What to look out for?Print

​​​​Not being involved enough
During this stage, your risks directly related to your level of involvement as required by your contract and procurement method. Not devoting enough time may lead to results that are either unsatisfactory or unexpected. Commitment is especially important for people choosing a labour-only procurement route since they are responsible for supplying materials and managing the entire process. However, even if the contract and procurement​ method mean that all the decisions around the building process are being made by someone else (such as a Group Build contract) you are still a key decision maker. An involved client will encourage builders to perform better and is likely to reduce failures in communication channels. Building processes can move quickly, and if you are not available to answer questions, decisions may be made for you.
Making changes
Changes at this stage constitute another risk for the project as they will cause delays and increase cost. Not only are they likely to fall out of the builder’s scope of work, but they may require the Building Consent to be updated. Early design stages are the most appropriate for making modifications and only those that are unavoidable should take place during this construction stage.
Forgetting council inspections
Another risk during the building stage is failing to incorporate council inspections into the construction programme. Missed council sign-offs may require work to be demolished or modified. 
Not requiring builders on site until completion 
Finally, failing to include clauses in the builder’s contract that require their presence on site until completion of the project may result in them leaving subcontractors to finish off the job while they plan for their next one. This could lead to inconsistencies in build quality.  Therefore, it is important to ensure builders remain on site until the house is handed over to you.​ This can be achieved by keeping part of the payment back until the building is completed to your satisfaction, or requiring penalty payments if the building goes on past the agreed date. 

It is very important to stipulate exactly what you expect by final completion. A common mistake is to rely on 'practical completion' as signed off by Council. Council will say a building is 'practically complete' when it is able to be lived in, but there may still be a lot of work left to do on the building.
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