Building Operating Management: “Code Compliance Check Prevents Construction Cost Overruns”

An article authored by Scott Heywood, Director of Ghafari’s Birmingham Office, appeared in Building Operating Management. Titled “Code Compliance Check Prevents Construction Cost Overruns”, the article details how a code compliance check well in advance of project launch can protect stakeholders from unwelcome surprises in later stages (particularly during construction).

Scott describes a variety of examples that illustrate how an advance code compliance check can identify problems and even opportunities for cost savings, including a recent renovation project that required a change in load analysis to avoid imminent disaster.

“A renovation was proposed for a building next to a library that was equipped with high-density shelving — very heavy racks containing books that moved back and forth on tracks,” he writes. “The tracks were originally installed on a slab that was not rated to support a heavy moving load, and so the floor would likely have eventually collapsed. The only remediation for this risk was to install supporting columns on each floor that extended all the way down to the foundation. It is doubtful that this addition to the project budget would have been discovered without a pre-code compliance check.”

Read the complete article for more examples illustrating the benefits of advance code compliance checks.