Project Timing

We received a call from a client in June of 2020. As you may recall, our world had a few unknowns going on at that time. This specific client happens to own a large warehouse and he had a request from one of his existing tenants (a large national brand) to add on to the existing facility to accommodate additional product storage. The additional product storage was needed due to it being a very “hot commodity” at that time. We rolled up our sleeves and got to work on preliminary layouts and design, working alongside the warehouse owner and his tenant on what exactly they needed. It took a few months of planning to arrive at a solution that the tenant was happy with and would meet their needs.

Once the planning was complete and the tenant was happy, PDMi was ready to start design documents so that we could get competitive bids from the sub-contractors in order to break ground before it got too late in the fall. This is when the project slowed quite a bit. As I mentioned above, the tenant was a large national brand and there were many “layers” of approvals needed, above that of the local warehouse manager, in order to move the project forward. Needless to say, our window for breaking ground before winter was missed and the project never got started until late in the spring of 2021. Due to the setback, the project is now finally just WEEKS away from completion, but the product that the tenant so badly needed space to store is no longer such a “hot commodity”. It is still in demand, but not the way it was in 2020.

At PDMi, we often talk about planning, designing and implementing a project, all done in that sequence. The moral of the story is that there can always be outside factors that slow the process, even when you make your best effort to follow it precisely. Back in June of 2020, we did not anticipate a completion date of May 2022, but here we are ready to deliver a great product despite the schedule delays. The tenant will still get great use out of the new space, despite it being later than the local warehouse manager might have hoped.

If you’ve got an upcoming project that needs planned, designed or implemented, give us a call – we’d love to be part of your team.

The Wrong Way

This guy had a job to get done, and quite frankly he may get it done, but he is going about it the wrong way. The family van is not the right vehicle to haul a large tree from point A to point B.

This reminds me of a client that recently called us. They had an exterior paving and site improvement project at their plant that they wanted to get done as soon as the weather would allow. One of the facility engineers decided he could put together a scope of work document for competitive bids from contractors. It did not work out well. Because, like the guy with the van, the facility engineer did not use the right vehicle to convey his message to the contractors. The quotes he received from his document of general notes, a non-scalable plans & no specifications, were not complete and could have led to major change orders. His supervisor stepped in and gave us a call. We created a document that clearly conveyed to the contractors what the owner wanted done.

So how do you determine if you have the right in-house vehicle to get a project done?

• Assess what existing documentation (plans, details & specifications) you have on file. If you don’t have good documents or a way to create them – you may want to hire a professional.

• Assess the experience and abilities of your staff. If your staff has not successfully managed a project like this one – you may want to hire a professional.

• Assess how busy your staff is. If your staff is already stretched thin – you may want to hire a professional.

PDMi would love the opportunity of helping you create documentation, manage the information and provide the effort needed to complete your project. We can be the right vehicle to bring your project home. Give us a call…

"Rules" of Construction

I had the opportunity to spend a few days in south Florida last week. It was great to get away from the cold temps here in northern Indiana and spend some time in the warmth. Next door to the condo that we stayed in was a new beachfront development. I couldn’t help but notice the construction of the new building and how much it was different (yet similar) to many of the buildings that we build here locally. It was mainly constructed of poured in place concrete, with masonry block walls and large concrete piers for the foundation. Much of this is due to the frequency of hurricanes that arise in the Gulf of Mexico along with Florida’s soft sandy soil.

Building codes are quite unique in south Florida and that is a necessity when it comes to life safety. Each area of the country has different “rules” for how you can and should construct a building. For instance, south Florida, northern Indiana and California (don’t forget earthquakes out there) will each have specific buildings codes distinctive to that area. As we know, weather differs all across the country, so to do the building codes and local ordinances.

We at PDMi have extensive building code knowledge not only locally, but across the Unites States. It is amazing how different, yet similar, buildings can be across the country. If we can be of help on your next project, regardless of the location, give us a call.