What Is a Pre-Construction Meeting?
The last meeting before ground breaks, and the most valuable hour of the whole project.
The pre-construction meeting is the final review before we break ground. Plans, selections, schedule, site logistics and communication all get confirmed in one sitting. It's stage seven of our process, and it's the cheapest hour in the entire project to catch something.
What gets covered
The plans
We walk the final drawings together, page by page. Floor plan, elevations, electrical plan, and any changes made during design. This is your last look before these become instructions to a framing crew.
Selections
Every selection from your design center appointment gets confirmed. Cabinets, counters, flooring, tile, plumbing, lighting, hardware, paint. Anything still open gets a deadline. See selection deadlines.
The schedule
Projected timeline by phase, the long-lead items and when they're ordered, and the milestones where we'll want you on site.
Site logistics
- Where the house sits on the lot, and its orientation
- Driveway location and construction access
- Trees to be preserved, and trees that have to go
- Where the dumpster, portable toilet and material storage go
- Erosion control
- Utility locations and routing
Communication
Who your point of contact is, how often you'll get updates, how site visits are arranged, and how change orders are handled. See staying involved.
What to bring
- Your copy of the plans, marked up with anything you've been wondering about
- Your selection list
- Every question you've been saving. Ask all of them. There is no better time
- Someone else from the household, so two people heard it
Questions worth asking
- Where exactly is the house on the lot, and which way does the back face?
- What's the final grade going to look like around the house?
- Which decisions do I still have time to change, and when does each one lock?
- What's the longest-lead item and when is it ordered?
- What's most likely to delay this project?
- When should I be on site?
Why it matters so much
Every change after this point costs more, and most cost considerably more. See change orders.