Don’t run short of materials on your construction project

Isn’t it annoying when you’re working on a construction project and you run out of materials before the task is completed? You’re sure you ordered enough material to complete the work! Why isn’t there enough material? Did someone steal it? Well perhaps they did – but there could be several reasons why there’re insufficient materials for the task.
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Sometimes the construction materials needed can be quickly gotten from the nearby store, but even so work is interrupted, possibly the construction team stands idle while the material is fetched, or the workers must be reorganised to do other construction work in the meantime. Unfortunately, in some cases the material isn’t readily available, and it could take several days to get the missing items to the project. Inevitably there are additional costs and delays which could jeopardise the success of the construction project. 

Why do projects experience construction material shortages?

There are many reasons for construction material shortages and proper care should help avoid this from occurring.

• Often, it’s simply caused by the construction project manager, engineer, or supervisor incorrectly measuring the quantity from the drawing. They did things in a hurry and didn’t check. In some cases, project managers make a mistake the other way and order too much material – construction material which is then left over at the end of the project – I’m sure we’ve all seen piles of left-over unused building materials at the end of construction projects. It’s vital to check that you’ve ordered the correct quantities of materials.
• No allowance is made for off-cuts of the material which can’t be used. Items like ceramic tiles or building blocks generate wastage when they’re cut. Often lengths of timber, steel, pipes and electrical cables remain when the required sizes have been cut. An experienced contractor will know what this wastage could be, which often depends on the actual details of where the product is used. Planning cutting can reduce waste, allowing the maximum usable pieces to be cut from the available material.
• The incorrect conversion factor is used, which often occurs with earthworks materials when the incorrect factor is used for calculating how much loose material is required to make the compacted volume. (This factor depends on the type of material and the amount of compaction required.) When construction material with unfamiliar properties and characteristics is ordered it pays to seek expert advice regarding what wastage or compaction factors should be allowed.
• No allowance is made to lap the material. This is particularly the case with mesh reinforcing, plastic sheeting, or roof coverings. To minimise wastage due to lapping or splicing of the materials, it’s important to be aware of the standard sizes the material is supplied in. In some cases, it may be possible to order construction materials in different widths and lengths, reducing the number of joints, and therefore the amount of lapping.
• Sometimes there is theft on the construction project, so critical material should always be stored in secure locations. Ensure that the project is secured to prevent theft.
• Workers are careless and they damage materials while offloading them, when they move them on the construction project, and when they install them. It’s important to ensure that construction materials aren’t damaged, since not only is this wasteful adding additional costs, but it could result in the construction project running short of materials.

• Poor quality work results in work having to be redone, which requires extra material.
• Often the material has been incorrectly applied on the project. For instance, the product has been applied in thicker layers than those specified, this may happen with paint, asphalt, concrete, joint sealer and adhesives. The construction project manager should monitor the application of specialist construction products, or products that are used in a large quantity on the construction project. This will enable timely action to be taken to reduce the thickness to what it should be, thus reducing wastage, and if necessary, then to order more material to make up any shortfall caused by the increased thickness.
• Construction materials are stored badly which results in them becoming damaged. Some products are damaged by the sun or when they become wet. Materials which aren’t stacked properly can become warped and twisted. Vehicles could ride into materials and damage them. Always store construction materials properly where they won’t be easily damaged.

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

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• The incorrect quantity has been delivered. I’ve seen it happen that a construction project ran out of a material, the project manager contacted the supplier and arranged for additional material to be delivered. Shortly thereafter the remaining construction material from the original order arrived, followed by the additional material requested. This results in excess material remaining at the end of construction and causes wasted effort and cost. It’s good practice when an unexpected shortfall of construction materials occurs that the reason behind it be investigated before ordering the additional material.

Have the right quantity of materials on your construction project

It’s worth spending extra time to ensure you order the correct quantities of construction materials. Where necessary ask for expert advice to determine the normal wastage factors of a particular product. Look at different options for cutting and installing the materials, as well as the various sizes the products are available in. Careful planning and ordering of construction materials can reduce costs. Of course, always ensure that those installing the products understand how they should be installed to minimise waste and so that they don’t undo your careful planning. This could avoid costly and embarrassing mistakes.

Investigate shortages before ordering additional construction material. The missing items may be lying unnoticed somewhere on the project, or the supplier might not have delivered the material yet. Regrettably sometimes construction project managers order additional materials to make good shortfalls, only to discover that the missing materials were found or were delivered later – resulting in there being too much material.

Of course, always check the construction drawings because a shortfall of material may be because of drawing errors which resulted in more material being used than was allowed for.

Importantly, keep a constant check on the available construction materials and act when it appears that there may be insufficient materials. Take timely action to ensure that your construction team is not left waiting for more materials.
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Have you run short of materials on your construction project? What was the reason?

​This article was first published on the ClockShark website.
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