Tips For Planning A Building Project During COVID-19

As Australia and the rest of the world continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, many commercial and domestic building projects are facing delays and logistic hurdles. Individuals in the Northern Territory, for example, are limited in terms of resources and labour as entry into the Northern Territory from a declared hotspot or public exposure spot in the last 14 days is banned. In this guide, we outline tips for planning a building project during COVID-19 that will ensure your project can be completed stress-free and without delays.

As different states are constantly moving in and out of lockdown in Australia, it is advisable to look for a building contractor who is based in your local area. This will ensure you don’t face border control problems and also do not have to pay significant transportation costs for building materials and labour, as the contractor will most likely have local and reliable connections.

Many builders may face pressure to meet deadlines and time constraints whilst working on-site, while this may have once been the norm, pressure to complete work to specific deadlines may encourage workers to arrive on-site even if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with an infected individual.

Plan to maintain a building site culture that encourages workers to be cautious and stay firmly away from the site if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. The delay of an employee being off-site while they are tested will be much more favourable in the long term than an entire site being shut down due to an outbreak of COVID-19.

When hiring a contractor for your building project, look to hire an experienced individual or company who is happy to talk about their work and share their portfolio. During such unprecedented times, it is essential you hire a team you can rely on who have had experienced facing challenges in the past.

While you may want to take a chance on a new business or a recent graduate, during the COVID-19 pandemic, experience and specialist knowledge should be prioritised first.

While naturally, a significant amount of work for a building project needs to be completed on-site, consider allowing remote work as much as possible. For example, in the planning stages of a building project, host all meetings online rather than asking for face-to-face discussions. This will limit unnecessary physical interactions and will also provide your building team with the freedom to work from a location they feel comfortable in.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential you hire reliable and experienced contractors to ensure your building project can be planned and completed safely and efficiently. At Jaws Contracting (NT) Pty Ltd, we are a family-run business based in Alice Springs. We are able to manage a wide range of projects, including both commercial and industrial building projects. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help you.