Building your house is such a gratifying experience, right? But this experience is not without its fair share of challenges either. Some countries are more prone to weather conditions, like Pakistan, which makes house construction more difficult. Leaking roofs, cracked walls, and weak foundations are just on top of the list of problems most commonly faced by contractors and homeowners.
People want to live independently, period. But they also do not want the experience of building a home taxing either. That’s why some prefer to live in apartments like one capital residences. There’s no hassle of constructing a home instead, all you need to do is pay the down payments and booking amount.
But what about those people who want an independent house? Well, they are more prone to construction problems.
Therefore, in this blog, our focus is on homeowners who want to build a house but yet are unaware of the common construction problems.
1- Safety issues
Most houses in Pakistan are constructed without any supervision and proper safety guidelines. As a result, accidents related to construction sites have surfaced. This is a common problem when constructing a house independently.
This can happen due to other factors too like using substandard materials. Precautionary measures need to be taken at a construction site, especially if it’s on residential premises. It helps to minimize (if not eliminate entirely) the hazards. Therefore it’s also one of the common reasons why some prefer to live in apartment buildings instead.
Before starting working on any construction site, laborers should be given strict guidelines about construction safety onsite. Each member of the team should also have high-risk training and offer emergency management solutions.
2- Lack of skilled labor
In case the labor is not skilled, it can become the cause of minor and severe accidents leading to fatal injuries too.
In a country like Pakistan, you will face a shortage of labor force at a construction site. People are usually overworked and willing to earn a good buck. Low wagers are the temptation that leads to physical burnout, too. Because of low wages, workers are forced to switch industries.
Another reason for the house construction problem is that whatever number of laborers is available not all are trained in their specific domain. This ultimately results in construction delays, cost overruns, and a decrease in construction quality big time.
3- Price variations in construction
One of the common turbulences in house construction is that estimated construction costs can deviate from the estimated budget. It is common and happens a lot.
Multiple factors are behind this problem, like the country’s political instability, no transparency in the construction industry, and lack of general regulations. Because of these reasons, the construction cost can vary a lot.
To resolve the issue, you can sign a cost-plus contract. It allows the contractor to reimburse the actual cost to the owner and works on a fixed fee. It’s beneficial in minimizing cost overruns.
4- Lack of advanced technology
The construction industry in a developing and underdeveloped country can take a major hit due to limited or lack of digital tools. Technological advancements make construction more efficient. But with the lack of technology high costs might be involved. As a result, houses are built using poor or outdated methods and materials.
This leads us back to the safety concern issue. It makes the housing project questionable as the building is not sustainable. If governments invest in digital tools it can help in the design and architecture that would be an immense help in the construction of a house.
5- Drainage issues
One of the most common and disturbing issues that homeowners face in constructing a house is related to grading and drainage issues. The reasons occur mostly due to moisture in crawl spaces and poor grading in basements.
It takes a few years to settle the foundation despite proper grading. Natural changes in soil play a major part here. So whether you have used bricks, concrete, or stone, all the materials are porous so water can seep through roofs and basements in a newly constructed house.
Keeping these 5 common problems of house construction in mind, you can come up with a better strategy to divide the cost of construction.
