The Cost Implications of Design Changes During Construction
Sometimes, once construction has started, a new creative idea can emerge. But changing the design plans can be a costly venture. Changing design plans takes both time and money, and a lot of the time, changes cannot be fit into just one day. While it is okay to change your mind, it's important to be aware of the costs that come with it. In this blog, we will discuss why it’s important to have concrete design plans prior to breaking ground.
Time
One of the biggest hidden costs when it comes to design changes is the extra time it takes to get those design changes sketched out, documents rewritten and resubmitted, and then waiting for the approval from your local municipality. Depending on the scope of the changes, preparing the revised documentation can take up to one week (or longer in some cases), and scheduling the work may add additional time. House of Three must review all building code regulations and ensure that all changes are fit for submission. After that, it is a waiting game with your municipality for their approval. In Kingston, this can be any range of time depending on how busy the department is. Typically house projects take about 10 business days to approve changes to the original approved drawings.
Time is expensive when it comes to product availability. By the time construction starts, most of the necessary products will typically have been ordered or purchased. For example, if you decide to remove a wall for an open concept living space, that can affect the amount of flooring you need. If you do not have enough, purchasing and waiting for it to ship can be time consuming, particularly if the flooring is not in stock.
The next big factor that time can impact is contractor availability. Expanding the scope of work with your contractor is typically possible, but there is also a chance that they have other projects that they have agreed to. If this is the case, work may have to be paused for a bit then started again once more availability appears.
Money
When it comes to money, design changes almost always add cost. Preparing revised plans and supporting documentation, and ensuring everything remains up to code, will come at an additional cost. This cost depends on the nature of the changes and the time required to implement them. Changes made after final plans are completed often take longer, as they affect the building code analysis and multiple portions of the drawings. Resubmitting plans and revising permits will often come with additional fees.
When purchasing additional construction materials, if the products are in stock, express shipping can be an option to consider. Expedited shipping can come at an additional cost. Excess products can sometimes be returned, but often with a restocking fee. On the chance that they cannot be returned, money will be lost. Sometimes, the product may be discontinued and purchasing additional products may not be an option. We see this often with flooring lines in particular.
Finally, adding work to the contractor's original agreement will come at an additional cost. As this is an unexpected change on their end, there may be fees associated with the new time frame, along with extra labour costs.
Overall, there is a lot that can increase the pricing of your renovation or new build should design changes be made. We encourage you to take the time to be confident in your design before finalizing the plans. Using plans that you are already in love with will help keep your renovation running smoothly! Part of our job at House of Three is helping you think through these decisions early, so changes on site become the exception rather than the rule. We offer many different predesigned and custom designed options for your dream home.
Are you interested in our predesigned plans? You can take a look at them here! Or you can contact us to see how we can help you come up with the perfect custom design.