond the structural foundation of the home the property may require retaining walls that could impact costs from tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. All will have an impact on the cost plan of the project.
The materials and products you use in your project have not only an impact on cost but also schedule. Some produces may have long lead times, with delivery times taking multiple months to arrive. This is about proper planning, if time is a factor, you may want to source product that is in stock and available.
Everything will affect the cost of your project and having a detailed cost plan for each scope of work is critical to the overall success of the project. No one likes to get huge cost increases when building. The other benefit to a detailed cost plan is that this can present opportunities to engage Value Engineering to met budgetary goals.
Avoid Analogous estimating which uses “analogy”- comparing a past project to your current project or cost per square meter. This method has no relation to your specific property or your specific construction technics. Parametric estimating is more accurate, specifically when the underlying information is scalable. Everything has a unit cost: brick, concrete, electrical outlets, tile, etc.
Parametric estimating can be done for all 32 divisions of construction, but the core 16 divisions is adequate for residential construction. All contractors are versed in these divisions of construction and should be able to provide detailed estimates for each scope based on your building plans and the building site.
By implementing detailed Parametric Estimating for your project you will be well on your way to using the “P” Principal to meet the needs of your Priority Triangle. Proper Planning makes for Perfect Projects and pleased people!
About the Advertiser
Darren Enns is the Director of South Pacific CR Construction SRL located in UVita. He holds a BA (Eng.) GSC, PMP, and more than 40 years in Commercial, Institutional and residential construction. Experience in University Laboratories, hospitals, and multi-story hotels, as well as high end custom homes.Currently, providing Construction & Cost Consulting, Project Management Services in Costa Rica. Please call at 506 4010-2813 or email: Darren.enns@southpacificcr.com
