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Like most other industries, construction has faced increasing pressures over recent years. Not only are workers operating under the strain of major talent shortages, but they’re also facing a reality where projects have increasingly shortened time frames, and clients constantly expect more for less.
As an inevitable result, countless construction firms are guilty of sacrificing quality for the sake of profits or the ability to simply keep their clients happy. Now, we face a reality where build quality is at an all-time low, professionals feel increasingly unsatisfied, and notable legal disruptions are coming thick and fast.
This isn’t an ideal scenario for anyone, least of all the construction firms trying to keep their heads above the water. You probably understand this struggle more than most if you currently manage a construction firm or are thinking about starting one. But, before you consider cutting corners, too, remember that the firms that do so for the sake of profits are always in the wrong. Keep on reading as we consider why following in their footsteps is guaranteed to be a bad idea.
The False Economy of Profits Over Quality
The pull of profits is strong in any industry, and can be more so in construction, where the need to source high-cost build materials in advance of payment can be a constant struggle. The ability to pull higher profits in a shorter time frame holds undeniable appeal, but we’re sadly here to ruin that illusion for you. You see, you might save on labour and material costs by rushing lower-quality projects through your books, but this approach is guaranteed to cost you more in the long run for more than one reason.
Most notably, you may find that a rushed approach actually increases the budget for your construction project due to one simple, dreaded word: maintenance. That client is well within their rights to contact your team to tackle issues like visible cracks, insulation issues, and general quality concerns. And you’ll need to shoulder the cost of everything from the time it takes to investigate to the materials needed for repair. Which, ironically, tend to be materials that you should have used all along.
And that’s not all – buildings with visible defects also sell for significantly less when they come to market. You could say, then, that it’s actually cheaper to go slow and source quality materials in the first place, even if that does mean waiting a few extra weeks to see any returns.
Notable Safety Risks
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Safety risks are perhaps the most worrying thing to emerge from this race for profits, and they’ve already had devastating consequences in countless emergencies. For instance, it’s widely thought that the ‘profit-hungry’ construction industry was responsible for London’s Grenfell Tower disaster, which led to a shocking 72 deaths when cheap cladding and skipped safety checks took their toll. Similar devastating consequences were also seen in 2014, in the Melbourne Lacrosse fire. Meanwhile, loud cracking and visible issues in Sydney’s Opal Tower led to evacuation back in 2018 over fears that the then brand-new high-rise might collapse in light of questionable construction that saw it termed as one of ‘Australia’s dodgiest buildings’.
Not only do you put your customers at notable risk when you rush crucial elements of your projects, but you also leave yourself open to legal repercussions. For instance, in the aftermath of the Grenfell disaster, a £360 million legal claim was brought against the construction companies involved in the building project. Various legal actions also followed the Opal Tower cracking crisis. This can lead to unfathomable losses, which really makes proper building practices and quality materials seem like a no-brainer.
From the very beginning of a project, construction companies should go above and beyond to set time frames that ensure customers have realistic expectations for project progression. It’s also key to take time when sourcing non-combustible, fire safety-approved materials, such as the cladding GRC that countless construction companies use as standard after too many disasters with materials like highly combustible alternatives in the past decade. And, of course, time should always be taken at the end of a project to conduct an extensive safety walk-around and fire test before you sign off on something that’ll come back to bite you.
Ruined Reputations
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It isn’t always easy to build your reputation as a construction firm. In fact, the quality of your builds is really the only way to make your name. But if you fall into the trap of a so-called ‘shoddy’ building, you could soon land yourself in a reputational quagmire that you can’t easily climb out of.
This is true even if word of mouth simply gets around that your builds aren’t of the best quality. Developers will stop seeking you out, and you certainly won’t be able to benefit from all-important repeat custom or recommendations. And that’s the best-case scenario. If you end up becoming embroiled in a situation where lives are lost or individuals are injured, you can kiss goodbye to ever working in construction again.
To avoid that, you need to take a leaf out of the book of nearly every other industry out there and prioritise quality at all times. You may feel like this involves going against the grain at times, and you may even need to get firm with your clients. But once your builds start to speak for themselves, your reputation will soon start to soar.
Conclusion
The idea of cutting corners in construction has an undeniable allure – not only will your clients be happier, but you can also double your workload, and ideally halve your costs. High profits are sure to follow. Or, are they?
As we’ve discussed in this article, not only are cut corners sure to cost you more in the long run, but they could have far deeper consequences that could lead to the closure of your firm and the end of your career prospects.
Bear all of this in mind, and put quality back at the forefront of your firm. Your prospects and overall profits will surely thank you for it.
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