Cost of not involving engineering consultants in your building project

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’  Luke 14:28(NIV)

“They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” Luke 6:48(NIV)

The words were spoken by Jesus as a metaphorical lesson on why it is imperative that before embarking on any project or mission we ought to have made adequate preparation which involves estimating the costs to be incurred. There is no room for blind faith or presumption in life issues. So is in building projects.

I have been involved in helping salvage some projects where the consultants were not involved during the design phase. The money got finished half-way with shoddy work having been done by the contractors and the sub-contractors. It is a mess trying to work out through disorderly electrical installations with no drawings and documentations.

Even credible financial institutions will not advance you money until you prove that consultants are involved in your project. Yet some people still think it is a waste of money to involve consultants in your projects. They are wrong. You need credible advisers to guide your project design and implementation.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22.

Why do buildings collapse due to weak foundations? In most cases, a structural engineer was not involved.

Why building electrical fire accidents? In most cases, an electrical engineer was not involved.

Why does the project budget spill out of control?  In most cases, the services engineers (electrical and mechanical) and the quantity surveyor (cost engineer) were not involved in estimating the project costs.

I can go on and on with numerous examples on why consultants are a necessary part of any building project.

Implications for not involving engineering consultants in your Building Project.

The power and lighting systems will probably fail.

There is an incredible amount of detail involved in the electrical and lighting phase of your project. If design engineers are not involved, you will end up spending more money in the long run. Lighting systems are an integral part of a building’s energy usage and indoor quality, and if poorly installed, you will end having an un-inhabitable building and un-controllable power bills.

You will end up using inefficient building systems and loss money in the process.

Services engineers know government energy rebate programs that can save you up-front costs. They are also knowledgeable about the most efficient building systems and they ensure these are installed in your premises.

You will end up with an over-engineered building.

The engineering consultants are paid to analyze different solutions and weigh the cost implications. They have the knowledge of the costs of systems they are specifying and thus they will recommend that which is best for your project. If they are left out of the picture, you will end up having an over-engineered project.

Your fire alarm and fire protection systems will fail.

Consider the implications of these systems failing when they are most needed.

Your fire alarm and sprinkler systems need to measure up to the needs of your building as well as conform to industry standards and meet all code requirements. Who will work out this for you if the engineering consultants are not involved? Building code requirements for fire alarm and sprinkler systems can be extremely complex and require interpretation. Engineering consultants are in a better position to help you.

Your heating, ventilating and air conditioning will probably fail.

Your goal is to have systems designed and developed that are efficient, environmentally friendly, and capable of delivering optimum user comfort. Only the engineering consultants can help you meet these needs. They will also help your project conform to your specific needs and budgetary requirements.

Your building plumbing systems will fail.

It is the engineering consultants who help in selecting the right equipment, determining pipe size requirements and load calculations for potable cold and hot water, sanitary vents and sewage systems. Without them, these systems would fail or underperform.

Read about the detailed roles of electrical building services engineers.