Construction projects can be extremely overwhelming and contractors often use words you might not be familiar with. So, to make the process a little easier, it’s best to familiarize yourself with these common terms below.
13 Commercial Construction Terms You Should Know
Acoustics
The acoustics of a building is an important consideration in any commercial construction project. So, it may be a term you hear quite often.
If your general contractor mentions acoustics, they are referring to the science of controlling the noise in a building. This also involves the control of sound transferring from one room or building to another.
Several factors may influence the acoustics of a room:
- The volume of a room
- Sound generation inside and outside of the room
- The impact noise
Contingency
When it comes to commercial construction projects, it’s always best to prepare for the unexpected. Sometimes when renovating, you uncover problems you weren’t aware of and incur costs you didn’t budget for.
That’s where the concept of a contingency comes in. This is when your contractor includes costs in the budget specifically for unexpected expenses.
Easement
This is a temporary or permanent right-of-use of a portion of the property or the whole property. In other words, the holder of the easement does not acquire ownership. But, they have a legal right to use the property.
Elevation
This is a 2-dimensional drawing that sets out what the building will look like when it’s complete as well as its vertical height dimensions.
Falsework
Falsework refers to temporary structures used to support a permanent structure while it is still in the building process.
For example, If you are building an arch in your doorway, you would use falsework to center the arch so that it keeps its shape. Once the arch can support itself, the construction team will remove the falsework.
Fit-out
A fit-out refers to when the tenant of a commercial property makes certain additions to the space. In other words, the tenant creates a space best suited to the needs of their business.
This process is usually carried out by the tenant’s construction team and not the landlords. It may include additions such as drywall to create separate offices.
Grading
Grading is the process of ensuring that a base or scope is level. This is usually done to ensure proper water run-off on the property.
Lean Construction
Lean construction is all about maximizing value while minimizing waste. To do so, the process of lean construction involves managing the project through the shared goals of all the stakeholders.
There are five principles of lean:
- Value
- Value stream
- Flow
- Pull
- Perfection
The goal of lean construction is to improve the process to deliver exactly what the customer requires.
Load-bearing
This refers to any structure that supports some kind of load. A load-bearing structure carries the weight of the building downwards through the walls of the structure. For example, the load from the roof is supported by the walls and this load is supported by the foundation.
MEP
MEP refers to Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing. The MEP is central to any build and is what ultimately makes a building suitable for human occupancy.
Punch List
This list is usually compiled near the end of the construction project. The punch list reflects any work that the contractor still needs to complete or hasn’t completed correctly.
The owner of the property should also compile a portion of the list if necessary. That way, it allows you to inspect the work done and highlight any areas you are unhappy with. Then, the contractor will address all the items on the punch list to ensure successful project completion.
Substantial Completion
When the project is substantially complete, it means that the building is fit for human occupancy. Usually, the engineer or architect working on the project will inspect it and declare it substantially complete.
At this point, the owner becomes responsible for the building. But, you may not receive your certificate of occupancy just yet. This only occurs at the stage of final completion.
Time and Materials (T&M)
T&M refers to a type of payment structure. This structure is usually used when there is no definite scope of the build. As a result, it’s difficult for the contractor to agree on a fixed price for the project.
So, the best way to resolve this is to enter into a Time and Materials contract with your contractor. It allows for a flexible fee structure that you determine with your contractor as the project goes.
Conclusion
If you’re about to embark on a commercial construction project, be sure to familiarize yourself with all these common terms. That way, you can follow all the processes with ease.