Construction Rework: Causes, Costs & How To Avoid It

Despite best efforts to meet your clients’ expectations, there are many opportunities for mistakes that lead to rework during the construction process.

Learn the common causes of rework, its impact on a project’s success, and best practices to avoid costly setbacks. 

What is construction rework?

In construction, rework is any work that needs to be rebuilt or corrected after it’s first completed due to errors made by the contractor, miscommunication between project stakeholders, or other causes. 

Rework can be required on any scale, from simple repairs to complete deconstruction and rebuilding. 

What are the impacts of construction rework?

Rework negatively impacts project performance in several ways, including the project schedule, budget, and customer relationships.

The most obvious consequence of rework is a delay to the project’s planned schedule. Depending on the complexity of the issue, rework can postpone milestones and delivery dates by days, months, or even years.

Rework also affects the project budget. Additional time, materials, and labor are often needed to complete repairs and reconstruction, which are significant costs not originally accounted for in the contract.

Finally, rework may cause tension between project stakeholders—typically the general contractor, subcontractors, project owners, designers, or architects—as well as spark conflict between internal team members. Whether or not there is a clear party at fault, necessary rework can lead to a loss of trust or confidence.

What are the most common causes of construction rework?

The exact reasons why a construction company may be obligated to redo a portion of work that was previously completed can vary, but there are some frequent contributing factors to keep in mind.

The most common causes of rework in construction are:

• Construction errors

• Design errors (such as inaccurate or incomplete measurements)

• Poor communication

• Misinterpretation of contract terms

• Lack of documentation and oversight

Strategies for preventing construction rework

Take proactive action to prevent rework and make sure everyone involved with a project is on the same page.

1. Reserve time for project planning

The planning stage is the perfect time to clarify the project owner’s goals and set reasonable expectations. Rushing this crucial step risks confusion and misinterpretation.

Instead of pushing for fast approvals, give stakeholders plenty of time to review project plans and provide ample opportunities to ask questions. 

Document every stage of the planning process in as much detail as possible.

2. Work on your communication skills

We all communicate regularly in our work and personal lives, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s an expert. Communication is a skill that can be learned—and improved—with training and education.

If you’re in a construction management role, consider enrolling in a specialized course or even seeking free resources. Many are available online. You’ll learn how to make your communications more efficient and effective. 

You should also make an effort to increase the frequency of communications with both customers and your collaborators. Whether you’re sharing progress updates with the project owner or managing your field team, keep the lines of communication open. Providing a clear view of what’s happening on both sides of the project may help you identify and correct potential misunderstandings before they lead to rework.

3. Triple-check project designs and specifications

Designs, drawings, and project plans are full of critical and often complicated information. It’s easy for a designer or architect to miscalculate a measurement or forget to add a specification.

Because these documents will be used to build your project, they should go through a sufficient review process with multiple internal stakeholders who can verify each document is complete and accurate before they get turned over to the build team.

4. Focus on quality control

To help reduce construction errors, make sure your field teams are performing thorough quality control checks. Train them on proper quality management procedures and consider using a standardized quality control checklist to make sure no steps are missed.

Build time into the project schedule for onsite supervisors and project managers to check work against plans and make sure field crews are using the right materials and techniques.

5. Use digital tools to monitor and share progress

Many of the common causes of rework can be mitigated by increasing visibility of the jobsite and improving communication. However, it can be difficult to achieve these goals while you're busy with actual construction-related tasks.

Investing in digital solutions that make it easier to monitor and report on progress can significantly reduce the chance of rework. Instead of time-consuming pen and paper or disorganized spreadsheets, your crews can use mobile software to quickly capture and share information from the jobsite, including photos and videos, in real time.

Project managers and other internal stakeholders can keep a closer eye on quality and more easily keep project owners informed.

Rework less with Raken

Raken’s easy-to-use web and mobile app reduces rework with real-time views and automated reporting workflows.

Field crews:

• Quickly capture detailed daily reports 

• Access standardized safety and quality management checklists

• Submit quality observations instantly from the jobsite
  

The office:

Gets real-time field data with time-stamped photos and videos

Publishes customizable reports that be automatically distributed by audience

Gains automated production insights measuring progress against estimates.

Improve report compliance and make sure projects stay on track with clear visibility for you and your customers.