How to build and develop a solid relationship with your commercial builders

Commercial construction often involves large-scale, long-term major projects that span anywhere from four to eight months. During this process, you will spend a lot of time with your commercial builder and project manager. Both are integral to the successful delivery of your project and will be key players throughout the construction process.

At FMR Building Services, we believe that building and developing a strong relationship with your construction team, particularly your commercial builder should always be prioritised. It doesn’t just affect the ease of the entire experience, but it also improves the quality of communication between you and the construction team and ultimately, your project’s final results.

They lead your project

Often, clients forget how important the builder is in leading the project. Our commercial builders lead your project and carry out much of the administrative work needed to complete your project successfully including, submitting plans and tenders for approval, managing work crews, and doing whatever they can to ensure that your build is completed on time and on budget.

Strengthen your relationship 

As you can see, the leadership role of a commercial builder makes them extremely important in the delivery of your project. Here are a few more reasons why you should build a strong relationship with your commercial builder:

• Receive more progressive updates with improved communication
• Benefit from a better understanding of the commercial builder’s part of what you want for the project
• Earn a positive reputation in the construction industry
• Get access to a world of high-quality sub-contractors

5 tips for building and developing a solid relationship with your commercial builders

Know exactly what you want

If you don’t determine the specifications of your project before construction begins, you may want to make last-minute changes. Though you might think that this primarily affects architects and designers, the person in charge of executing your design change will be the commercial builder. At FMR Building Services, our commercial builders will always try to accommodate the client, however, sometimes it may not be possible.

Requesting last-minute changes can not only compromise the end result of your project (it may take up resources, budget and time), but it can also be extremely difficult for the commercial builder to deal with. This is not the way to develop a good relationship with your builder or to help deliver a successful project.

Do not unexpectedly decrease the budget

Commercial builders are used to dealing with changing factors and they know how to respond effectively, however, reducing their budget can have potentially disastrous consequences. It may reduce the pool of contractors they can use and can lower the quality of material used on your building.

Our commercial builders know that unexpected changes happen, however, instead of immediately cutting their budget, talk to them about reducing costs without compromising quality. Our builders will work with you to find a solution and will appreciate the collaboration. This is what helps strengthen the relationship.

Give the builder’s team their space

When a commercial builder’s team is working, it’s normal to expect the client to want to inspect the site. However, you should never overstay your welcome or hover. This may make the builder feel as if you have little confidence in their leadership. Instead, trust your builder and establish a communication line. You’ll find that our builders love updating clients about their projects.

Reciprocate communication efforts

At FMR Building Services, we train our commercial builders to consistently update clients. We know how important it is for you to understand what’s occurring on your site, and encourage them to establish a line of communication.

As the client, you should try to communicate on your end as well. Let our commercial builders know about your concerns or any questions that you may have about the site. Builders are more than willing to alleviate your worries and will guide you through any aspect of the process that is of concern.

Understand that some things are out of the builder’s control

Every construction site has elements that are out of the commercial builder’s control. These elements may include but are not limited to unfavourable weather, pandemic lockdowns, delays in material and more. It’s important that, as the client, you understand that it is out of the commercial builder’s control. Unfortunately, sites experience issues on a daily basis, it’s up to the builder to respond appropriately. If you’re in the Sydney metropolitan area, and you’d like to discuss our commercial building services or if you’d like to chat with one of our residential builders, email us at admin@fmr.com.au or give us a call on (02) 9898 1626.