How To Maintain Quality Assurance On The Construction Site
Why would a builder need to hire an outside inspector to assure quality construction? Does the builder not understand its requirements? Are the builders’ job superintendents not checking the work that is being done?
When you read these questions, they might seem so self-evident. Failure to answer correctly would be an admission of dereliction, right? Not entirely.
Any job site requires clear quality standards supported by specific measurement. Again, simple enough.
Then why do we keep hearing about a growing lack of quality home construction?
Sometimes, when we are in a hurry, we don’t make the time to define our requirements. We are professionals working with professionals. We expect that each member of our delivery and construction team will do it right the first time.
Expectations are one thing. Expecting what you expect is another. Effective collaboration means determining that all team members agree on the construction standards being set. That is rarely the case. We are busy. We are in a hurry. But you’ve heard the adage, “Measure twice, cut once?” Often, we can be in a hurry to get nowhere.
Quality means conformance to requirements. Those requirements must be specific. Quality construction requires quality components. We all must meet budget requirements. However, if we select inferior components, we should expect inferior performance.
If you are the project manager or superintendent, it is imperative that you operate with a quality control checklist and inspection plan. You must understand the assemblies being installed, anticipate where they might fail, and inspect what you expect. Prevention is the key to quality.
Training and education keeps your team sharp. And remember, your team is not just your employees. Everyone that touches the house you are building is a member of your construction team.
Look, mistakes happen. With each new design, you are likely to face new assembly challenges. Document your work. If you experience a failure, take corrective action and prevent such a failure in the future.
What Is Construction Quality Control?
Construction quality control is a management system inside the construction industry aimed at ensuring the final product is within the guidelines set forth by the client. That includes completing the project within the scope of work and avoiding disputes throughout the project. Quality is defined by the client, regulatory agencies, and environmental and policy guidelines.
Construction quality assurance has two different aspects. There is quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). Quality assurance sets the quality management expectations, as well as parameters for how that quality will be achieved. Quality control is the plan to achieve it.
The construction quality control manager drives this construction quality management plan throughout all phases of the project.
Issues arise in construction quality control when the factors affecting the quality are not properly taken care of. This can mean that the inspection process was lax or there were issues communicating client specifications. There are any number of reasons why the product could be outside the acceptance criteria. Quality control procedures are meant to solve problems, provide high-quality results, and prevent issues from coming up again in the future.
Table of Contents
It Starts With the Right Team Of Builders
Hiring contractors is one of the most important steps for your construction project. With so many permits, rules, and companies out there, the construction industry can be a tricky one to navigate, especially if it’s your first time. Not to worry, we’re here to help you have a successful project with the least amount of stress possible.
Get Several Quotes
You may think that every construction company charges similarly, but that is far from the truth. The range of price is massive, but so are the quality expectations. Speaking with many companies about their prices and their construction quality control plan could help you attain higher quality construction at a better price.
Don’t Assume That High Price = High Quality
There are many contractors who keep their work’s quality top without tagging on an insane price; you just have to find them.
In fact, a lot of times, having a proper quality control process will save the contractor enough money that they can give breaks on their price. It’s these kinds of people, the kind who put in the extra effort, that you want working on your construction projects.
Research the Companies
Doing your research and reading reviews will always lead to higher client satisfaction. If you have personal references, use them. Ask detailed questions about how the workers behaved and if they kept their word or not. Did they leave a big mess behind when they were “finished?” Read as many reviews as you can find. Finding customers who chose repeat business is always a big positive.
Check Schedules
Price often has nothing to do with timeline. If the company is swamped, they’re swamped. Make sure that their schedule alines with your construction plans.
A lot of construction companies will be able to offer you a general estimate when you call, such as, “We’re booked until June,” or something similar. It isn’t until more details have been flushed out that you begin to see exactly how long the job will take and when it can be accomplished.
Find Out Who is Doing the Actual Work
That probably sounds silly to you, but a lot of remodelers use subcontractors. You need to be sure that all parties involved are on the same page and will turn out quality work.
Check Licensing and Insurance
In most states, contractors are required to be licensed to perform major remodeling jobs. If you use unlicensed contractors, you become your own general contractor, making yourself responsible to correct deficiencies and quite possibly making you responsible for any injuries suffered on the job site. On top of that, every construction company you let work on your house should carry both liability insurance and worker’s compensation.
How to Tell If Your Builder is Taking Shortcuts
Completed work of high quality is never an accident. Successful builders understand this and have a quality assurance plan ready and waiting for the project specifications. Here are some signs that the contractor may be cutting corners:
Failing to Pursue the Correct Permits
Contractors are required to have licenses and permits in order to pursue a job. If they do not have the correct paperwork filled out, your property will not pass inspection, which causes issues for everyone.
This is a big sign that the contractor isn’t willing to put in the required effort. Since the paperwork is required and hasn’t been done, what other essential steps are seen as expendable?
Failing to Follow Construction Project Standards and Codes
Quality control in construction is not just about fancy rules and regulations. These standards are there to require safe, high-quality work from contractors.
Some contractors (often unlicensed) use below-average materials or ignore the quality management system for the sake of saving time and money.
Keep an eye on the construction process and the contractors. You always have the right to question your contractor if something feels off.
Bad Communication and/or Unprofessionalism
This is perhaps one of the biggest red flags. Contractors of high caliber understand that how they behave and communicate with customers is a huge part of customer satisfaction and will affect the image of their construction companies. Bad behavior often reflects their overall character. If they behave that way with you, they won’t care to do their job well.
Stay away from contractors who don’t communicate every step of their process or get upset when you ask questions. There are so many options out there that you don’t have to put up with a contractor who doesn’t treat you well.
Third-Party Quality Assurance for Homebuilders
Third-party QA inspectors are appreciated far and wide. They are an unbiased pair of eyes designed to augment existing construction quality assurance programs that will help builders achieve their best work and help homeowners feel confident in the completed work.
Third-party inspections are best because they do not have an opinion one way or the other. As was already mentioned, they are unbiased. These inspections often provide detailed reviews of the work’s quality for you to review and make decisions about.
They offer vast, in-depth knowledge of how building systems and assemblies work individually and they improve the builder’s performance. They reduce risks, warranty claims, and callbacks. Their job description is to understand what makes a construction project succeed or fail and make sure the former happens.
Some services offer continued reviews of the project. They are present for the building, assembly, and anything else involved. At the end of the project, builders and employers have a thorough track record of everything built right and missed details caught and resolved.
HERS Compliance Services
For most residential construction projects, one or more HERS (Home Energy Rating System) verifications are required. A HERS verification is an inspection and/or diagnostic testing performed by a third-party inspector called a rater.
Raters are individuals who are certified by a verified rating provider to inspect and test a home in order to evaluate each of the necessary features and complete a rating on your home’s energy expenditure.
A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans as well as on-site inspections. Based on the plans for the house, the rater will use an energy-efficiency software package to perform an analysis of the home’s design. This analysis will yield a projected, pre-construction HERS Index.
Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the contractors to identify the improvements necessary for the house to meet performance guidelines.
The rater will then conduct on-site inspections. These will typically include a blower door test to test energy leaking from the house, and a duct test to test energy leaking from the ducts. The results of these tests, along with inputs obtained from the plan review, are used to generate the on-site HERS Index score for the home.
As you can see, third-party services provide contractors with the much-needed expertise to handle their compliance testing and evaluation needs as building codes evolve.