Managing Development Pace and Time Cost
Overall, the key at this stage is to optimize the development pace through experience, thereby accelerating the project and lowering total cost. It must be emphasized that time itself is a significant component of cost — yet in practice speed and cost are rarely fully reconcilable, so a reasonable and efficient balance must be found between the two.
1. The Critical Judgment on Development Start Timing In the Vancouver area, climate has a marked effect on construction pace — the rainy season is long and especially affects these key stages:
- Foundation
- Framing
- Windows & Envelope
The core strategy is therefore: complete these critical stages in summer wherever possible.
2. Working Backwards and Planning the Whole Timeline To achieve this, front-end timeline planning is essential:
- Design period: roughly 2–4 months (depending on project complexity)
- Approval period: roughly 3–4 months (depending on the city’s approval efficiency and the number of applications)
Based on these durations, work backwards from the completion (handover) date to ensure the project can move into its critical construction stages during summer.
3. The Logic of Optimizing Construction Pace The ideal rhythm is:
- Summer: complete demolition, foundation, framing, and windows (closing in the structure)
- Rainy season: focus mainly on interior works
The direct benefits:
- Avoids rain interfering with structural work
- Reduces rework and quality risk
- Improves continuity and efficiency
4. Results-Oriented Sensible pacing achieves:
- A shorter overall construction period
- Lower weather-related uncertainty costs
- Greater certainty and control over delivery
