Residential Construction and the Influence of Inspections on Cycle Time

Abstract

A key component of the homebuilding process is inspection of construction by the building permitting agency within the jurisdiction where the work is performed. Several inspections are made throughout the construction process, but four of the inspections, pre-slab, framing, drywall, and final, lie on the work schedule critical path. This research focuses upon these particular inspections to determine if the inspection failures influence construction cycle time. Inspections of production homes are examined to determine how often these critical path inspections do not pass the first time, and how many reinspections are required. The number of days utilized to pass those inspections and reinspections is also measured and reported. The research finds that, on average, 12 days are required, to pass these critical path inspections, thus adding 8 days to the construction cycle time. When these inspections do not pass the first time the inspection is made, rework and reinspections must be completed before construction can proceed. The results show that this process may occur within the same day as the original inspection, and the subsequent inspection takes place the next day. More research is necessary to determine precisely wh y these inspection failures occur, what cost is incurred because of such failures, and in turn, what opportunities are lost.