Before jumping into a new project, walking carefully through the construction site development process is a safe, smart way to begin. Knowing the development site you will work with before diving in helps your team understand the steps ahead a little more clearly.
The 5 Major Construction Phases
Construction work is laborious and time consuming, which is why understanding the construction site development process is critical. Below are five construction phases that take place before and during the process.
1. Plan
This initial phase of construction is the planning stage–also known as project conception. Like most projects, this is when the client discusses their visions for the development site. Clients discuss the project step-by-step during this phase so that when construction begins, there aren’t any hiccups interrupting the plan. Besides discussion, brainstorming, and note-taking, this phase of the construction site development process is a flexible, fun stage.
2. Survey and Test
Once a solid plan has been set, the next step in the construction site development process is to survey the site. Any trees, shrubs, rocks, or debris in the development site location must be removed and the soil must be set and inspected. This means testing the soil to make sure it can withstand the building materials placed in it. Depending on the development site, surveying the land may not be a zoning requirement.
3. Design
Once the planning and surveying stages are complete, the construction team has a better idea of how to move forward with the structure design. Surveying and testing is needed to know whether or not the design can be completed as requested. If the ground doesn’t support the structure in certain ways, the design will need to change. This is the stage of construction when the client gets to see their project come to life. After the initial design occurs, other regulations will be discussed so the construction phase can move smoothly.
4. Preconstruction
Of course, there is still one more step in the construction site development process to go before diving into construction. The next construction phase is the easiest part of the process–well, easier than manual labor and design details. Procuring the materials needed for the construction process must take place before construction can even be thought of. This means all products and materials needed must be purchased and any connections with vendors must be finalized. Once equipment and materials have been procured, tested, and organized, planning the construction phase can begin.
5. Construction
The construction site development process has finally gotten to the manual labor stage where dirt is dug up, concrete is poured, and walls are built! The construction phase is pretty cut and dry when looking back at previous steps. However, the work that goes into the construction phase involves time, energy, patience, and good communication. There are many working parts that happen on a construction site and safety is of the utmost importance. With so much happening at once on a site, it shows how critical the construction phases above are when working on a project.