5 Material Planning Mistakes That Can Delay a Multifamily Construction Project
Material delays can quickly become construction delays.
On a multifamily project, one missing shipment or incorrect quantity can affect dozens of units at once. Installers may have to stop, materials may need to be moved around the jobsite, and the schedule can start slipping.
Good material planning helps prevent these problems before they reach the field.
Here are five common mistakes we see on multifamily projects—and a few simple ways to avoid them.
1. Ordering Materials Too Late
One of the easiest mistakes to make is waiting too long to place an order.
Lead times depend on the product, quantity, production schedule, and where the material is coming from. If products are being manufactured specifically for a project, production and transportation both need to be considered.
Waiting until the installation date is close leaves very little room for shipping delays, drawing revisions, or other unexpected changes.
What helps: Confirm specifications and quantities early. Start with the required delivery date and work backward to determine when the order needs to be placed.
2. Not Accounting for Waste and Extra Material
A material takeoff may look correct on paper and still come up short in the field.
Cutting, installation waste, damaged pieces, field conditions, and attic stock can all increase the actual quantity needed.
This becomes a bigger issue on multifamily projects because a small shortage per unit can turn into a significant shortage across the entire project.
Ordering a few extra cartons from the beginning is usually much easier than trying to match and ship additional material halfway through installation.
What helps: Review quantities by unit type and include a reasonable waste factor and attic stock before placing the final order.
3. Not Having a Clear Labeling System
Getting the material to the jobsite is only half the job.
Imagine receiving hundreds of cartons for multiple buildings, floors, and unit types without a clear labeling system. The material may all be there, but crews still have to figure out where everything belongs.
That takes time and creates more opportunities for mistakes.
Clear carton and pallet labels can make receiving, staging, and installation much easier—especially when materials are allocated by unit.
What helps: Decide how materials will be identified before they ship. Depending on the project, labels can include the building, floor, unit number, product type, or other information the field team needs.
4. Delivering Everything at Once
More material onsite is not always better.
If one building is ready for flooring but another is still waiting on drywall or paint, delivering both at the same time can create unnecessary storage problems.
Materials may have to be moved several times before installation, which means more labor and a greater chance of damage.
The original delivery schedule also may not match what is actually happening in the field several months later.
What helps: Coordinate deliveries with the current construction schedule and prioritize the areas that are actually ready for installation.
5. Losing Track of Changes
Multifamily projects change.
Unit quantities get revised. Drawings get updated. Delivery dates move. A product may be substituted. The installation sequence may change.
The problem is not necessarily the change itself. The problem happens when the supplier, contractor, warehouse, and field team are working from different information.
A simple revision can become an expensive mistake if the wrong material is produced, packed, or delivered.
What helps: Keep drawings, quantities, purchase information, and delivery schedules organized, and make sure everyone is working from the latest information.
A Little Planning Goes a Long Way
There are a lot of moving pieces between placing a material order and installing the final product.
For large multifamily projects, organizing those pieces early can save a surprising amount of time later. Accurate quantities, clear labels, practical delivery schedules, and good communication all help materials move through the project with fewer problems.
At Aegis Building Supplies, we work with multifamily project teams from material selection and ordering through delivery and jobsite coordination. We understand that supplying the product is only one part of the job—the material also needs to arrive where it is needed, when it is needed.
Planning that process early makes the job easier for everyone.
Aegis Building Supplies Inc.
6106 W 34th Street
Houston, TX 77092
(713) 575-3899
Aegis Building Supplies Inc. 