- Depending on your contractor and how their construction contracts are written, you may be on the hook for a “standing time” or delay charge for time you spend on site so that work cannot continue. Usually, these types of contract clauses don’t cover “no fault” delays, as with weather, but if you are the direct cause of a delay, you may find yourself facing the bill. After all, your contractor is still paying their staff and subcontractors while they wait, so they need to pass the cost along.
- Aside from the direct cost of delays, if you are one of the many people that choose to rent a home while you’re building, any delays may add weeks or months to the period of time you must lease, and you may find yourself paying a higher month-to-month rental while your contractor works to catch up.
- If you delay work on site at a critical time – like just before the roof goes on – and the weather turns, you may find yourself paying for additional costs associated with cleaning up damage caused by rain or snow. Again, this is a rare occurrence and would only happen if you were the direct cause of the delay, but it’s always best not to impede critical elements of the build. That having been said, if you do notice a major problem, don’t be afraid to ask. Posing questions won’t delay things too much and might save trouble later on.
- If you delay the build before it even starts for some reason, and if the delay lasts for a significant amount of time, you may find that prices of materials, fixtures and finishes (as well as labor costs) have increased by the time you’re ready to go. This is why it’s often better to buy in planned communities, where things like permits and services are taken care of. In these cases, there are no wild card variables that might delay the project start.
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