ᐅ Your Experiences with Construction Schedules

Hello everyone,

this is about the construction schedule. Our site manager is very kind and committed and informs us at every step about the next planned phase. He is always friendly and regularly visits our property to take photos and monitor the progress.
However, we have not yet received a formal construction schedule. Our building inspector contacted the site manager by email three days ago to request the construction schedule but has not received a reply so far, even though the site manager usually responds to emails within one day.

Now the question arises: Is it possible that we do not have a construction schedule at all? Is it common for construction companies not to provide a formal schedule, but rather communicate progress verbally? Or should I continue to insist on receiving a written construction schedule? What experiences have you had in similar situations? Are there any legal aspects I should be aware of?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Bauherrin_987 schrieb:

Or should I continue to insist on receiving a written construction schedule?

What does your contract say about this?
If it is not part of the contractual scope, you can request it for an additional fee.

Bauherrin_987 schrieb:

Is it common for construction companies not to provide a formal construction schedule...

I can’t say that about our construction company. We received the construction schedule early on. It showed which trade would start and possibly finish in each calendar week, including the house handover date. That date was even moved up slightly. Everything worked out perfectly for us, despite the construction phase during the "C....." time. All the craftsmen worked together smoothly. The site manager placed great importance on this, especially since many subcontractors were from the local area.

Bauherrin_987 schrieb:

Is it possible that we don’t have a construction schedule at all?

Of course, that can happen. It is not mandatory.

Bauherrin_987 schrieb:

Or should I insist on receiving a written construction schedule?

Why? What would you gain from that? You say your site manager is open about the construction process.
What if, for reasons that no one needs to know about, the screed is installed a week earlier, or the windows are fitted a week later? That would only create “issues that aren’t really problems” and cause frustration for a layperson and client who doesn’t realize that such a schedule is constantly adjusted—due to weather or other external factors.
Disappointments and surprises often arise simply because people rely too much on the written schedule.

Your site manager communicates and keeps you informed as they should. That is good and more valuable than a fixed plan.

The site manager will definitely have the plan. How else could he manage the construction of his 40 or 50 houses that he is overseeing?

But of course, it’s quite clever not to give you the plan. That way, he avoids constant calls asking where a particular tradesperson is, since they are scheduled to be there that week, and so on.
He also prevents you from contacting the tradespeople directly, because without the plan, you don’t even know who is coming to your site...

Call the site manager and ask if he received the email about the construction schedule. Alternatively, you can ask him the next time you meet.
My general contractor didn’t have one; everything was done on short notice verbally. As a result, the construction process was quite unstructured 😉