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The ways that the phases of a construction project is defined can change between businesses. However, the essential phases always stay the same: Project Initiation, Design, Procurement, Construction and Monitoring, and Handover.

Phase 1: Project Initiation

All projects need project planning, and starting construction projects are no different. This phase is the most important part of the entire project, because this is when you decide what you need, what you want, and if you have the resources to successfully complete your project.

If you are considering a residential build, you will need to factor in the costs of balancing any existing mortgages or rents with the cost of the build. If you are considering a commercial build, you will need to consider if you need to change your employee’s existing work arrangements or pause your business’ operations, and how this will affect your construction project.

This phase is also when you decide where you will be starting construction. Do you need to buy land? Are you renovating an existing build? If you are renting, do you need to get permission from the landowners?

Phase 2: Design

Now that you know exactly what you are working with, it’s time to move onto Designing your project.

During this phase, the comprehensive plans for your build’s final design is drawn up, and the preparation you need to start construction happens.

For example, you may design a project roadmap with a clear and concise timeline. You may speak with engineers and builders, suppliers, your landlord, or Councils to get any permission, quotes, or calculations you need.

By the end of the design stage, it should be clear to everyone how and when you will be completing the construction.

Phase 3: Procurement

This stage is sometimes merged into the Design phase as it involves sourcing, purchasing, and transporting the materials, equipment, and services you need for your construction project.

By ensuring that all materials and equipment have been secured, you and any hired tradespeople can rest easy knowing that you will have everything you need when you need them.

Be aware that there may be supply issues with some of the materials you want to use. Be sure to research these issues and factor them into your project’s planning.

Phase 4: Construction and Monitoring

Finally, we have reached the point in your project where you can finally begin physical building work.

Once you have begun construction, this phase will mostly involve any contractors and subcontractors performing their tasks as planned in the previous phases, such as laying foundations, putting in framing structures, and installing your decided utilities and systems.

If your build is located outdoors, be aware that weather conditions can affect your project’s timelines.

Phase 5: Handover

And at last, your construction project is complete. Once final inspections are completed by the site supervisor of your build, you are ready to start moving in and using your new building!

Now that you know what it takes to complete a building project, when should we start?

The simple answer is: now!

Planning can never start early enough, and the more planning you can do beforehand, the better prepared you will be for when construction kicks off in your project.

However, as we mentioned earlier, the physical construction part of your project is more time-sensitive that the rest as the weather can drastically affect the timeline of your build.

Depending on what sort of building project you are looking to do, the ideal season for starting construction can change.

Indoor Construction Project

Budget

Before you begin searching for a new office space, the very first step is to determine your budget. How much can you afford to spend on rent, utilities, and other expenses such as cleaners or office maintenance? Once you have a budget, it will be easier to narrow down your search to spaces that are within your price range.

Location

Location is an essential element when you start considering an office move. Base your decision around factors such as accessibility, transportation, and conveniences. Do you need to be close to public transport, have plenty of parking options, or be close to food and retail outlets? What would suit you, your employees, and your clients best?

Size and Layout

Consider the number of employees, the type of work you do, and the equipment and supplies you need for your business. Are you looking for only offices, or offices that have additional spaces like warehouses or workshops? Depending on your business, this will affect how many desks, meeting rooms, or open spaces you need when considering an office move.

Internal fit out

Internal fit out is something that many people don’t consider until they are in a space that doesn’t have great internal fit out. From improving functionally to enhancing aesthetics, internal fit out is essential to creating a better work environment for your team.

Designing and designing an office space that will meet your business’ specific needs and requirements can require anything from purchasing new furniture to minor renovations to complete office overhauls.

When you are looking for a new business space, make sure that the general layout suits your business’ needs. If the existing fit out works for you, that is great! Otherwise, factor in extra budget to cover the expenses of your new office’s fit out.

Planning

You can never be too prepared during an office move! Planning is your best friend when completing big projects, and it will be as well for your big move. Make office moving checklists, document lists, and spreadsheets. Include all tasks – big and small – on your lists, as well as the steps leading up to them and the people, teams and companies responsible for each task and sub-task.

By delegating every element of every task, you transform a mammoth project into more manageable bite-sized chunks. Use your planning documents as your road map for your office move, and make use of sharing software to let your team members collaborate and see what needs to be done.

Timing Your Move

Your business still has to function during your moving process. Consider when your business peaks are to try and time your office move during your business’ quieter periods.

Make Deadlines

Make deadlines for every task and sub-task to help you and your team get everything done more efficiently. Seeing deadlines that you are all working towards will also help motivate and excite your team over the move. If you can, schedule in a post-move party as a final task to celebrate your successful office move!

Not sure about what to add to your ‘Office Move’ list? Here are some of the most common tasks to help you get started:

• Measure up: Block out a few hours to measure everything in your new office space. From how high your windows are located on the wall to how far each power point is located, these measurements will help you configure your new spaces more efficiently.
• Inventory: Make an inventory of everything you want to take in the move, and make a list of everything you need to buy.
• Ordering Furniture: If you need to order any furniture for your new space, make sure to do it earlier to ensure on-time deliveries
• Security: If your business requires security, get in touch with your new building manager to see if security is covered by your rental at least a month before your moving in date. If you need to find your own security company, now’s the time to ring around for quotes and get them to survey the new office. Many security companies need a month’s notice, so get this done early.
• Removals: Whilst many people remember to hire removalists, many forget to hire a team to strip-out their old office space. Contact Star PM to experience true wrap-around services for a stress-free office relocation.
• Inform your suppliers: Get in touch with all your suppliers, from cleaning companies to newspaper deliveries to water suppliers, at least three weeks ahead of time to let them know of your moving date. If you are moving to a different area of your city, consider researching new suppliers that are more local to compare their costs.
• Change of address and phone number: Prepare change of address notifications to send to contacts and suppliers. Set up mail redirections and forwarding numbers if you can’t arrange to keep the business number that you already have.

Pressure washing is exactly that: it uses highly pressurised water to help loosen and remove dirt and other materials from hard surfaces. Depending on the type of machine, the amount of pressure will vary. For example, a household unit will not be as strong or have as much pressure as an industrial machine.

You might have heard power washing being used interchangeably with pressure washing, but there is a key difference! Although they both use high-pressure water to clean, a power washer also has a heating element to heat the water up. By using a stream of high-pressured hot water, a power washer is more suitable to remove substances that are really stuck on. For example, salt, outdoor mould, chewing gum, and grease stains on garage floors will all be more easily blasted away by a power washer.

Which one’s better, power washing or pressure washing?

Even though it might sound like power washing is more effective, which one you choose really depends on where you want to clean.

For example, power washing is suitable for large commercial spaces that get extremely dirty. However, the force of highly heated water can do damage to a lot of surfaces, especially if you want to clean them regularly. It’s best to stick to concrete and other very durable surfaces if you want to use a power washer.

However, the non-heated water of a pressure washer is less harsh on surfaces, making it ideal for use on not only concrete but also masonry, brick, wooden surfaces, and even some glass surfaces.

If you are looking for regular cleaning and maintenance, a pressure washer is definitely the way to go.

Concrete and paved areas

Let’s start with the obvious one: concrete and paved areas are perfect for pressure washing. This isn’t news to anyone – it’s the most common way to use a pressure washer.

Footpaths, driveways, garden tiles and pavers, these will all be easily transformed by a pressure washer.

Property Exteriors

Similarly, the outside surfaces of your property are very appropriate for a pressure wash. They are made to withstand all sorts of weather conditions, so it is perfectly safe to blast them with a pressure washer to get rid of dust, cobwebs, mould, algae, or mildew. If you can get up there, your property’s roof can also be easily cleaned with a pressure washer.

If you have older surfaces, such as painted weatherboard or cracked facades, start with a lower pressure to prevent damaging your property.

And whilst you’re out there, don’t forget to clean any garage doors!

Glass

Many modern windows are made of stronger glass, which is perfectly safe to clean with a pressure wash. Depending on the type of glass, you might end up with water spots, so you may need to go back to polish them with a window spray to keep them in tip-top shine. But now that you’ve gotten rid of the dirt, that should be a quick and easy job!

To be safe, start with a lower pressure to begin with and use a nozzle that fans out the water to prevent hitting the glass with the full force of your pressure washer.

Fencing

Pressure washing works on all sorts of fencing, but it is especially effective for metal fences.

For wooden fencing, if you want to repaint your fence, a higher setting on your pressure washer could help you blast away the surface paint and reduce the amount of sanding you have to do before you start repainting. Just make sure your paint is not lead-based before you start blasting!

Wooden Decks and Outdoor Furniture

Timber decking is particularly susceptible to growing moss and algae and becoming discoloured from being outside 24/7. A pressure wash will transform it back to how it was when it was new.

Be aware that if you use too much pressure, paint or stain could be stripped from the boards. If you plan on re-staining or re-painting after cleaning it, that’s great! But if you just want to refresh your decks, be sure to use a lower-pressure setting.

And whilst you’re cleaning your decks, give your outdoor furniture a quick blast as well. They are designed to withstand the elements and can easily be pressure washed to rid of mould, algae, dust, dirt, and any bird droppings.

Rubbish Bins

Rubbish bins, no matter how carefully you keep your bin bags closed and tear-free, will develop an unpleasant odour over time. A pressure washer can quickly and easily spray your entire bin down to get rid of any smells, stains, and stuck-on gunk. Just be mindful that you are highly likely to get splashback like this, so be sure to put your bin in an open area and stand well back to avoid being covered in bin juice.

1. Always start pressure washing on a low setting, and gradually increase the pressure as you go. Pause the machine to change the water pressure to prevent accidents. As you increase the pressure, inspect the area each time to check that it’s effectively cleaning your area without causing surface damage.
2. Keep your arms and hands steady to prevent accidentally blasting something you didn’t intend to clean, and stand at a distance of at least 1m away from the surface you’re cleaning.
3. Clean your surfaces from top to bottom, and always keep the pressure washer in motion! Don’t hold it in one spot for more than two or three seconds to prevent surface damage.
4. Remove/unplug any electrical fixtures that are not water-resistant. Cover any outdoor outlets with waterproof tape.
5. Clear the area around the surfaces you want to pressure wash, especially of any fragile items. Use makeshift stilts and/or plastic sheets to protect any flower beds, plants, and vegetation.
6. Stick to an environmentally friendly cleaning solution as opposed to toxic cleaners.

1. Side Yards

A side yard is an area that runs along the side of a property between the building’s exterior walls and any boundary walls or fences. They are usually not seen from the street and receive less traffic than other areas of the landscape, and thus, are easy to forget about and neglect. Many properties use side yards as extra storage, drainage, or simply as empty space.

Increase the outlook of your property by paying attention to these areas. Add paving and low-maintenance plants if there aren’t already. Ensure that any property maintenance or cleaning companies you hire include these areas onto their list of areas to clean.

Maintain your drainage systems regularly as one of your property maintenance tasks and keep your landscapes beautiful, clean, and danger-free.

There are two main methods to tree maintenance:

• Tree Lopping: the trimming of tree branches to reduce and modify the size of the tree
• Tree Pruning: protects trees against disease to aid health for a long life

6. Façade Maintenance

One of the largest jobs on any property maintenance task list is the Façade Maintenance. Ideally, you want to clean and maintain your building’s façade every 3-5 years. Putting off façade maintenance means that stains, grime, and dirt can accumulate and combine to form other compounds that become more difficult to clean.

Depending on your location, the weather may see more extremes, or air pollution may be stronger, which can cause faster grime build-up. The materials used in your façade may also contribute to how often you need to maintain your building’s exterior.

Although it may be tempting to put it off, don’t! Your building’s appearance is often the first thing people see when they arrive at your property. Be sure to make a good impression with a clean and well-kept façade.