An expertise set of eyes during on-site construction or in pre-construction meetings can make all the difference in a project that goes smoothly and one that results in more challenges. Get in touch with our experts to see how construction oversight services can better protect your structures and your investment.
New buildings or renovated buildings are one of a kind. The projects have never been built like this elsewhere and have never been tested, proving they can perform as intended. Even when given a great design and a solid set of drawings and specifications, errors can still occur during construction.
OUR PHILOSOPHYUnderstand no building inspector or any other entity is going to verify that building components and assemblies are installed properly. It is important to note, the contractor is not the designer nor should be put in a position to figure out a bust in the design. Qualified designers, architects, engineers, and/or technical consultants should be actively involved and responsible for the correction of the problem. During the construction of any project, things change. This is a given… a change in sequencing by the contractor/subcontractors of the installation of a system or systems may render the original project details obsolete. Having adequate on-site technical staff that can work with the installer, designer, and manufacturer to modify details is essential in meeting the original design intent.
STRONG DRAWINGSConstruction oversight is different from construction administration as described in most architect/owner contracts. Construction oversight means being actively involved on-site, in preconstruction meetings and pre-installation/trade coordination meetings, reviewing products on-site, (including an occasional sampling of onsite material), and overseeing construction of mockups from start to finish. This differs from a simple office review of the submittal. It should also include the overseeing of proper field testing of installed products or assemblies to verify adhesion, or water and airtightness. Construction oversight is the review of all building systems installations of a project, not just the visible finishes. The waterproofing and building enclosure systems, which are mostly hidden in your projects, are the ones that can be the most damaging, and cost you the most money to repair if they fail. These problems, unfortunately, generally appear on a large scale after the building’s general warranty expires. Lack of oversight and field presence can be very costly for owners.
“The old building philosophy was the contractor was responsible for making sure you do not have any water or air leaks into your building. How was that done? The reality was, it wasn’t… How do you know unless you test it?!”
If you had a water leak in your building, you called the contractor to come out to fix it. In the meantime, you probably could not rent that high-end hotel room or utilize that medical procedure room. Also, anything else that may have gotten damaged (inside the structure) was most likely not covered under that one-year warranty. How long was it before someone reported the leak? Did that water intrusion create other hazardous environmental and/or biological growth conditions, i.e.; mold (4 letter word) which has not yet been discovered? This happens all the time.
Avoid this mess and have DTR implement a specific field testing program throughout the construction of your building. This does two things; first, it lets everyone in the field know that their work will be tested, so the overall quality of work goes up because nobody wants to be the reason a test failed. Secondly, it is a quality control measure to limit possible failures because of incomplete or improper installation. These tests are performed by a 3rd party testing agency and paid directly by the owner. This keeps everyone honest and protects the best interest of the owner.
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