5 Ways to Keep Projects on Schedule During a Supply Chain Crisis
Six USA Houzz pros share insider tips for completing renovations and builds while dealing with extensive product delays
Product and material delays can be hard to avoid when working on home renovations, especially in the current global supply chain environment. Often, this can make finalising options, coordinating logistics and keeping projects on track harder to do. Six USA-based pros on Houzz share their best practices for working around supply delays and staying on schedule.
Working around the current global supply chain delays can require a strategic approach. “I would say that as designers and contractors we have had to be much more organised with ordering materials and communicating with our suppliers,” says Marc Nissim, landscape architect and owner of Harmony Design Group.
“We used to call for materials a week or two before we needed them on a project. Now we are ordering all of them once we have a signed contract from the client, even if the project is one to two months from beginning.”
“We used to call for materials a week or two before we needed them on a project. Now we are ordering all of them once we have a signed contract from the client, even if the project is one to two months from beginning.”
2. Don’t start demolition until all materials are in
Finalising orders ahead of schedule for items including custom cabinetry, fittings, furniture and windows can help you create a project calendar that includes approximate dates for deliveries. This can help project stakeholders plan ahead and stay up-to-date on when most materials will be ready to install.
“If [sub-contractors] know we have the items ready to go, they will come and do the work we need rather quickly versus doing partial completion and having to come back at a later time,” says Shane Spencer, principal interior designer and founder of Spencer Design Associates.
Finalising orders ahead of schedule for items including custom cabinetry, fittings, furniture and windows can help you create a project calendar that includes approximate dates for deliveries. This can help project stakeholders plan ahead and stay up-to-date on when most materials will be ready to install.
“If [sub-contractors] know we have the items ready to go, they will come and do the work we need rather quickly versus doing partial completion and having to come back at a later time,” says Shane Spencer, principal interior designer and founder of Spencer Design Associates.
It can also make sense to wait until all items have arrived to avoid displacing clients during demolition and construction. “We talk with our vendors and refrain from selecting items with long lead times,” says Antoinette Fargo, creative director and co-founder of Doora Collective. “If we know a cabinet manufacturer is eight to 12 weeks [from shipping the cabinetry] and my client needs to move in [within] 14 weeks, we select a different manufacturer to avoid the close calls.”
The Houzz Pro Timeline tool lets you map out project schedules, communicate plans with team members and visually track your progress.
The Houzz Pro Timeline tool lets you map out project schedules, communicate plans with team members and visually track your progress.
3. Use temporary elements as placeholders
When product shipments are running behind schedule, consider swapping in a temporary item or design element to keep the project on track. You can then install the final selection once it arrives.
“For example, if a kitchen project may be delayed because of a long lead time for a particular appliance or faucet, we’ll have the old one or a less expensive temporary one put into place for the time being,” says Peralta-Brito. “Having great relationships with easygoing and willing contractors helps to ease this kind of discomfort because they can work with us in providing this kind of service in the event issues arise.”
When product shipments are running behind schedule, consider swapping in a temporary item or design element to keep the project on track. You can then install the final selection once it arrives.
“For example, if a kitchen project may be delayed because of a long lead time for a particular appliance or faucet, we’ll have the old one or a less expensive temporary one put into place for the time being,” says Peralta-Brito. “Having great relationships with easygoing and willing contractors helps to ease this kind of discomfort because they can work with us in providing this kind of service in the event issues arise.”
Fargo suggests sourcing cost-effective placeholders from a local hardware store or selecting an in-stock item so homeowners can use their space without significant interruption. Using an existing item, such as an old light fixture, can also be an option until the new one arrives.
Find, follow and network with other local pros on Houzz
Find, follow and network with other local pros on Houzz
4. Build pop-up spaces for clients
Labour and supply chain delays can sometimes bring a project to a halt and leave homeowners without access to kitchens or living spaces for days, weeks or months.
If your client is living at home during a renovation, think of building pop-up spaces to help ease some of their stress. Doora Collective often builds temporary kitchens for clients who will remain at home during the project. For a few hundred dollars, Fargo says, they can set up a temporary kitchen in the garage that includes a microwave, hot plate, toaster oven and plastic laundry sink.
Labour and supply chain delays can sometimes bring a project to a halt and leave homeowners without access to kitchens or living spaces for days, weeks or months.
If your client is living at home during a renovation, think of building pop-up spaces to help ease some of their stress. Doora Collective often builds temporary kitchens for clients who will remain at home during the project. For a few hundred dollars, Fargo says, they can set up a temporary kitchen in the garage that includes a microwave, hot plate, toaster oven and plastic laundry sink.
If building a provisional space isn’t an option, try to do something kind for the homeowner that they might not expect. “All our clients appreciate a pre-cooked meal dropped off at their home on occasion during the remodel or a take-out dinner on us,” says Kate McNamara, designer and showroom manager of InDesign Kitchen and Bath Remodeling. “We do the best we can to alleviate the burden of being without a kitchen, but we know that nothing really takes the place of being able to cook in your own kitchen.”
Pros say most clients are aware of the global supply and labour issues affecting designers, builders and sub-contractors. But if they’re not, you might have to remind them that their home project will require some patience.
“I mention it so that people realise that the contractors are working as hard and as fast as they can,” says Shelly Ann Abbott, owner of Landscape Design West.
Pros say most clients are aware of the global supply and labour issues affecting designers, builders and sub-contractors. But if they’re not, you might have to remind them that their home project will require some patience.
“I mention it so that people realise that the contractors are working as hard and as fast as they can,” says Shelly Ann Abbott, owner of Landscape Design West.
5. Remember you’re not alone
“We are all facing challenges with production delays, back-ups with the trades, whether that be electricians or plumbers, not to mention substantially different freight costs for anything we buy in Europe or beyond,” says Spencer.
If you keep reaching a dead end, try asking your colleagues how they maneuver around labour and supply chain delays. And, just like you tell your clients, try to set realistic expectations from the start, especially when you’re busy juggling supply chain challenges across multiple projects.
“We are all facing challenges with production delays, back-ups with the trades, whether that be electricians or plumbers, not to mention substantially different freight costs for anything we buy in Europe or beyond,” says Spencer.
If you keep reaching a dead end, try asking your colleagues how they maneuver around labour and supply chain delays. And, just like you tell your clients, try to set realistic expectations from the start, especially when you’re busy juggling supply chain challenges across multiple projects.
Your turn
How have supply chain challenges affected your projects and business? And how have you tackled them? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Ready for your next read? Check out 5 Helpful Ways to Persuade Clients to Go in a Different Direction
How have supply chain challenges affected your projects and business? And how have you tackled them? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the renovation conversation.
More
Ready for your next read? Check out 5 Helpful Ways to Persuade Clients to Go in a Different Direction
Interior designer Cynthia Peralta-Brito of CPB Designs says it’s best to make as many decisions as possible before construction work begins. “All decisions made during the design phase [can] eliminate confusion and allow for a smooth and speedy renovation phase,” she says. Having clients make the majority of their decisions early on can save everyone lots of time and allow you to focus on other areas of the project, especially when unforeseen problems arise.
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