Top ten tips for building design and construction projects
Top ten tips for the perfect project
If you disagree with our top tips:
- Click on "discussion" above then edit the discussion page and add your tips.
- Or click on "submit comment" at the bottom of the page and send us your ideas.
1. Set it up properly right at the beginning. You won't have time later.
2. You can't do it all yourself. Pick the right people to help you and reward them for success.
3. Make sure you know what you want. Changes get more expensive as you go on.
4. Make sure your aspirations are reflected in your budget. You can’t have a world-class building if you don’t have a world-class budget.
5. Know whether you want quality, low cost or speed. If you want a great building and fast; expect to pay for it.
6. Design fees are a bad place to make savings.
During the life of a building:
Item | Relative cost |
Design fees | 0.1 |
Construction cost | 1 |
Operating costs | 5 |
Business costs | 200 |
7. Manage your stakeholders. Focus your attention on the vocal people who can most affect the project and may be against it.
8. Know what the risks are and who is taking them. Only transfer risks to someone else if they can do something about them.
9. Make sure you have a realistic contingency. But don’t tell anyone about it.
10. If it's not working out, make changes, or walk away.
Featured articles and news
AI and the challenges to intellectual property
The legal landscape of adopting AI now and in the future.
Worrying landscape for Welsh construction SMEs revealed.
In recent risk factor analysis report completed by CIOB.
Construction Sport survey highlights risks of dehydration
Supporting construction workers to avoid dangers.
Can your business afford to ignore mental well-being?
£70 - 100 billion annually in UK construction sector.
Mental health in the construction industry
World Mental Health Day 10 October.
Construction awards provide relief in wake of ISG collapse
Spike in major infrastructure awards, housing up but short of targets, are ISG collapse impacts yet to come.
Biodiversity net gain with related updates and terms
Only 0.5% of applications subject to BNG in the context significant proposed changes to planning.
As political power has shifted from blue to red
Has planning now moved from brown to green?
The role of construction in tackling the biodiversity crisis
New CIOB Nature of Building digital series available now.
The Nature Towns and Cities initiative
Grants of up to 1 million for local councils and partners.
The continued ISG fall out October updates
Where to look for answers to frequently asked questions.
Building safety remediation programme for Wales
With 2024 October progress updates.
In major support package for small businesses.
Conservation and transformation
Reading Ruskin’s cultural heritage. Book review.
Renovating Union Chain Bridge.
AI tools for planning, design, construction and management
A long, continually expanding list, any more to add?
Comments
To start a discussion about this article, click 'Add a comment' above and add your thoughts to this discussion page.
What about ...
Know your costs from the outset. The only way to make a building cheaper, is to make it smaller. --designing buildings 08:48, 10 July 2012 (BST)
Know what's in your budget and what's not. Equipment may not need to be in the budget, but what about fitting the equipment? --GregorHarvie 08:52, 10 July 2012 (BST)
No planning permission means no project. Get planning permission early, otherwise you could spend a lot of money for nothing.
And be very careful with VAT. is it recoverable or not? Are there some items where it is not recoverable in any event?