In general, the chain of stages for the construction of the building envelope consists of examination, design, approval, production, installation of further maintenance of the facade.
Each of these stages must be performed at the highest level.
However, not every customer has the knowledge sufficient to make a choice, about which later
no regrets: there are many poignant moments known only to professionals in the façade industry.
One of the leaders in the building envelope segment, Alkon-Trade-System CJSC, shares its experience with customers and general project contractors.
When choosing a contractor for the installation of facades, the general contractor or customer is often faced with a choice - to hire several companies to perform each type of work (ventilation facades, glazing, lighting, and so on) or entrust all the work to one team.
Most often, this dilemma concerns the work on the two main components of the facade - translucent structures and cladding.
What does the customer get by giving preference to the first option?
First, the blurring of responsibility. The facade is a single complex.
Every centimeter of it is connected with other engineering, technical and technological "threads". When the design of the facade is entrusted to one company, these threads are tightly bound. If an attempt is made to break it down into its component parts, this can lead to negative consequences. Allied companies are not bound by any mutual agreements and ultimately bear responsibility only for the quality of their work, and do not aim to create a complete result - a high-quality facade. Often, contracting companies engaged in one project acquaint them with the decisions of their colleagues, when the projects have already been approved and some aspects of the work that the customer or general contractor did not pay attention to may cause a conflict of interest. They can, for example, become zones (nodes) of contiguity of systems of different nature and purpose. For example, insulation and waterproofing of "blind" and translucent parts, that is, the facade and the window (stained glass).
Price
At the stage of concluding a contract, for many customers, the main criterion is the price. However, when reading a commercial offer, you must remember about one line of expenses not spelled out there - risks. They also have a price, and the customer will have to pay it.
The risk is associated with the incompetence of the contractor, lack of experience, unskilled personnel, low-quality equipment and other indicators. It is necessary to answer the questions: what will happen to the facades, for example, in six months? How will the contractor behave, for example, if the payment deadlines are violated, and, let's be honest, delays in payments are a frequent occurrence in the construction industry (for example, when the main players leading the project change)?
Does she have enough resources not to freeze work for a month or two? What will happen to the facades in a year - will the installation be of high quality, will the choice of materials be correct? And two years later, when may you need to make minor repairs? Will the company exist by that time and will it have the resources to provide warranty service?
Risk assessment can make a business proposal with pretty numbers significantly less attractive.
Rarely, but it happens, when the customer, dissatisfied with the quality of the work of the insolvent performer, decides to replace the facade contractor. It will be easier for a new team to break than to redo. The costs will naturally fall on the shoulders of the customer.
Most of the customers and general contractors who have already passed the “school of tenders” use a simple rule: they exclude the cheapest and most expensive offers. And then they work with the "golden mean". The capital's facade market has long been formed, and the cost of high-quality work made from the same materials cannot fundamentally differ. If someone offers a price significantly lower than the market average, then this is a reason to think about what expenditure part, common to all companies, is missing from this player.
These costs include taxes, office rent, employee salaries. It may turn out that a company offering to do work very cheaply is on the "black lists" of employers, has problems with the tax authorities or other violations.
Materials (edit)
The quality of materials determines not only the appearance of facades. The safety and functionality of the facade depend on it. For example, all materials used for cladding and insulation must be non-flammable. Otherwise, your facade can easily join the ranks of news stories from the Burning Facade series.
There have been cases when companies, in violation of all regulations and norms, used substandard materials. For example, to insulate the facades, an insulation material intended for roofing, floors and interior decoration was used.
To be continued…
