Good Time For Ducks - Bad Time For Construction Firms...

 

Yes, it’s been very wet recently, and in fact we have just had the 8th wettest winter since records began more than 150 years ago, as well as all of us having to suffer from these miserable conditions, construction companies have had a torrid time of it too because of the downpours.

We estimate that a little over 90 percent of major construction projects have needed to ask for extensions to projects because of the recent poor weather. This generally means that construction firms are asking for 3-4 weeks of delays because of the rain, in many circumstances the construction companies themselves have to bear the brunt of the costs, mainly due to the fact that they need to have construction teams and materials ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Some may also need to pay fees for delayed projects, each delay could cost a firm thousands of pounds per site, per week, with construction companies telling us that costs could exceed £250,000 for the wet winter and spring.

These financial challenges doesn’t just have to be dealt with by the construction firms but by contractors themselves, they don’t want any of their expensive equipment to get wet, and often while the wet weather is around, they aren’t getting paid.

Mitigating these weather-related delays is always very difficult as many large infrastructure projects are time-critical, so teams, equipment and supplies always need to be ready and on standby.

 

One of the key issues the wet weather is causing right now is saturated ground, meaning foundations, for example, simply can’t be dug until the ground dries out.

Experts predict that by 2070, the weather in the UK will only become increasingly wetter. The only way to combat this is to plan further ahead, projects will take longer to complete and as a result cost more.

It’s not only the digging of foundations that causes issues, generally bricks can’t be laid until the temperature of 5 degrees or above, so timing projects will become more important and more critical.

So what’s the answer? Honestly, this isn’t an easy one to answer … by planning ahead, investing in weather prediction models, and maintaining open communication channels between suppliers, contractors, and customers can help manage the impact of rainy weather.; so while wet weather can’t be fully mitigated, with all parties working together, the continued success of construction firms can achieved.